Merry Christmas Readers
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
I don’t know if you are like me, but I am shaking my head right now, wondering how in the world it’s already Christmas 2025. I mean, the time slips past me every year. I will be planning for the store in January, and before you know it, summer hits. Then August comes around, and we start buying and setting up for the 4th quarter and Christmas. It’s that way in the retail world. And now I am writing this article, looking forward to a few days off and seeing family that I haven’t seen since August.
I have big changes coming for the store next year. Changes that I hope you will notice in the article and on our website. I expect to have many new vendors to buy from, since we are now incorporating not only Do It Best vendors but also True Value vendors. This is tremendous for Do It Best members because it gives us such buying power. Not to brag but Do It Best is now the largest co-op in the world. I giggle when I say that because if Dad were here today, he would be so excited. OK, truth be told- Dad stayed excited.
But right now, I want to talk to you about maybe some answers for problems that might crop up while you have company. And all these products can be found at either your local hardware store or a big box store.
If the toilet is running slowly, Green Gobbler is a safe and easy drain opener. The liquid comes in a 2-application bottle. But for the toilet, use the entire bottle. Pour in the toilet and flush and leave it for at least 2 hours. If possible, leave it alone overnight. But if you have a toilet that is completely stopped up and not flushing at all, get Liquid Fire. It’s very caustic; however, it will keep you from having to call a plumber during a holiday. You want to use it carefully. Pour about a 1/3 of the bottle into the bowl and flush. If the toilet will not flush at all, you will need to use a plunger to get it down into the line. That’s the only way for it to work. Do not just leave it in the bowl; it’s too hot. Remember, don’t mix chemicals. That means if you have already used a chemical. Wait 24 hours.
If your dishwasher is not cleaning well, it might just need a quick tune-up with Glisten Dishwasher Cleaner. It will remove limescale, rust, grease, and buildup from all of the little jets on the dishwasher arms. Have you ever looked at those jets? They can get clogged with all kinds of food particles, so they don’t rinse your dishes well. It’s easy to use, just remove the lid of the cleaner and place the bottle upside down on the top rack of the dishwasher. Turn your dishwasher on the longest, hottest cycle that you have. I like to turn on the hot water in the sink before I clean with Glisten, so the hot water is right there in the pipe. Remember, you are cleaning with an empty dishwasher. Have you used your disposal, and now it smells? Glisten also makes a product called Garbage Disposer Cleaner. To use, place one packet in the disposal with just a trickle of water, then turn on the disposal and watch the blue foam do the cleaning. It might come up in both drains if you have a double sink.
If you can’t find Glisten, CLR makes a similar cleaner, but the foam is white.
If you develop a leak in any drain, such as under the sink in the bath or kitchen. Look for a product called Xtreme Tape. It’s a self-fusing tape that stops leaks. Clean the surface to be wrapped. Peel back a short length of protective film. Keep the tape clean. Begin with one complete overlap of tape onto itself. Stretch Xtreme tape as you continue wrapping the pipe, overlapping by ¼ inch. Xtreme tape cures immediately for a permanent, cohesive bond.
I hope you will not have any problems this Christmas, and that you can just file this column away. My family and my staff wish you a Merry Christmas. I wish that this Christmas is filled with memory-making days. God bless you.