My mother was a hoarder and consequently not the world's best housekeeper, so here I am a wife and Mom and not too certain about my housekeeping skills. For some time I've wondered is there perhaps some routine maintenance or cleaning task I might be missing that is supposed to keep my sink drains free of that ugly blackish-brownish pipe build up gook? Maybe about once a year or so an oft-used bathroom sink drain may clog so water doesn't drain. I plunger it until it flows free and pull out hunks of gunk. But even when that doesn't happen, if you lean over sink to brush your teeth or something you can smell the sour smell of the gunk that is down in the drain/in the overflow somewhere inside the sink. For the most part, my cleaning involves maybe every several weeks using a lime-away type product to clean hardened water deposits around the faucet base. Otherwise probably on a several times daily basis I wipe up water spills and rinse down toothpaste and spit and wipe the sink or countertop with either tissue with alcohol or Listerine (whatever is handy by my sink) or sometimes a disposable bathroom cleaning wipe if I've bought any. Every once in a great while I may scrub sink with Comet cleanser if particularly dirty hands or messes have been washed at sink and stained the porcelain. I've never given much notice to cleaning the faucet areator, Should I? Our water is very good. We drink it as is.

From your description, wallabee4, you are right, your cleaning skills need a lot to be desired and you should be using bleach to disinfect most everything in the kitchen and even down the drains.

Please don't tell us how you do the laundry :)

Don't worry about the areator, if you are on a municipal water system there is not usually a problem with it. If it stops up or partially stops, easily cleaned or replaced. Cheap enough to almost not be worth the effort to clean. Stop using the Comet. It is an abrasive and will wear away the glaze on the porcelian. This will make staining worse. Use something like Soft Scrub if you must.

From your description, wallabee4, you are right, your cleaning skills need a lot to be desired and you should be using bleach to disinfect most everything in the kitchen and even down the drains.



OK. Thanks.

Can you be more explicit? How and how often? Diluted or What strength? What about accidentally bleaching other surfaces and fumes/hazards to kids and to Mom?

Please no OCD people answer me. I can't handle the extremes.

For some time I've wondered is there perhaps some routine maintenance or cleaning task I might be missing that is supposed to keep my sink drains free of that ugly blackish-brownish pipe build up gook? Maybe about once a year or so an oft-used bathroom sink drain may clog so water doesn't drain. I plunger it until it flows free and pull out hunks of gunk. But even when that doesn't happen, if you lean over sink to brush your teeth or something you can smell the sour smell of the gunk that is down in the drain/in the overflow somewhere inside the sink.
Let's start with the smelly lavatory.
The first thing you should do is pull the stopper and shine a light down the drain. You will see a small rod down there. Hair can catch and build up on this rod and impede the flow. Take and hook any hair that may be down there. If the drain's clear then there's a partial blockage in the lateral,(horizontal ) drain in the wall and it must be snaked out.
Remove the "J" bend from the trap and send a snake up into the wall. (see image) You will run into a bend about 8 inches in. Work your way around it and put out about six more feet of snake. Afterward flush the drain with a few large pans of boiling water. The boiling water will melt the grease and flush the mess away.

Every once in a great while I may scrub sink with Comet cleanser if particularly dirty hands or messes have been washed at sink and stained the porcelain. I've never given much notice to cleaning the faucet areator, Should I?
Do not use harsh abrasives on porcelain. It's like using sandpaper. Bleach or Soft Scrub will do just as good and won't harm the finish. To keep the faucets clean and shiny I wipe them down with Fanstic or 409. If your water runs OK there is no need to clean the aerators. Good luck, Tom PS-
Please no OCD people answer me. I can't handle the extremes. What's a OCD person? Am I one?

What's a OCD person? Am I one?

Obsessive compulsive (disorder) as in clean freak--far too extreme end of spectrum for me to start at... :)

OK. I'm familiar with the whole trap removal thing--having years ago had things like earrings go down the drain. I am also familiar with cleaning hair off my stopper and removing the little ball and stick that holds that stopper in place. I'm actually not my mother, guys ;) Maybe I haven't been using the right products, but I do try to keep things clean. (I also cotton to the opinion that my family and I over a lifetime have had few sicknesses/allergies because we've probably been made more resistant to germs in small amounts over long periods than in the homes of those who are more disinfected than we are. :) )I just have never had anybody actually show me what to do--not the sort of thing that I'd go up and ask another mom--hey, how do you clean your sink?

But anyway, I was wondering, since no one has mentioned it, am I supposed to be in any way cleaning or pouring anything down the sink overflow hole to get at whatever may be built up in and around inside the sink around that hole? And, if I am to use bleach to clean, can someone be more specific on how to use the product, or how often I am to do a specific cleaning procedure (as opposed to how to get at the sink parts) --Is there a category suggestion other than plumbing that would get more at the housekeeping issue here? And finally, if I am cleaning the right way, will I still get occasional build up down the drain or will that problem go away completely?

Thanks for everyone's replies here!

I would most definitely use a separate plunger on the sink than the one I have for the toilet

if I am to use bleach to clean, can someone be more specific on how to use the product, You simply wipe down the areas you wish to disinfect with full strength bleach. And for those smelly drains tonight before bedtime Take a 1/2 gallon of bleach and pour it down the drain and let set over night. Next morning ,(and this is important) flush out the drain with two large pans of boiling water to loosen the grease and flush the mess out. The bleach will make the hair slippery and began to dissolve it and the hot water will melt the grease and flush the mess away.
. This should make your fixtures drain and smell better . As with all chemicals used in drain cleaning proper ventilation should be observed. Good luck, Tom

Just to set the minds at ease here, I do have a separate plunger for my toilet...
I even actually own bleach (use it in the toilet.)

speedball1: I'll do that bleach/drain/boiling water thing and rate you after that--ok?

Should I always rinse the areas I wipe down w/ bleach? My concern is 2-fold. If it is damp after I've wiped, I can see my kids lean up against it and bleach their clothes or my towels. If I drip it, it'll bleach my carpet (or my own clothes). If I leave it too long in contact w/ the sink, will it pit or eat away finishes (the way bleach can eat through cotton clothes?)
Is there an actual problem with me using alcohol (like what you'd wipe a thermometer with) or a specific bathroom cleaning wipe product instead of bleach or is it just a prefernce among posters here? And/or at times if I use the alcohol or wipes in place of the bleach and later use bleach is there a problem (like if I mix ammonia w/ bleach I know that can be a hazard) and last, my bathroom has a fan but no window. How important is it that if I'm dabbing bleach on a (clean) papertowel and wiping should I turn on the fan to ventilate? Or would you use a sponge? Or if I put bleach in a spray bottle and spray and wipe? And do I have to don gloves every time I use the bleach? ('Cause I can tell you that ain't going to happen) Sorry if I sound like such a dummy.

If using full strength bleach concerns you then use Clorox as a wipe. Click on; Clorox® Cleaning Products - Cleaner Homes Start With Clorox (http://www.clorox.com/) to check the product out. Good luck, Tom

I also cotton to the opinion that my family and I over a lifetime have had few sicknesses/allergies because we've probably been made more resistant to germs in small amounts over long periods of time than in the homes of those who are more disinfected than we are. ?:)


I'll go along with that. A little good clean dirt never hurt anyone.

Please dont tell us how you do the laundry :)
Yes too much information! But you just toss clothes in machine add soap and turn it on. I would so not like to hear how she does her dishes, unless she has an automatic dishwasher:eek:

If using full strength bleach concerns you then use Clorox as a wipe. Click on; Clorox® Cleaning Products - Cleaner Homes Start With Clorox (http://www.clorox.com/) to check the product out. good luck, Tom

Hey, guys! Wait a minute! This is the wipe I use sometimes--when I can't find my Listerine ;) --so does it contain bleach? Maybe I'm not as bad as some of you think. I think I'm on the right track, esp w/ Speedball1's advice. Thanks to you all.

(maybe I've helped another hoarder offspring get help, you never know in cyberspace.)

Hey, guys! Wait a minute! This is the wipe I use sometimes--when I can't find my Listerine --so does it contain bleach
The active ingredident in both Bleach and Clorox is chorine. Regards, Tom