Project #10: Fix a Running Toilet (or Two!)

Yes, you read the post title correctly. TWO (!!) of our three toilets started running incessantly, allowing who knows how much water to run needlessly down the drain. The bathroom upstairs got so bad that we just shut the water off to it after our company left. We'd wake up in the middle of the night and hear it running mysteriously. It just got to be too much. On top of that, the flush handle was nearly impossible to push. Hmmm...Could those be related? And then the toilet in the half bath started running for long periods of time after flushing. Since we don't want to siphen all of our company to our master bath to use the restroom for the remainder of our years here in our home, it was time to roll up my sleeves and do some plumbing.

I started off by doing my research. I looked up "fixing a running toilet" in three locations. First I checked out this handy DIY guide my parents got us recently: DIY Know-How with Show-How by Julian Cassell, Peter Parham, and Theresa Coleman. Then I watched a how-to video from my personal DIY heroes, the guys over at This Old House. Finally, I checked out http://www.doityourself.com/ and found a helpful diagram and several troubleshooting tips.

After my research was complete, I decided to roll up my sleeves and see what I could do. (Times two.)

1. First, I grabbed some old towels. I almost got started and didn't think about this! Good thing I did, because I got my hands a little wet! (Use old ones, especially if you use the bleach cleaning tablets like we do; no need to mess up good towels!)
   
   
2. Next, I removed the lid on the back of the toilet. Most people automatically think toilets are full of dirty water, but the tank on the back is full of fresh water, so it's not as gross as you may think. Unless you have a really old toilet that hasn't been used in a long time, and water has sat stagnantly in the holding tank, the water should be fairly clean.
3. Turn the water to the toilet on (if it's been shut off).
4. Check the chain to make sure it isn't twisted. The first thing I noticed is that my toilet was different than the one in the diagram. Namely, there was no chain. (I have Mansfield 180 toilets in all three baths.) Water came in through the left-hand column, and drained out the valved hole beneath the center column. The float arm was attached to the left column, but no chain connected it to the valve. Step complete. On to the next test.
   
5. Check to see if water is collecting in the float (blue in pciture above). My research told me that water-laden floats needed to be replaced. Mine was empty and thus, not in need of replacement. Step complete. Onward to the next checkpoint.
6. Slightly bend the float arm downward so that the float hangs slightly lower than before. I knew that this was a promising step in the half bath because I had been able to stop the toilet from running after a flush by slightly lifting this arm. Sure enough, after bending the arm, I gave it a flush, and the running stopped immediately--not 30 minutes later. Success with the half bath! Toilet lid back on, I headed to the kids'/guest bath. Unfortunately, steps 4 through 6 didn't work this time around. After flushing, I could still hear a trickle of water, meaning water was getting out of the tank somehow--presumably through that center column. And sure enough, in less than 30 seconds, the toilet maneuvered a "half-flush" to force more water back into the tank. The trickle continued.
7. Ensure the valve seal is positioned correctly. At this point, I noticed that the red valve seal (a round O-shaped piece of rubber underneath the center column) was unevenly visible around the base of the center column.
   
   So I lifted the column (causing a long flush) and pulled up the rubber. It was a bit dirty, so I rubbed it clean, and repositioned it evenly around the valve opening, snapping it into position. I immediately noticed that it connected better and was positioned more symmetrically around the valve. After testing the flush (which was MUCH easier--additional problem solved!), the toilet tank filled and stopped running. AND, the trickle was gone! Success!
8. Replace toilet lid and bask in your new-found plumbing abilities. (Optional) Call husband to brag. (He'll be so proud.)
   

This whole ordeal (two toilets) took me less than 30 minutes to complete, didn't require any tools or materials, and, most impressively, didn't cost me a thing. If I'd known how easy this would be, I'd have fixed this problem weeks ago. Now I know. I realize I was lucky and didn't have to replace any parts, as some guides mentioned. I may have to do that someday, but for now, I'll try these simple steps FIRST to see if I can fix the problem easily.

I feel kind of empowered by my new knowledge. What about you? Have you tried any home repair recently that you'd never tried before? Ever worked on a running toilet? Got any other helpful tips?

Project #7: Clean Out the Clothes

During our last move, we didn't have a lot of time to go through our closets before we packed or after we unpacked. Needless to say, we had accumulated a great deal of clothes that had either gone out of style, seen their better days, or no longer fit. For some time, we kept two giant moving boxes in our room and just tossed stuff in them (eventually on top of them) when it met one of these qualifications. We had been putting off taking them to Goodwill because we wanted to itemize them for tax purposes.

Well, I had just about had it with the two boxes of clothes. I had decided to forget about the writeoff in favor of less clutter. Except the boxes had gotten so big that me and my pregnant self couldn't lift the boxes any longer. So something had to be done.

I started to consider my options, and I decided to take a couple of routes. Here's what I did:

1. Dump out all the clothes on the floor. I had to see what I had in order to make any progress.
2. Pick out items that could be consigned. I have never done this before, but the process was fairly painless and carefree. My clothes were already clean and folded; I just gave them a quick press and a hanger before running them to my consignment appointment. I placed 20 items in the store for the fall; we'll see in January how they did. The drop-off process took all of five minutes! I've got another stack going to drop off for the spring sale. (Consignors usually limit how many items you can drop off during each season.)
3. Grab the worn-out items and throw them in a trash bin! If I wouldn't wear it in its current condition, why would anyone else? No need to donate junk that someone else is going to have to weed through.
4. Donate everything else! Fold and pack items in small, easily manageable boxes or bags that can be easily lifted in and out of your car.
5. Drop everything off at its final destination!

In calling local consignment shops, I was disappointed to find that men's clothes aren't accepted by any of my stores. Most specialized in children's clothing, and with one little girl and another one on the way, I can't see getting rid of any of that yet. But one day, I'll have plenty to consign! And bonus: the local consignment shops donate all items that don't sell at the end of your sale period, so there's no need to go pick up leftovers and drive them over to Goodwill. Just stop by and pick up your check!

I think I waited a little too long to get to this project. I'm going to try to be more devoted to this moving forward. For this reason, I placed two large, labeled bins in the floor of my closet: (1) Donate and (2) Sell. Now when I (or anyone else) comes across something that needs to go, we'll put the item directly in the appropriate box, folded and ready to go. When a box is full, I'll deal with it individually instead of having to repeat steps 1-5 above. And now, clothing that's just had it goes straight to the trash can.

Whew! I already feel better. And my room looks better. At least that corner of it.

How often do you go through your clothes? Do you have any way to turn the unwanted items into a bit of extra cash? Ever had any luck selling at yard sales? Do share!

Jennifer

Cloth Diapering and Other (Budget-Friendly) Child-Rearing Practices

I thought I'd take a few moments over several days to jot down several lessons learned over the past few months about cloth diapering, since several friends have asked about what I've used. My intention here is not to come across as a know-it-all. Rather, I thought I'd tell you a bit about what we used, how we did it, and how much we liked it as a result. Then you can make your own decisions. I was very overwhelmed when trying to learn about different stuff, so I thought I'd give you some written words of experience and website links that you can either (1) read at your own pace, or (2) ignore in frustration!! :) There is a lot of information here, but I wish I had had this information to read through when I had our little one, so I hope you share that sentiment. Here it goes...
 

Cloth Diapering

What We Use

We used (gasp!) disposables for the first couple of weeks. Someone gave us a pack of newborn Huggies, and that was great to have while family was around and I was healing. Plus, from what I understand (my loving husband, mother, and mother-in-law did diapering while I recovered from surgery), the poop was very, umm..., gross in those first few days, so it was nice to chunk the diaper when it came out. Honestly, b/c of surgery and extra helpers, I didn't change a diaper for a long time. :) We later tried Pampers Swaddlers for a vacation we were going on. Initially they worked alright; we only had a couple of leaks. But the next vacation we went on, they were leaking up a storm, and my husband vowed never to use disposables again. Since he was the one who was on the fence about cloth in the beginning, that clenched the deal for us. We now travel with cloth diapers, too, and have been very happy with our decision.

• We used a combination of BumGenius 3.0 (one size fits all) and prefolds.
• BumGenius 3.0 ("pocket" diapers, because there's a pocket inside that you stuff with liners)
• Each diaper comes with two liners--a thin, short "doubler" and a long, adjustable length liner. I used these for adjusting absorbancy and bulkiness, as you'll read below.
• I have 20 of these. I got 10 of them from Target (at $35.99 for 2, with a 10% registry completion coupon they send you around your 8th month of pregnancy). I got 10 from a shop in Savannah that monthly or bimonthly puts out a 20% off coupon off your entire purchase. That made them about $14-15 each, I believe. If you want me to see about getting more from this store, let me know; I'll contact my sister-in-law to get more information. ****UPDATE**** With another baby on the way (yay!), I decided I could use another dozen diapers. BumGenius has since come out with the 4.0 one-size diapers, but I still prefer my 3.0s. I found that http://www.cottonbabies.com/ has great sales, including second runs of top-brand cloth diapers. I ordered a dozen second-run, brand-new BumGenius 3.0 OS diapers in white, and they were pristine. I can't tell the difference between them and my first-run diapers. After coupon (and free shipping!) these were about $11.36 each at the time I purchased them. I wish I'd known about CottonBabies sooner! We plan to have our first baby out of diapers during the day by the time the second little one arrives. We thought we'd need the extra BumGenius diapers for night times and traveling. 
• I got all white. The colors were SO cute and tempting, but I plan to use these for multiple children, so white seemed to be the best way to go. Plus, I think that a little white sticking out of an outfit is a little less noticable than a red, blue, green, etc. diaper. The insides are white, so even if you get colors, you still get to see whether or not it's clean.
• I've been very pleased with the quality of the BumGenius. Of course, they wash very easy. The only downside is that it takes a few minutes to stuff them back to "ready to use" status when you're doing the laundry. But then again, what doesn't? There are BumGenius diapers that do not have removable liners, but I actually prefer the ones I have for sizing purposes.
• I had a big baby, so these fit pretty well. My niece was smaller, and her mom says that she didn't really start fitting into these well until she was about 10 lbs.These adjust in size, so that was very nice.  
• When she was a newborn, she didn't need more than just the short "doubler" in the diaper during the day. She never wet enough to need more than that. During the night, we used the thicker liner only. That allowed her to go a couple of times without having a leak in bed before we could change the diaper again. I usually changed the diaper once in the middle of the night. We folded half of the diapers to be daytime diapers (thin) and half to be nighttime (thick) when we did laundry. Based on how we overlapped the velcro, we could identify which type it was, just by looking at the diapers. Because she was so small, she didn't need the extra bulk that we use now. Now, we use the liner AND the doubler all the time. In the morning, the diaper is drenched when she wakes up (but not leaking!), so I'm thinking about sewing some extra microfiber liners to add at night. I have also just folded a regular cloth diaper in thirds and stuffed that in before bedtime as an additional liner. Voila! No leaking! If you want extra liners, find a good deal on a pack of microfiber cloths at Walmart ($1 or so each) and fold or stitch them up. It's much cheaper than buying the BumGenius brand ones.
• BumGenius is by far the easiest to change when you're half asleep at night, when you have to change in the back seat of a car or on a diaper changing station, or when you've got to be very fast. Not to mention, they work just like disposable diapers, so family members and nursery workers alike don't find them as intimidating. They are the easiest overall, and I'd have more, except they are just too expensive. So I used half and half.
• (Because Daddy's opinion matters, too....) When my daughter was younger (months 0-4), my husband loved BumGenius best. He usually grabbed these and used them up quickly. He didn't like to have to do multiple assembly steps (as required by the prefolds) when she was wiggly.
• We use(d) thicker diapers at night, on outings, and for traveling. BumGenius tend to be very leak resistant, and we trust them most for not messing her up. We also use them for family and nursery workers because they work most similarly to a disposable diaper. We simply keep a plastic bag in our diaper bag for workers to put dirty diapers in. (We were using those cute scented Arm & Hammer bags, but they were expensive over time, and I happen to have a ton of plastic grocery bags around the house that work just as well.) You can also get a small "wet bag" (water-proof bag) to put them in that can be washed out with your diapers and reused.

Prefolds

• We have 18 of these. I started out with 12, and realized that I could probably stretch laundry a little further if I had 6 more, so I bought some more when my daugher was 6 months old.
• Of all the cloth inserts, we liked prefolds best. We had some really thin birdseye cloths that you could see through, and those only worked for the first month or two while she was peeing small amounts. I put them away b/c they aren't absorbent at all. The ones we liked best were from Target. I've gotten the Gerber ones from Walmart as burpcloths, but they are not the same as the Gerber ones from Target. Target's is a tighter weave and holds much more liquid.
• While the poop is runny (which is up until they start solids), it really can go anywhere. You'll find poop on their fronts, sides, and behinds, so you really need some sort of absorbency all around their bums. Initially we pinned (old fashioned diaper pins) the cloths and then put the covers over them. My husband was EXTREMELY reluctant to pin, so we got something called a Snappi (http://www.clothdiaperoutlet.com/snappi_diaper_fastener.html) that he liked using very much. We only bought one (they are expensive for a piece of rubber, in my opinion), bought it in size small, and just kept it with our pins. We never needed a second one b/c we kept up with it. Now that my daughter's poop is a little more solid and contained, we don't pin or Snappi. We just fold and cover. The poop stays in its place and doesn't leak.
• Training pants covers (like we used to have when we were all little) are now hard to find in infant sizes. So you have to wrap the cloth diapers in some other way. I researched a lot of covers, and Thirsties got the best reviews, so I bought them. Again, they were on the high end of prices, but I got a bulk discount (at http://www.clothdiaperoutlet.com/) and that helped. I have 3 of each size: extra small, small, medium, and large. We have been very pleased with these. (At 15 months, we're still in the medium size.)
• We use these most around the house. If any of her diapers are going to leak, though, it's the Thirsties. It doesn't happen often at all, but it can happen, especially when they are younger with runny poop. Now that she's older, we haven't had a leak in several months. We just keep them changed frequently (every couple of hours). There's a little more room for "error" when you put them on (like having a little cloth peeking out of a leg hole or the back), so they are more likely to leak. But, with practice, they are very reliable. Because they don't seem to hold as much, though, I never travel or go on an outing with them on her.
• I like prefolds and never minded pinning. I stuck myself several times, but didn't mind. At least it wasn't the little one being stuck! Once everyone else used up the BumGeniuses, I was usually stuck with all the prefolds. I didn't mind because I was home all day any way and could take my time putting them on. Plus, they were much cheaper than the other ones, so it was fine to have them around.
• My husband now says he likes prefolds best because he just lifts out the prefold, puts in another one with a liner on it (because for a while we used liners...more info in a minute), and wraps the baby back up. Kind of funny that he has changed his mind.

Other Types

There are lots of other types of diapers. Some have flushable inserts, adjustable sizing, pockets, no pockets, etc. I didn't want to have too many different kinds because I knew that would be trying on my husband (since he's not around during the day to practice like me!). I also wanted things that were highly recommended, so I bought those with the highest satisfaction ratings from other moms. They were more expensive, but I figure they'll last, and I'm not having to change soiled clothes all the time. Some people use a lot more kinds, but that's just up to you and what you want to do. I'm not against them (though I do find it a little counter-productive to flush a liner and buy a new one); these are just what we decided to use.

Liners

 You can get diaper liners (not to be confused with the insert liners that go in the pockets of the BumGenius!). It's like a piece of flushable dryer sheet that you put in between the diaper and the baby to catch the poop (usually for use with solid, not runny, poop). The pee drains through and the poop stays. Then you can easily lift it out and take it to the toilet. We used these for a while at a friend's suggestion, and it does make it easier for disposing of poop. They have warnings on the package that you should be careful if you have a septic tank; they might stop it up. As a result, they recommend that you always let the liner soak in the toilet about 20 minutes before flushing to spur on the biodegrading process. After several weeks, we ended up discontinuing our use of these; they stopped up our toilets and we decided it wasn't worth it for us. We'd just shake out the poop like we used to.

Cloth Wipes

I'm cheap. There I said it. Therefore I use cloth wipes. I was appalled at how fast I was going through disposable wipes. I tried several brands and liked the Huggies natural brand best. They are cheapest in bulk at Sam's (and even cheaper than some store brands!). But after buying a bulk box and seeing how we tore through them, I decided to do some research on cloth wipes. I'm a convert, but I still have some disposables around for traveling, diaper bags, etc. And even after using them occasionally, I still have an unopened bulk box from Sam's in the closet that I bought 3 --nope, 7--months ago. In other words, "cloth wipering" is going well.

• I bought eight 4-packs of thin baby washcloths from the dollar store. I fold them like facial tissues and keep them in an old Huggies box (Huggies wipe boxes have a flexible rubber wipe pull-out area, which makes it easy to reach for the cloth wipes). I pour 1.25 cups of warm water, mixed with 1 TBSP baby wash over them. I used to add a half TBSP baby oil, too, but now we're using those wipes on clothes as well to remove baby food and I don't want to oil-stain her clothes. So now I leave out the baby oil.
• The cloths make great wipes for bums, faces, high chairs, etc.
• After using the wipes, I just throw them in my wet bag with the dirty diapers.  

Laundering

• When a diaper is soiled, we put it in a wet bag, a bag that is waterproof and contains internal leakages. We leave it in our laundry room. I have two large wet bags that I alternate between while I'm doing laundry. Lots of people said you had to have a pail with a chemical solution in it, etc. When we were babies, moms were doing that, but lots of people don't go to the trouble anymore--including me. I actually bought a diaper pail at a consignment sale thinking I would put my wet bag in it to conceal odors. I didn't like the pail. It was too small (only held 6 BumGenius diapers) and cumbersome, and didn't hold a full load of laundry.
• If a diaper has been stained (with wet poop), we usually spray it down really well before putting it in the wet bag. We liked BioKleen's Bac Out and Holy Cow Cleaner and Degreaser best (we found some amazing online deals on these). My husband swears Bac Out removed odors better. We did not spray peed-on diapers. Now that the poop is more solid and capable of being dumped in the toilet, we do not spray those diapers either. Just if there are stains. Other cleaners (Spray N Wash, etc.) take out the stains, but leave behind some harsh chemicals that I don't trust on baby skin. I used SNW once b/c I didn't have anything else, and smelled the chemicals for two more washes afterwards. I like my non-toxic, biodegradable, "green-freak" stuff much better.
• You should make sure all velcro tabs are fastened securely to the washing tabs inside the diapers. If you don't, they'll stick to everything in the wash and really tear up your diapers.
• I use Charlie's Soap (http://www.charliesoap.com/). We love it. We do all of our laundry in it. (It is cheaper than Dreft, or Baby All, or similar brands.) You should read about it on the website first, but if you want to buy it, there are better deals to be had out there than buying directly from the company. I first found it 25% off at a Whole Foods-type store in Augusta. I later ordered a gigantic tub of it online and got a great deal with lots of discounts. Plus, it arrived on my door without me having to go out, baby in-tow, to get it! (Bonus!)
• Initially, I didn't frequently use bleach b/c it can be harsh on baby skin. I would bleach once every 4 loads or so. Now that our baby is a little older, I usually put a small amount of bleach in every (or every-other) diaper load.
• When it's time to do diapers, I just turn the wet bag inside out and dump everything in (wet bag and all). I don't touch dirty diapers again.
• I started doing diaper laundry every 2-3 days. Now I do it every 4-6 days.
• I run a prewash with a half-scoop of soap, then a hot wash (heavily soiled setting) with a full scoop of soap, and then an extra rinse. I can set all this on my washer so that I don't have to keep going back in there. I know someone who didn't do the prewash and postrinse routine with her diapers and they got permanently stained, so I do recommend this.
• I ALWAYS dry on very low heat. The plastic coverings in BumGenius and Thirsties can become less leak proof with heated drying, so this is very important. It's best if you hang Thirsties to dry. I used to, but now, just toss them in on low with everything else for the sake of convenience.
• I fold my clean diapers right away (if at all possible). It's just easier to reach for a stack of ready-to-go diapers than to have to fold while the baby is laying there waiting for me to do folding.

 Traveling 

• We can usually make it 4 days without washing, so we usually wash right before we leave and take clean diapers with us in one wet bag, and carry the other wet bag for dirty diapers. (Our bags are different colors, so this makes it easy to tell which is which...as if the smell alone isn't enough to clue us in!)
• We occasionally do diaper laundering at a family member's home if they aren't grossed out by the idea. I've done them at a laundromat before too, without incident.
• We always travel (ride) in BumGenius diapers, loaded at thickest capacity.
• We usually use disposable wipes when traveling.

Helpful Websites

• You probably already have used http://www.babycenter.com/, and they really are great. The discussion boards are very helpful, including the one(s) on cloth diapering--if you can figure out all the acronyms. Just find the post that has a list of acronym definitions.
• http://www.clothdiaperoutlet.com/ has great supplies, but also a lot of practical information about cloth diapering. Check out their blog. The owners are super nice, as I talked with them about my order.
• http://www.charliesoap.com/ and the BumGenius website talk about how to wash cloth diapers.

What other tips can you share about cloth diapering? How have you cut down on baby costs? I'm anxious to hear your tips!

Jennifer

The Many Mini Projects (and a preview of Project #2)

It's easy to set my mind on accomplishing one thing and then get bent out of shape when things don't go as I planned. This week, though, I'm on a roll. It's been a while since that's happened (summer was crazy for us), so I thought I'd take some time to acknowledge what's been accomplished. I finished Project #1 (the Pillowcase Dress) and now I'm setting off in the direction of Project #2. (For a hint on what's to come, keep reading!)

But in addition to my "big" projects I'm tackling, I have to pause to recognize the "little" (but essential) things I've also accomplished this week:

1. I've cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, and living room, top to bottom. (Never mind that still leaves the bedrooms and upstairs baths.) The vaccuum terrorizes my daughter. Thus, she got to be carried during the event. Lucky me.
2. I've cooked dinner most nights this week, and done a pretty good job on washing the dishes. (Don't ask about the laundry.)
3. I rearranged the spare bedroom so that it could also serve as a playroom and big-girl bedroom for the little one. We've played on several occasions up there, and she seems to like it so far! (Never mind I'll still have to do lots to turn it into a little girl's room!)
4. I fixed the exterior lighting problem we were having.
5. I dropped off and picked up my husband's work shirts from the cleaners--a twice-a-year ritual. (Bonus: I brought home a pair of very large white men's dress pants that are so short they resemble capris. Unfortunately--or maybe forunately--they don't seem to be my husband's size or style, so I'll be going back to the cleaners next week to return them.)
6. I paid all the bills, balanced the budget from August, and set the financial plan rolling (i.e., made a new budget) for September.
7. I went to the grocery store and stocked up for the week.
8. I finished sewing an outfit for a dear friend's daughter, which should have been done a couple months ago. I also dropped it off, and she loved it! It is for next summer, so the timing wasn't too big of an issue.

With such a strong list behind me, I feel like I'm on a roll for the long weekend ahead. (It's Labor Day on Monday here in the U.S., and most folks have the day off.) I have a few goals to keep me busy. There's the outdoor lounge chair I've built that needs a coat or two of poly, the cushion parts for the lounge chair that need to be sewn into some semblance of a comfortable place to sit, and the screen door that needs to be framed in and then hung on the back porch. Not that I have lofty plans or anything. But I'm mainly looking forward to working on Project #2, a pillow quilt. This is a simple quilt that folds up into a square pillow. It's perfect for traveling, for gifts, for the couch, for kids, and for adults. My grandmother made me one when I was in elementary school, and I still have and use it to this day! I'll be whipping up a model this weekend and working on instructions for you. Hoping to post sometime next week!

Isn't it good to accomplish big AND little things? What little things have you done this week? What projects do you have planned for the upcoming weekend?

Happy creating, wherever you are!
Jennifer