Frugal Must Have

I don't really know why, but our sinks and tubs are always clogged. We use the hair trap, but last week, we couldn't stand our downstairs bathtub/shower any longer. Dana asked me to pick up some drain cleaner at the store. I'm hesitant to use drain cleaner because we have 2 young kids and 4 cats. The bathrooms are where we keep the cats' water dishes at, so just shutting the door means fewer dishes for the cats, and only keeps Mo out.


I stopped at Fred Meyer after my board meeting last Tuesday. I wanted to check out girls' bikes, and get the drain cleaner. The girls' bikes were a bust, but because Fred Meyer carries plumbing supplies, I had many options to choose from in the drain cleaning aisle.


I carefully looked things over and found a can of stuff that is pressurized. It doesn't contain any harsh chemicals, but instead uses water and some deoderizer to force through the pipe. It was $8 and good for 8 uses. Then I spied these:

Sink & Drain Plungers on sale for $2.99. I thought, "For 3 dollars, it's worth a try." I bought the plunger too.

If any of you have ever attempted to use a toilet plunger on a sink or tub, you will know this: First, it's just grosss! Second, they are too strong and can damage your pipes or sink. So this little hand held plunger seemed perfect.

Wednesday morning, Dana was downstairs playing with the tub before starting the shower. I wondered if he'd used the pressurized stuff, when I came down to jump in the shower and there wasn't 3 inches of standing water. He hadn't. He didn't have time to use the other stuff, so he just used the little plunger. It is still clear almost a week later, and we have the plunger stuck to the shower wall in case we need to use it again.

How's that for non-toxic, earth and budget friendly?