Short & Simple • © 2017 Thinkshortcut Publishing, LLC • Created by MarketingZoo.com Wipe down everything, even if in doubt if a surface was affected. Better safe than sorry. After doing all of this, do it one more time, just to be sure. Follow this with cleaning the same surfaces with a typical bathroom cleaning product, to remove any remaining residues.   Although this is a common occurrence and it is a safe bet that every home has a vengeful toilet that has belched up offending olfactory gunk, be sure to do a thorough job with your cleanup process. Bacteria can grow and affect the health of your family. To keep your home clean and healthy, there’s something else you can do. Reach out to your restoration pros. They know how to handle not only floods, mold, fire and smoke damage… but sewage backup as well. Let them handle the icky stuff. Toilet Tragedies There’s not much that can cause a panic and loud screaming more than when the handle of the toilet is pushed and — instead of everything swirling down into the sewer line — it all comes rushing back out. You know what the “everything” is... and you surely do not wish to be the offending flusher who must clean it up. But someone needs to do the dirty work. Yes, when a toilet overflows, it’s time to put on your best game face and get ready for action. Put this nightmare behind you. But before you start work, you might wish to reach for good shoes, like rubber boots, along with gloves and other protective gear. A nose clip might not be a bad idea, either. The first order of business is to stop this exciting event from happening again. Be sure the toilet is unplugged, draining, and working properly. If you clean everything up and it all happens again, your nightmare just repeats itself. Scrape up any (ick) solids and soak up any liquids with disposable towels. Remove as much excess contamination as possible. Then liberally apply a strong disinfectant cleaner, something appropriate for this type of work. Your local hardware or grocery store will have a selection of products. You may have something under your kitchen sink that works.

Removing Rust from Driveways A nice, clean and neat driveway, swept free of dust and debris, is noticed by everyone. So is one that has ugly rust stains. Especially when moisture has spread rust stains down the drive. If you have rust stains on your driveway, you might wonder… What causes them? Driveways are typically concrete or asphalt, neither of which should rust, right? Wrong! Rust can develop from residues, such as those deposited on your driveway from your vehicle, from lawn care products and more. Also, the construction of your driveway, especially if concrete, contributes to rust stains. The rebar in the concrete can be close to the surface and rust can develop. There could be particles in asphalt that will rust as well. No matter the cause, what you should be concerned with is prevention and, of course, removal of rust stains. Preventing them is difficult. Keeping everything clean is the first step, so rust doesn’t develop at all. Steps to removal For smaller rust stains, a little lemon juice or vinegar often does the trick. Apply when the affected areas are in the shade, or do it in the evening, because the sun will dry everything out too quickly. Work in the juice or vinegar with a brush. Rinse away any residues and reapply if you see some improvement. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to get more aggressive. Visit your local hardware store and purchase a rust stain removal product and follow the directions. Be sure to note any precautions such as respiratory and contact issues.   And if that doesn’t work, it’s time to get really serious. At that same hardware store, you can purchase a stronger product, such as muriatic acid, and apply to the rust stains. But you must be very careful with strong acids as they can burn your skin and much worse. Also remember that stronger acids can damage the actual driveway material so be careful how you apply it and how long it dwells on the surface. Some have found that stronger acids negatively affect asphalt driveways. Be careful! What’s best? Calling your cleaning pros, who know all about rust stains and how to remove them. Do the right thing. Give them a ring! Short & Simple • © 2017 Thinkshortcut Publishing, LLC • Created by MarketingZoo.com