Shelley, what a terrific swap box Pam sent you. The theme is so cute. Love your "man" in the apron. I look forward to seeing that beautiful dish show up in your dinner photos. Just so you know Shelley, you aren't the only one that worries about all of those things you mentioned. I think that everyone that participates has the same worries. Ann

BIO-CLEAN is... a blend of bacteria and enzymes. The bacteria are natural, not genetically-engineered. The enzyme concentration is the most powerful on the market. SAFE Bio-Clean is non-poisonous. It creates no heat, no fumes, no boiling. It does not attack live tissue nor inorganic materials, only organic wastes like grease, hair, food particles, paper, cotton & sewage. This makes BIO-CLEAN safe for people, plumbing and the environment. BIO-CLEAN changes the waste particles into water, carbon dioxide and mineral ash which run harmlessly out of your waste system. These elements are then available for plant life. EFFECTIVE Within an hour after pouring the bacteria into the drain, the bacteria begin to eat their way into the waste that has accumulated on the sides and top of the drain pipe. This is their natural food. They digest the waste and spread throughout your system, cleaning it completely. MULTIPURPOSE  Residential and commercial applications  All drain and sewer pipes, including: Kitchen Sinks Lavatories Bath tubs Showers Floor drains Laundry drains Septic tanks and drain fields Garbage disposal odors Grease traps Sewage ejector sumps Outdoor outhouses and cesspools R.V. & boat holding tanks Lift Stations Cat Litter Boxes ECONOMICAL  100 drain treatments per 2 lb. container  2lb. container treats 1,000 gallon septic tank  Eliminates the need to clean grease traps and cable drains  Eliminates the need to buy dangerous chemicals  Eliminates the need to buy deodorant blocks (urinals.)  Eliminates costly compensation to employees that have been injured by using dangerous chemicals. This is from Bio-Clean.com. I personally never pour anything down drain lines. But heres the info if you decide to. Hope it helps.....

My contractor took the opportunity of my absence for a couple of days, to take TEN INCHES off the width of the little bathroom which I had already purchased fixtures for.....he then installed a toilet on the back side of the wall, and I could not justify moving that to regain my lost ten inch width. Result was, I had to find another lavatory which would fit the shallower spot opposite the pocket entry door, so you'd have somewhere to stand after showering and the door was closed. Next, I was waiting for him to tell me when he'd be back to finish the bath remodel to turn the old bath into an ensuite master, which required a bumpout for a tub and a walkin closet. I was not sure how long it would take to deliver the tub. In May of this year, he told me to go ahead and order it so it would be here in a couple of weeks when he began that bumpout construction. I ordered the tub, along with all the hardware, and they arrived. With no place for a clawfoot slipper tub inside, it sat on a pallet covered for a full two months, until about two weeks ago I found someone to help me bring it into the house. I did not want some hurricane to crash a tree down on it, and the fence guys were coming to complete the privacy fence and had to get materials around the tub. Upshot of all this is, we still have not heard from this contractor, who up to this point had been a friend as well as a nearby neighbor, dating my neighbor across the street. I've been sitting here in Mobile to keep an eye on the work, instead of joining my DH up in Massachusetts, where we are trying to get THAT house ready to go on the market next spring. It is extremely depressing to not get this project done....because I am hot to then begin the kitchen redo, my very favorite improvement for this little house. Yeah, right now the alternative contractor is working on a job for BP, the oil company, and hopefully that will soon be done...at least I hope BP is soon out of all our lives and we can have our contractors working on our houses. I'm definitely NOT going to walk away and let this critical little expansion of our space be done without my approval. I am alone here and not too experienced about construction details, and the resulting consequences we'll have to live with....but I do have a DH who is a phone call away and he is an engineer with lots of moxy and a good builder to boot. The finishing work will be done by US, all they have to do is the bones and the roof and the exterior stucco, and of course a good foundation. Clerestory windows, and nothing that will open, except for installing a really nice stained glass window which is in the west wall as you sit looking at it from the bathtub. I wouldn't have gotten this antique window, except, "the contractor said..." he thought it would look good. Yeah, it will, but no thanks to HIM. I hope it doesn't break before it is installed.

Good advice. And when the drain starts running slowly, that's the time to do something, not waiting until it's plugged up. I used to have a bad habit of pouring grease down the drain. (I was young and dumb and didn't know better!) Well it would occasionally slow down or plug up. Usually there were several ways to get it flowing: - Vinegar and baking soda are almost magical. I always mix some salt in there for an abrasive and it cleans it out nicely. - When I could get it to just trickle a little I'd start pouring in some salt. As said the salt works as an abrasive and it would take a little time, occasionally a full box or maybe a bit more, but it would chip away at it and get it flowing nicely. - I've also heard where people have used a hair dryer or heat gun on the trap to soften the grease and get things flowing. When it's flowing, flush with the hottest water you can, even boil some and put down there. Speaking of which, many plumbers suggest a pot of boiling water once a week to keep the drain clean. One other thing many people forget about. If you have trees near your sewer pipes their roots can get in there and cause all kinds of expensive problems. Be careful what you plant and where!