How to Unclog a Toilet - 3 Ways to Try Without a Plunger

So you are at your friends house for a party, and "nature" calls and next thing you know the water is rising in the toilet.

WHAT DO YOU DO??

Step 1 - STOP the water from rising first, by taking the back lid off the toilet and closing the flapper in the bottom.  Don't worry the water in here is clean even if the tank may look rusty, it is clean, so roll up your sleeve and stop the water from rising.

Once you have accomplished this, then try these 3 methods before pushing the PANIC button.

Operation Unclog Toilet

Number 1 - Hot Water - If there is no bucket in this bathroom, then empty the waste basket or find a cup if you can.  Run the tap water until super hot.  Fill the bucket, can or cup with hot water and dump in the toilet.  Do this a few times.

The hot water will quite often get a clogged toilet moving again as it helps to break up.. ehmm you know? business.

If this doesn't work...

Number 2 - Baking Soda and Vinegar - At this point, you may have to alert your friend of the situation if the hot water didn't work, and in which case, offer to clear the clog and ask for a:

Cup of baking soda
Cup of white vinegar

Hopefully your friend has this on hand, or hopefully you do if this is in your house.  It is always a good idea to keep both baking soda and vinegar on hand for many cleaning issues.  You may have one in your fridge for odors if you just can't place your hands on some.

Add the cup of baking soda to the toilet and then slowly add the vinegar.  It will fizz and create quite the creepy science project, but if the clog is "natural" it should start the breaking up process and once the fizzing stops at about the 20 minute mark.  ...  Try and flush.

Number 3 - Dish Washing Soap - IF you don't have baking soda or vinegar, then try this...  Pour about 1/2 a cup of your dish washing soap into the toilet.  Since it is heavier than water, it will sink to the bottom.

Leave it there for 20-30 minutes

Fill a bucket with super hot tap water and pour into the toilet.  The water level should drop.  If it does, then fill the bucket a second time with super hot tap water and pour into the toilet, and then flush.

The soap will lubricate the pipes and area around the "clog" and move it along as it creates a slippery surface.

Get out the Big Guns

If none of the above natural ways worked on this clog, then it may be time to get out the big guns with some chemical warfare!!  It doesn't hurt to keep a bottle of emergency toilet or sink unclogger.

Plumber Time - If none of the ideas above work, you can try a plunger, or the chemical.  Usually if the clog is "organic" it will disintegrate with the above methods, but if it is a toy or some other hard materials that were flushed by accident, then a plumber may be needed.

But try the above steps first, especially if you know what clogged it!

Smelly Fridge - 4 Fast Ways to Get Rid of the Bad Smell in Your Refrigerator

I spent a day trying to source the bad odor in my fridge.  I pulled out all the food, threw out anything that was questionable or looking like a science project, cleaned and yet there it was.  That slightly foul smell that happened when I opened the refrigerator doors!

It would waft into the kitchen and just make you cringe your nose.  Super lovely for guests...NOT

Before you lose your patience, give these ideas a try.  Sometimes fridges just stink!

If it is Sunday Morning and You are in Your Jammies... No Time for Shopping... Give these a try.

After much research and determination, I have discovered 4 ways that actually work right now, while you are thinking about it.  You can purchase products for this specific problem, but if it is a Sunday Morning and you are in your jammies, then try these ideas!

1.  COFFEE - I know you may consider this wasting that precious morning pick me up elixir, but you can spare a little I am sure!

Take some fresh ground coffee and place in a very shallow bowl so that there is a large surface area.  Leave it in there for as long as you can, and almost right away you will just be hit with the pleasant smell of coffee.  It will absorb a lot of odors.  The longer you can leave the doors shut the better.

2.  WHITE VINEGAR - This one works right away too.  The only problem is you need the room for a shallow dish of vinegar and be able to place it where it won't get spilled or you will have a new odor!  But it does wonders at neutralizing bad smells, almost right away.

3.  VANILLA EXTRACT - This one is a nice alternative, if you don't have any coffee or vinegar but since you love baking you do have vanilla!  Take a few cotton balls and soak with vanilla and place them in parts of the fridge where they won't get sent flying.   Don't use a lot of vanilla or your food will take it on as a added flavor, but maybe that would be good!

You need to use food grade items for odor absorbers...  Don't get into chemicals, or your food will taste of them and you will have a new problem.

4.  BAKING SODA - This is a standby, but don't just simply open the box and stuff it in there.  You need to spread it out onto a plate or wide dish so that there is a bigger surface area exposed to absorb odors. 

If odors are bad, then haul out pie plates and spread any of the above to make a huge surface area to do the absorbing.

Fridge Cleaning

Yes, the natural deodorizers above will only go so far in eliminating odors if your fridge is full of science projects.. such as leftover takeout containers or spilled milk.

Under The Vegetable Bins - Where Food Goes to Die!

These were the worst areas in my fridge.  I pulled them out and realized anything that had gone missing from my fridge in the above shelves, found a new home under the veggie bins!

I swept them out, and then cleaned them with a bit of vinegar and warm water.  My refrigerator lets me know if I have the doors open to long with an alarm, so I did this in stages!

Under the Fridge Migration

My refrigerator has a freezer on the bottom, so there is a vent just in front, which I unscrewed and found that spilled liquids of some sort had worked its way under there.  I carefully cleaned and vacuumed under this area.

The odors were much less noticeable, but as it turns out, that is just the nature of the beast.

Refrigerators simply love to harbor some pretty foul odors with no real noticeable source.  So by adding absorbents such as coffee, vinegar, vanilla and yes baking soda, you will notice within 24 hours how less stinky it is when you open those doors.

You can also purchase products specifically designed for this problem online.  I love the one that can hang on the wall of the fridge and not take up room on the shelves.

How to Fix Orange Hair - No Bleach - No Dyes

As a natural "dirty blonde" girl... I noticed with age, that my dark blondish had now become pretty mousy and gray.  It had lost it sheen and I then decided it was time to take the plunge and dye my hair.

It cost a bit too much for me to go to the hairdresser, so I purchased a box of popular hair color that promised to bring back my dark blonde hair and cover the gray.

Sounds good if you say it fast enough!!

I had never dyed my hair before except for the occasional foil highlights I would get done when a deal was on, but never my whole head.

I followed the instructions EXACTLY to the letter, and when I was done... I had reddish blond hair that after a couple of shampoos later was now tinted with orange.  At age 60 orange simply was not what I had in mind!

At age 60 - Orange Hair was not a Good Look!!

I didn't want to dye it again as it is very hard on your hair, and I thought I would have to put up with it.  I scoured Youtube and found many different people with the same issue... but they would bleach it, or try some kind of chemical experiment I simply didn't want to go down that road.

I didn't Want to do any Chemical Experimenting!

At my next haircut, (which is at First Choice, a walk in and first come first serve type place),  I asked the hairdresser what her opinion was on how to deal with this orange/red hair that was meant to be dark blonde.

Well... she first educated me on the fact that most of these blondish dyes... even the dark blonde do not work well on naturally red hair.  I explained I was not a red head naturally, but she then argued for it to go that orange you had some red in there somewhere..

So all those naturally blondes out there... consider there may be red in your hair that will not dye well.

My brother and sister are redheads, so I guess this is a possibility.  But what can I do that doesn't involve a lot more chemicals???

Blue Shampoo

Is your mouth gaping open too?  Mine was.  She took me to the back and said "lets wash your hair".  She used

 REGIS SUPER SILVER SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER.

Which doesn't make total sense as the color of the shampoo is the most beautiful dark indigo blue you can imagine not silver.  But anyways, she used the shampoo and then the conditioner and I was shocked at just how well it worked to knock that orange down.

The resulting color was a dark blondish with a slight naturally looking red tone, which I can live with until I try all this again.

Apparently the blue mixes with the orange in your hair and knocks it down.  It is not a chemical but simply a food coloring base that just seems to work and leaves your hair soft and not damaged.

I purchased both the shampoo and the conditioner and use it every time I shampoo.  It has done wonders for my hair, not only the more natural color but soft and less dry.  Totally recommend the above products.

Which by the way, I will save my pennies and let the professionals do it next time!