Mrs. Rooter Blog

I’d like to recommend a blog I like to read – called My Business Life, and it’s from our parent company, The Dwyer Group, Inc. The blog postings include information from our sister companies – Aire Serv, Glass Doctor, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric and Rainbow International, as well as The Dwyer Group on how you can manage your business more efficiently and effectively.

You could call it a sister to our home service online magazine, My Home Life. But instead of tips to fix up your home, My Business Life offers tips to service business owners about improving their companies. It covers news, efficiency tips, how to be more profitable, improve marketing and how to find a better quality of life.

I hope you enjoy learning something new – either about our companies or something in the franchising industry. You should check it out at http://www.leadingtheserviceindustry.com/blog/.

Here’s wishing you a world class day.

Have you done your spring cleaning yet? If you’re still holding off on it, pick just a drawer or a small room to begin. I find once I get started I’m ready to tackle the bigger projects.

If you haven’t deodorized your garbage disposal, you are missing out. Here’s the thing – your garbage disposal may start to smell when food debris builds up. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an overpowering stench either. It could be just a lingering odor. And who wants lingering odors in their kitchen?  I’d rather have the smell of fresh baked cookies or bread.

The first time I deodorized my garbage disposal I was amazed with the results. I had no idea how fresh and clean this would get my garbage disposal. Just like the tip I shared with you last week, eliminating the odor from your garbage disposal is quick and easy to do. Follow these steps:

- First, you need to place a bowlful of ice cubes and citrus peels – lemons, oranges or limes – in the garbage disposal. (I prefer oranges.)

- Next, you need to turn on the cold water, and then the disposal for 15 to 30 seconds.

- Finally, turn off the disposal and continue to rinse with hot water for 15 more seconds.

The clean, fresh scent is delightful. Here’s wishing you a world class day…and a fresh smelling kitchen.

If you’re like me, you’re ready to do some spring cleaning. It is always  refreshing to go room by room and really clean everything to include the base boards.  I feel renewed and look at my home in a new way afterwards.

If cleaning your garbage disposal is not on your to-do list, you need to add it. And the good news is that it will only take you a few moments. Grease buildup can cause backed up kitchen sink drains, and this is the perfect time to get rid of it. Not only is it easy to do, it’s quick as well.

Just follow these steps:

- First, you need to turn on the hot water, and then turn on your garbage disposal.

- Squeeze a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in the disposal.

- You need to continue to run hot water for 15 to 30 seconds while the disposal is running.

- Finally, you can turn the disposal off. Be sure you continue to let hot water run until the suds are gone. 

Stay tuned – later in the week I’ll give you some additional spring cleaning tips. Here’s wishing you a world class day.

I was in Sacramento earlier this week attending an inspiring Regional Franchisee meeting filled with great ideas, the sharing of best practices, and some great camaraderie.  We decided the meeting would be a great opportunity to kick off our future Mr. Rooter Plumbing national partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities.  On Tuesday night at the Sacramento Ronald McDonald House the entire community of Mr. Rooter Pacific Coast franchisees, along with some of us from the Home Office, made a visit, met the wonderful staff, and were inspired as we toured the house. It was truly a wonderful experience.

We were thrilled to present them with our first donation, a $3,395 check that came from the donations of about 50 Mr. Rooter franchisees and their employees who made the trip. Our Mr. Rooter shops in California, Arizona and Oregon also gave the Ronald McDonald House kitchen and food supplies their teams had collected. After a tough year for donations the Ronald McDonald House staff said the supplies would be put to good use right away.  

While we were on a tour of the house given by Lois (an amazing and caring woman who reminded me that giving from the heart is where true joy lies) she showed us a cheerful picture drawn by one of the children whose parents had lived in the house while he was hospitalized. The joy and delight in that picture reminded me of happy spring days and sunny afternoons in the park. That picture actually made me smile.  And then Lois showed us a photograph of the boy who drew it.  There he was smiling from ear to ear.  What I did not see at first because his dazzling smile filled the picture was that he had no arms.  He did not let that keep him from sharing his talent. Wow.  I sure am glad that Ronald McDonald House was able to be there for him and his family. Thanks to all those volunteers out there who make a difference each and every day. 

This partnership is special to us for many reasons to include that the Ronald McDonald House has helped members of our own Mr. Rooter community. I’ll share that story with you later, as well as more about our partnership.

Here’s wishing you a world class and inspiring day.

More than 1 trillion gallons of water are wasted annually because of household leaks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense web site. Wow!  That’s a lot of water.

The EPA is hosting “Fix a Leak Week” March 15-21. I just love the name of that week. If you want to know more check out their web site at http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water_efficiency/fix_a_leak.html. According to the site, running toilets, dripping faucets and other leaks in just one home can account for more than 10,000 gallons of wasted water in a year.

If you have a leaky faucet, you can go to our Mr. Rooter online drip calculator. It determines the amount of water wasted daily, monthly and yearly based on the number of drips per minute. It’s a cool tool you can use as a water conservation resource.

The drip calculator is easy to use. Just enter the number of drips per minute into the box, and the amount of wasted water is calculated immediately.

You can find the drip calculator at http://www.mrrooter.com/AskTheExpert/Drip%20Calculator.aspx. Have fun!

Here’s wishing you a world class day.

Are you ready for spring? I’m looking forward to the sun being out earlier each morning.  I am a morning runner and watching the sun rise is a treat I really miss in the dark winter mornings.  I remember reading the great poem and story The Odyssey where it would describe the start to a day with “Dawn with her rose red fingers rising across the sky…” I always thought it was such a great way to portray a sunrise.  I hope you can find time in the next week to watch at least one sunrise.  It’s a grand way to begin a day.

I want to remind you daylight saving time begins this Sunday. Be sure to move your clocks ahead an hour before going to bed on Saturday night.

This is also the ideal time to change the batteries in your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector. Your Mr. Rooter service professional can do this for you if you can’t reach it or don’t know how to change it.

Here’s wishing you a world class day.

Instead of just throwing everything in the garbage or down the garbage disposal, why not think about composting? I have a neighbor who regularly composts.  Not only is she doing her part in making the world a better place, she is doing her pipes a favor too.  Way to go Lynn!

Did you know  all organic matter will eventually disintegrate? If it once was alive, it can be composted.  Composting yard trimmings and kitchen scraps can produce a healthier soil to give your living yard and garden a better nutrient system.

Composting helps reduce the amount of waste going down our drains and in our landfills. Each of us can manage the organic waste we generate by creating a compost box at home. Check with your local city hall for tips and directions.

Just a few of the many things you can compost are:

• Paper napkins
• Potato peels
• Tea bags
• Egg shells
• Grass trimmings
• Fruit rinds
• Shellfish shells and fish bones
• Peanut shells
• Brown paper bags
• Bread crusts 

If you do accidently put some of these things down the garbage disposal and develop a clog contact your local Mr. Rooter® Plumbing.

Here’s wishing you a world class and some fun composting!

Earlier this week I gave you some helpful tips on what to avoid sending down your kitchen drain. These are not the only drains in which your family may notice slowdown or back-up. Bathroom sink and tub drains often clog with hair.  You’d be amazed how much hair accumulates in a drain.  The best way to fix this problem (especially if you have long hair like me or my daughter) is to put a screen in your tub and shower to help catch the hair before it even goes down the drain.  You can find one at your local hardware store such as Lowe’s or Home Depot.

My little brother used to think he could flush anything down a toilet and I’ve found many of our customers too think they can flush a myriad of items down their toilets.  Toilets are amazing pieces of engineering but even they can’t handle cotton balls, excess toilet paper, dental floss, hair, and toys. Watch what you put on the back of your toilet.  We get a lot of calls with toilet stoppages from items accidentally falling in from the back of the toilet.

Don’t forget to watch out for what goes in the washing machine as well. Anything left in pockets can end up in your washing machine and possible the drain. Beware of loose change, tissues, lighters and gum.

To help you maintain your drains ask your local Mr. Rooter® Plumbing office about BioChoiceES®, an all natural drain maintenance product.

Here’s wishing you a world class day and trouble-free flushing.

It is so tempting to put everything down the kitchen drain. At least once a week after a long day and then cooking dinner I am tempted to even send the plates down the drain – leftover scraps, bones and all! But what is easy for us is hard for our drains. Then a long day really gets out of hand when the disposer is not working or the sink backs up.

The best rule of thumb to follow is to not put anything down the drain that is not in some form of a liquid state. Below I listed some of the worse culprits for causing a backed up or slow moving drain and what you want to  avoid sending down the drain.

• Coffee grounds
• Poultry skin
• Chunky leftovers
• Potato or onion peels
• Egg shells
• Bones
• Grease
• Butchers twine
• Pesticides and chemicals
• Motor oil

Even with a garbage disposal you need to make sure to avoid large chunks of food I’ve even heard of a technician pulling a dish towel from a stopped drain. If you do find yourself in this predicament you’ll want to call your local Mr. Rooter® Plumbing.

In a few days I’ll give you a list for more things to avoid in household drains. Don’t forget to bookmark this page to go back to it.

Here’s wishing you a world class day and smooth pipes!