Pre-Spring Cleaning

Is it time for spring cleaning yet?

If you are itching to get some things in order, here are some helpful plumbing-related tips:

Give some love to your dishwasher and sink. Your dishwasher and kitchen sink are usually tied together and will affect each other. For example, if you put too much food into the disposal, it could back up into the dishwasher. Likewise, if you leave too much food on your dishes, it can clog the food trap in the dishwasher.

Clear the dishwasher of any food and run it empty, using baking soda or vinegar as the detergent. Freshen your disposal with a lemon peel and ice or with a commercial freshening agent like “Disposer Care”, found in the dish soap isle of the grocery store.

To prevent back-ups and clogs, scrape your plates into the trash or compost, rather than using the disposal or dishwasher to deal with the excess. Both appliances are really only designed to deal with “licked clean” plates.

To restore the sparkle of your faucet, a mix of half vinegar and half water can remove water spots and fingerprints. Be careful to not use an abrasive cleaning product or cleansing sponge that can damage your faucet or sink’s finish.

Water damage can be slow and sneaky and catastrophic- do a check of your plumbing around the house to find moisture. Hopefully it is dry, but if not, is something loose? Does it need a seal? Is there rust? Water can be very damaging, leaving mold, moisture and corrosion. Remember to check:

Under the kitchen sink.

All bathroom sinks.

Caulking and grout around the tub and toilets to see if it needs to be repaired to prevent water damage.

Under and on top of the water heater- any moisture there?

Near the washing machine. How are the faucets? Hoses? Drain line?

The hose spigot outside- are there any visible cracks or dripping?

Are your gutters and downspouts clear? Are they able to release water without it damming?

How is your furnace and air-conditioning unit? Is it able to drain properly? Is it free of debris? Have you changed the filter?

So, as you can see, spring cleaning doesn’t have wait for spring!