Friday, October 26, 2007

dad... please don't read this...

ok... just when you thought there were some things that you just... well... couldn't recycle... along comes (no pun intended) sextoyrecycling.com.

yes, folks, once your trusty love rabbit has given you your last thrill, you can help the environment by NOT burying it in newspaper and stuffing it into the bottom of your trash can!

all you need to do is is contact the company here, and these nice folks will send you a pouch in which you can return your well-loved products (apparently, you can also find them at your local "gift" store, but i can't vouch for that). i'm not going to go into the recycling process (you can check that out for yourself here, as even i am a bit disturbed). one thing, they do ask that you wash them first (gagging a little)...

also, i'm not sure whether or not this is an incentive or just an "ewww," but for every misfit toy you send back, you get a $5 voucher toward the purchase of any ... uh.. product... in their recycled line (once they get the online store up... oh, man, i'm so going to hell... sorry, dad!)

and you thought you'd seen everything, right?

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

more than just a drop in the bucket

first off... dang! i was all ready to post this yesterday for blog action day... but i got caught up in that little thing called "life" and spaced it... sigh... some role model i'd make!

anyhoo, on with the show...

most high water bills are caused by leaking toilets and can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day (ouch!). while many leaks can be spotted, some are silently draining your wallet. the culprit may be a bad flapper valve, flapper valve seat, a bad ballcock valve, an improperly positioned float arm or a defective overflow tube.

“great,” you say. “i don’t know what any of that means or what to do about it. now what”? don’t worry. take a trip down to the hardware store, act as clueless as i do when i’m in one of these stores and find a kindly person in the plumbing department. hopefully, they’ll take mercy on you and help you find your way.

also, many cities offer free home water audit kits; but, even if yours does not, a quick trip to see that compassionate soul at the hardware store should take care of that. these kits include non-toxic dye tablets. take one tablet, drop it in the tank and stir slightly, but do not flush. (note that it goes in the tank, not the bowl. you may think this obvious, but few things are funnier than walking into the bathroom, seeing a bright blue bowl, panicking because you think there’s a blow-hole-size leak in the john, and then finding out that your dear hubby dropped the tablet into the wrong place.) sfter that, simply leave the toilet alone for 15 to 20 minutes. when you check back, look for color in the bowl. if there is any color, sorry, but you’ve got yourself a leak. ok. one more trip.

just as bad are those annoying dripping faucets, which can waste 20 gallons of water each day. fortunately, faucet leaks are easy to detect. if it drips or, worse, continues to run after you shut it off, it needs to be fixed quickly. and, if the dripping water is hot, the need to repair is even more urgent, as it is also wasting energy used to heat the water.

in addition, a dripping or running showerhead is usually caused by a bad washer or seal. be sure to check for leaks from the tub faucet when a tub shower is on, as this defeats the purpose of a low-flow showerhead, as the water you save with a low-flow shower is heading down drain.

problems with plumbing fixtures are usually due to old age and corrosion or wear and tear, and replacement or repair parts can be purchased at a local hardware store or plumbing supply store. dave yourself some money in the long-term by making these repairs as soon as possible. by the way, if you’re a do-it-yourself, get your little ones involved. not only will you be teaching them about water conservation, but they’ll have fun “helping out,” while learning how to make home repairs like a big kid!