Bathroom Tips and Maintenance

These helpful tips should help to keep your bathroom running smoothly and efficiently.

• Fit strainers in your showers and tubs to catch soap chips, jewelry, and hair. Empty these strainers regularly.
• Once a week run hot water down your drains to keep it free-flowing.
• Repair leaky faucets as soon as you notice a leak to stop further damage to the faucets and fixtures from occurring.
• Don’t flush cotton balls, q-tips, facial tissue, paper towels, diapers, or make-up pads down the toilet. They will not dissolve and can cause a major clog in the lines.
• To remove mineral deposits on your showerhead, put a cup of white vinegar in a plastic bag and place it over the shower head. Use a twist tie to hold it in place and let it stand overnight. In the morning, take the bag down and use a damp cloth to wipe off the mineral deposits.

Showerhead Maintenance

Over time the holes in your showerhead can get clogged with mineral deposits that cause an uneven spray. In order to clean, follow the steps below:

• Unscrew swivel ball nut – in order to do this you will need channel-type pliers or adjustable wrench. You can wrap the jaws of the tools with masking tape to stop the finishing from getting scratched.
• Unscrew collar nut from the showerhead.
• Clean the inlet and outlet holes of the showerhead gently with a thin wire.
• Flush the showerhead with clean water.
• If your showerhead has built-up mineral deposits you may need to soak it overnight in vinegar. When you’re done, reassemble the showerhead.

Testing Toilets for Leaks

Check your toilets water level in the tank and make sure it’s not overflowing where the overflow pipe is (the pipe in the middle of the tank with a small piece of tubing connecting to it.)

• If you’re seeing water run into the overflow pipe, simply adjust the fill valve until the water stops about one inch below the top of the overflow tube.
• Put a few drops of food coloring into your tank to test the flush valve mechanism.
• Check your bowl after 15-20 minutes. If the water in your toilet bowl has changed colors, you need to replace the ball or flapper because it’s leaking.