Assault and Soda

It was somewhere between bitter and sour.  My nose is sensitive to things gone "bad"--dish or wash clothes and bath towels--and I'd been pursuing the odd smell in the shower for months.  Despite my random efforts, the smell persisted until it grabbed my attention and flung itself in front of all the other Things I get to do today.

Shower deodorant--soda and boiling water

Armed with--what does one use when the cause is not clear?--baking soda by the pound and boiling water, I took it on. Several days ago it seemed that the smell was coming from the shower drain. Down went 3/4 cup of baking soda followed by two quarts of boiling water.  The steam that came up was not reassuring.  Waited five minutes while another pot of water boiled. Added another cup of baking soda. Scalded the dickens out of it with more boiling water.

Assaulted the tub drain the same way, though it had not yet ripened. Soda and boiling water. My thinking was that the soda would neutralize the acidy stuff and the boiling water would soften and wash away sludgy soap and hair conditioner scum.

All the hoopla took place earlier today.  I've put off checking the results, not wanting to be disappointed enough to come up with another plan.  Upon gathering my wandering courage a short time ago, I discovered, hallelujah-hooray, the drain is essentially odor free.  So the other thing I get to do today is write that down so I'll remember it for any future similar situation.

Cactus Dust

It took me years, but I finally did it.  From past posts you know that dusting is not top on my list of favorite Things I get to do today.  But I do it anyway--when necessary.

All brushed up

However I do like to clean the bathrooms, and I finally dusted the cactus that sits on the back of the toilet.  Poor little guy has grown a soft gray fur over his short, sharp spines, and past attempts to dust him have been painful for me, and not so good for him either.  There was  the "blow off the dust" attempt, the "sit under the faucet" try, and the "ignore the crud" technique.  None of these did anything, though sitting under the faucet put some sand in the sink and down the drain.

Back at work

An old toothbrush stands in with me to reach all the little slimy, grimy places in the bathroom when I'm on a clean. Standing with the brush in my hand, seeing the cactus, I am finally, after more than several years, seeing how they go together.  Sure enough, the toothbrush bristles were the perfect length to clean the spines and give Cactus Joe a scalp massage as well. Minutes later he was sparkly-spiky and ready to go back to work.*




*Energy off the tips of the cactus spines help break up congestion in areas like bathrooms.