We all get them....Clogged sinks!!

I do not know about you but it drives me crazy when I got to wash my face and see the sink start to fill up when I turn the water on but the pug is not in the sink. Blah!

Many different things can contribute to a clogged sink: whiskers, soap, toothpaste, the list goes on. I have also noticed, now that our little one is really into brushing her teeth, that the bathroom sink clogs a lot more often. My guess is that it is all that extra toothpaste going down the drain. Once again it is time to clean them out. There are a couple of different remedies you can try that will not cost you nearly as much as calling someone into your home or using harsh chemicals around  your house. We all know right now I am all about no chemical cleaning while I am pregnant.

Sorry, there are no photos. This was a hard one to photograph but I figured there were plenty of people out there looking for home remedies for clogged drains so I am posting it without photos.

Method one:
If you have ever gone to a Science Fair you have seen the exploding volcano that so many kids like to do. Well, that same science can go into unclogging your drain. Pour 1/2 cup of dry baking soda down the drain followed by 1/2 cup of white vinegar. I cover mine so that the reaction works faster instead of letting the air escape. If you do that it should just take a few minutes, otherwise let the baking soda and vinegar sit for about a half hour. Then pour boiling water down the drain to help 'wash' away the gunk.

It is no secret that baking soda and vinegar have been my new best friends on this cleaning crusade of mine so this is the one that I went with and it worked great.

Note: if you have plastic pipes just use tap water at its hottest setting. Using boiling water could melt the plastic pipes.

Method two:
I am not a Coke or Pepsi drinker and after reading what some have said about how well they can be used for cleaning, I do not think I will ever drink these. BUT....They can be used on clogs, lime scale and other hard to clean build up spots.

Get a two liter of coke and let it sit out until it reaches room temperature. Pour it down the drain and let the corrosive abilities do their thing. After about an hour or two run hot water to wash out the pipes. The acid and fizz of the soda work to break down the buildup.
Source

Method three:
Plunger. That's right, your trusty plunger that is sitting next to your toilet. I know, the thought of putting that in my sink grosses me out too, but it can work. There are also smaller plungers out there made more specifically for sinks and tubs. There are a couple of tricks to using a plunger. First, make sure there is water in your sink or tub. Second, make sure there is water in the bulb of the plunger. This way all your energy will go straight to the clog when you use it. If it is full of air you won't be getting the full force of the plunger on the clog.

Note: Be warned, this one can get messy.

Method four:
Your trusty wire hanger. Yep, just untwist it and put the hook part down the drain. This will work if the clog is towards the front of the pipes before the goose neck {'U' shape} part of the pipes, the part you see right under your sink.

If the clog is too much for any or all of these by all means call a professional.

I have never thought about cleaning bathtub toys....they sit in the clean water with the kiddos....but I noticed a little build up on some of Lady A's bath toys so it is time to get working on cleaning them. After all they are in the bath to get clean, it does not make sense to have them play with dirty toys.

Plug the holes for those that squirt water or have squeek holes. The kiddos might not be too happy about this but it will save you a lot of work and mold in the long run. Simply use hot glue to place a water proof seal on those toys.

Here are a couple of options to cleaning those toys that can help keep bath time a little bit easier:

• Boil them ~ place them in a pot of water and boil them in hot water. Squeeze the water in and out of the squirt and squeaky toys to get the yucky mold out.
• Place in bleach or vinegar bath ~ The bleach kills mold but if that seems a bit harsh you can use vinegar instead. Mix about 3/4 C. bleach {vinegar} with 1 gallon of water.
  
  • Let the toys soak for 5-10 minutes {or overnight if they need a little extra attention} making sure that any of the squirt and squeaky toys get some of the water mixture in them to clean the inside of them as well.
  • Squeeze them a number of times to work out the yucky.
    
  • Rinse in hot water and allow to completely dry, this would be a good time to plug up the squeeze toys if you want to.

• Place them in the dishwasher. Make sure to place them on the top shelf and only place those that you are sure can handle it. The dishwasher will sanitize them and help to kill any mold or other gunk both on the inside and out.

Just a couple of thoughts....

• If the inside of the toy is too gunky just throw it away and get a new one. The health of our little ones is not worth trying to save a couple of bucks.
• Be sure to take the toys out of the tub after every bath. Allowing them to fully dry in between baths will help keep the gunk from moisture loving mold to build up.
• Normally if it is plastic and will stand up to water I would let Lady A take it in the tub with her. From now on I will make sure to have certain toys set a side so I don't have to deep clean all of them and they will be ones that I would be fine to toss if/when they need to be.
• If you need to, use a soft brush to help clean the toys.