Getting a 10 Gallon Water Cooler for Two Dollars

I got a wonderful buy today! It is something I have never owned before! I bought a 10 gallon water cooler!

I made a video where I share how to take off the spigot from a variety of water coolers as I have many types. They are all similar and I have taken the spigots off to clean many time.

I have purchased all my coolers but the first second hand and bleach them out and clean out the spigot just to make sure they are all clean and functioning well. I have learned from the past that sand, dirt, and grime can get into them, or if you use juice or Gatorade in them, they can get moldy or mildew in the spigot and even when you clean out the main cooler, the mildew can still be in the spigot. 

Also, I learned that when loading or unloading the coolers into the trailer, we are in sand, dirt, and parking lots. If it gets sand into the spigot, it can jam the spigot so that it won't work properly and can cause it to not shut off properly and it will drip. So, to fix that problem, I now put a baggie over the spigot and use an elastic to hold it on, that way if it leaks, it will not cause water problems in the trailer or car. It is nice to keep it from getting dust into the nozzle so that you have to dump the first glass of water as it has dust in it. Also, spiders can climb up into the nozzle / spigot and create a web, so just to be safe, I ALWAYS keep a baggie on them now. Here is a video where I talk about that and some other great tips for the cups and coolers while camping! 

I use a hand on the inside on the nut, and twist the spigot counter clockwise to screw off the spigot. If the nut is tight, you can use an adjustable wrench to hold the nut on the inside, and then screw the spigot off. I share in the video how I use bleach water and cleaner to clean the spigot and screws. Once clean, I reverse the process putting the rubber gasket back in the cooler and putting the nozzle back on. 

This would also be the same method to replace a worn or deteriorated gasket or rubber washer either on the inside of the spigot, or the one that goes between the nut inside, and the spigot outside. You can buy a new washer / seal / or gasket from the company, but I find that I can usually just clean them really well, and then put them back on and see if they work after being cleaned well. I have also heard that Coleman will send a free spigot, but I haven't tried, so I can't verify that.

I now have about five 5 gallon coolers, two 3 gallon coolers and now a 10 gallon which I paid $2 for today. I usually pay about $4 or $5 for the 5 gallon jugs, but have stopped buying them as it is just me living at home, so I use them for water storage for an emergency. I rotate the water each year when we go camping in spring and summer. I need to see if this 10 gallon cooler can fit on my trailer counter. I use two 5 gallon coolers at our lake reunion each year depending on how hot it is while we are there. 

I feel blessed to have a few thrift stores near where I live so I can get this type of thing at a hugely discounted price. The 10 gallon water cooler for $2 today was amazing. Even if I just turn around and resell it locally if I decide I don't want it, I looked them up online and the cheapest I could find was used on eBay for $10ish and new from $40 to $88. 

What I did find while searching was a new spigot for under $7 which was much cheaper than the last time I looked a few years ago. It was a great deal today and it is a great way to store water other than 55 gallon drums which you can't move and if one gets contaminated, the entire thing is contaminated. I used to store water in old Coke bottles, but they are so awkward to store, so I did away with that. I have a few square 5 gallon water jugs, and then the coolers as they stack fairly well, they are easy to move and carry and I can buy them cheaper than any other water storage method.

Have a blessed day!

Tee Pee and Hammock - Camping Fun

I am exhausted and have tried to get a few things done today since we went camping this weekend for our annual Easter Camp-out with my family. 

I haven't gone in five years now as my girls were all busy, or I didn't feel up to going and getting the trailer and suburban ready. I had LOTS of help from family getting things ready and helping with issues on the trailer. 

I helped a neighbor a few months back to clean out her basement. While doing that, she had a homemade tee pee she was getting rid of and I thought my grandchildren would enjoy playing in it. I decided to take it camping and it was a hit with the kids! 

I ordered a hammock for my father for Christmas a few years back and that was also a hit with the grandchildren. They would climb in and beg for someone to push them. 

I am hoping I feel better tomorrow. I am still exhausted and finished cleaning up all the coolers and other food items today. It was nice to be able to sleep in as I have had the grand-kids and love them when they are around, but I also love to be able to catch up on sleep when I can. 

I found a similar tee pee online and it is $100. It's more authentic being light in color, but I like that mine is darker in color so I don't worry about it getting dirty camping and think I will leave it in the trailer for our reunion. 

Here is a link to the similar tee pee in case you are interested in getting one.  

Here is a link to the post where I share about the Hammock I researched and bought for my father. 

I would recommend both of these items for camping. Both are easy to set up and are enjoyable for all ages. 

Have a blessed day!

Finding a Christmas Gift for Neighbors Gratitude Moment

 

I went grocery shopping today and was pondering on gifts for neighbors. I thought about stopping at a local store after I got groceries. Once I had the groceries, I had a "feeling" to go to the clearance isle and that I would find gifts there.When I saw some "Pine Sol" on the shelf, I laughed. The bottles were on clearance for $1 each. Pine sent for Christmas and 99.9% germ killer is a perfect gift for 2020! I came home and printed up a little note card.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2020

In thinking about 2020 and what would be a good Christmas gift, I thought that something that smells like Christmas, as well as something that kills germs, would be fitting. Hopefully, this will bring some Christmas scent and keep you safe during this crazy time!

Have a blessed and safe holiday season!

I put the notes and bows on them for neighbor gifts. In the past if anyone had ever said that I would be giving sanitizing cleaning products as a gift for Christmas, I would have thought they were crazy. I am sure I would have NEVER done that. This Covid thing really has changed the way we all live. 

I love that God helped me find a gift that was in my price range and that would be functional. Who can't use a cleaner! HE always has my back! 

Have a blessed day!

Laundry Pods Can Cause Smells in Washing Machines

I had an issue with my washing machine this past six months or so. I have always used powder or liquid laundry detergent. I have never had a problem with gunk or smells in my upright washing machine. 

Six months ago or so, I started using laundry pods. I tried a few different types, and recently I noticed a horrible smell coming out of the laundry room. It smelled like a dead animal. I thought maybe the smells were coming up through the drain in the room. I poured drain cleaner down the drain. It didn't help. I poured cleaner down the drain hose for the washer with no results. 

I then ran a few hot water bleach loads through the washer. It still smelled horrible. Our laundry started to smell horrible. I didn't want to shower as the towels smelled so awful. Even getting dressed was terrible, as soon as I would put my clothes on, it didn't smell good. 

On the suggestion of my repair man, I purchased a washing machine cleaner at Walmart. The box gave instructions of using one and if the machine wasn't clean, do up to three times. I did three washes and it did get a little bit better as the smell wasn't going down the hall. The third time I ran the machine, I put two of the cleaning packets in the washer. It still smelled and was frustrating that after spending money on it, it hadn't gotten rid of the smell. 

I finally just had my repair man come and clean the washer. I wish I had taken pictures or video of him cleaning it out but there was almost like a glue in the washing machine that had collected all sorts of gunk and the stuff stuck to the "glue" started breaking down and caused the smell. The repair man said that fabric softener can build up in the washer like a glue, but I have never used fabric softener other than in the "pods" for the past six months. 

I then realized after talking to the repair man that the plastic coating on the pods wasn't breaking down completely but was becoming a sticky glue and it was confirmed a week later when my dishwasher had the same problem as I had started using the dishwasher pods. I had the repair man clean out my washer about a year ago when I purchased it used, so I know it was clean. 

In my 40 years of doing laundry, I have never had a problem with my washing machine smelling. Since he cleaned my washing machine and I cleaned out my dishwasher, I stopped using the "Pods" and everything has been smelling "rosie" and, I won't be going back to using my "pods" in fact, I got rid of them! 

Check out my video and blog post on the situation with my dishwasher having a problem while using the pods. Here is a link to that post.  

Have a blessed day!

Dishwasher Pods Caused My Dishwasher to Not Fill - Sticky Residue

I had an issue with my water not working when I turned on my dishwasher. It sounded funny and I checked to see what was making the noise, and that was when I noticed that the water wasn't flowing. 

I checked the float first, and noticed that it was stuck up. I tried to move it and it seemed stuck. I pulled it out and then put it back in and pushed it down and the washer inside got stuck on the top of the float support. 

I pulled off the washer and realized that there was lots of a sticky substance around the support and inside the float. I made sure that the switch inside the support was still moving and it was clicking fine. I put the float back on a few different times, and it still wasn't allowing water into the dishwasher. 

There was a bit of a build up around the basket at the bottom of the washer as well. I filled the bottom of the dishwasher with HOT water. I let it soak for about 1/2 hour. I then used a toothbrush to scrub the entire bottom of the dishwasher and the basket as well as all around the support of the float and inside the TOP of the float. 

I did NOT put water down inside the support for the float. There are electrical parts down inside that area, so be careful to NOT get water down inside that area. 

I then tried starting the washer again and there was NO hot water. The next day, NOTHING was touched from the night before, but when started, the dishwasher then started and the water was then able to work. I had just started using dishwasher pods within the two weeks before this issue started. I had similar issues with my washing machine. I believe that the "film" on the outside of the "pods" isn't breaking down completely and is causing a sticky residue almost like a glue, that causes the float to stick. 

Interestingly enough, the dishwasher soap dispenser in my Whirlpool, is exactly over the float in my machine, the plastic residue is what I believe is the problem. I made a video about my experience with my washing machine after starting to use the clothes washer pods and had a negative experience using them in the washing machine as well. 

I will make a post about my washing machine in the next few days and will share that story there. I had a repair man come for both machines and both are due to the pods. I won't be using them anymore! 

I am going to run a dishwasher cleaner through the machine. I made a post about that here. 

Have a Blessed Day!

A New Tradition For Halloween This Year - Reverse Trick-Or-Treating

Every year for Halloween, I put out a bit of candy, and then allow the kids to pick out some jewelry out of the treasure chest next to my Pirate. 

Here is a link to 2015 my first year post. 

Here is the post for 2016. 

Here is a link to 2017 post. 

Here is a link to 2018 post. 

Here is the post for 2019.

With covid causing such craziness in the world, and with my health issues, I knew I can't do the normal jewelry picking thing I have done in the past five years. I know that people will still allow their kids out, but I don't want them in my home. I figured even handing out candy can possibly be an issue as there are sometimes many groups of kids coming to the door at one time. 

I was pondering on what I could do this year and had a wonderful idea come into my mind. I bought a tote full of candy necklaces at Easter time for our Easter family camp out this year as we haven't gone the past three years. This year was supposed to be the big camp out with everyone coming. Then covid-19 hit. 

The camp out was canceled and I had a tote full of candy jewelry! I left it in the tote thinking we could use it for our lake camping family reunion we have every year in August. However, Covid was still causing problems and we ended up only going for one day and no nights and most of the family didn't go so I didn't take them for that. 

I had the thought after pondering that I may not be able to give out the real jewelry that I give out, but I can give out the "candy" jewelry! So I still give out my jewelry, just candy. I then thought that I wouldn't have enough for kids to come to the door and don't really want to come in contact with that many people as I am trying to stay healthy. 

I talked to one of my neighbors asking what her family is going to do, and their entire family is going to a cabin and each family is going to take a treat and activity. I thought that was fun. Since Halloween is on a weekend, I wonder if many people are going to be out of town. I asked that neighbor if it would be weird for me to deliver a treat to their home before Halloween so that I can still give a treat to my neighborhood kids, but not have to subject myself to those who come to my neighborhood just to Trick-Or-Treat. 

It isn't that I don't want to share with others, it is just the Covid thing going on. I decided to put a little note on the treats a few days in advance and then let them sit for a few days to make sure I don't come down with any symptoms, and then I can deliver them out of the tote wearing gloves and deliver them to my neighbors kids! 

I don't know what other communities are doing, but I think this is a good way to still give out treats without putting anyone at risk. I am going to turn off my lights on Halloween to discourage people coming, but since I will be dropping off treats early, my neighbors will have already gotten a treat and won't come to my house. 

I will be so happy when this health crisis is over! I am glad that I found a way to still celebrate the holiday and bring joy to my neighbors. I added some new gloves for the older girls and a few other boy items so everyone can get a treat. 

I hope you have a safe Halloween! Have a Blessed day!

Cleaning the Shower By Removing the Shower Doors and Frame

I shared in the past few weeks how I had to fix the shower drain in my bathroom. It was leaking and caused some flooding in the basement while I figured out how to fix the drain. 

I have had to caulk the shower door frame for years. Each year, I have to scrape off the caulk and re-caulk it. When I moved into my home, the rubber base below the shower frame was ripped and missing sections on both the inside and outside. 

Since I was fixing the drain, pipes, and ceiling, I figured I should fix the door frame on the shower door. I also wanted to take the entire thing outside and scrub it clean. I have a product I like called "Tub and Tile Cleaner" by a company called Melaleuca. I took the shower doors out, popped the top frame section off, unscrewed the side pieces screws, and had to take a small knife and slice down between the frame and the shower edges to cut away the silicone caulk. 

Once the edges are removed, the bottom will pop out. I had to use the knife to cut the seal with the silicone. It was a dirty job as I have been in the house over 24 years and I have never taken the frame off to clean under it. 

When the frame was completely off, I took the entire thing out of the house and sprayed it with the product I mentioned and scrubbed it all off. I had to use the knife to scrap off some of the build up and silicone on the metal parts. 

It took me several days to scrape off the silicone caulk on the fiberglass shower. It took me days to try and find replacements for the rubber base sections that were torn and ripped.  I went to the plumbing supply store, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, my mechanic, the glass store in town, and the RV supply store at least 2 times each asking before I pulled it out and after I pulled it out trying to find the exact rubber seal. I then got online and called several plumbing supply companies and checked for hours online. 

I finally gave up. I did try a rubber clamping RV seal but it was a bit thick and made the sides just enough higher that the screws wouldn't line up on the metal frame sides so I was sad that wouldn't work. 

I ended up cleaning the old rubber seals and then caulked the parts back in as they had been. It feels good to have the shower done and clean. It won't last as long as I would like as silicon has a short life with water. 

I finished reinstalling the surround frame for the shower doors and the clean shower doors. The shower looks so good that I don't want to use it and get it dirty! 

 

I am grateful that I was able to fix the drain problem, the flooded basement and pipes, the drywall and paint, and to be able to clean the shower to near new condition!

I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful shower and have so many bathrooms in my home. I am TRULY blessed! 

Have a Blessed Day!

HOW to FIX a SCRATCH or Marks on LEATHER COUCHES

Don't use this method if you care about your couch and are worried about it being damaged. Try this on a spot where it won't be seen before doing it where it may be visible. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!

When I bought this couch many years ago,  I purchased it to go into our basement after we had some flooding.

I wanted to replace the couches down there due to flooding. I found this $2800 couch at a clearance center for $900. Before I bought it, I went to a furniture store and saw the exact couch for $2800. I rushed back to the clearance center and purchased it. As I was paying, another person offered them $100 more if they could buy it instead of me. Since I had already struck the deal and was headed to pay, I got the couch. 

I was excited about being able to get it and paid someone to come to my home and help me move it into the basement. We tried for hours taking off the feet, going down the stairs with different angles and after a few hours of trying, we couldn't get it into the basement. 

Due to our moving it back and forth, around corners etc., it was frustrating and we got paint scratches on the leather. I wasn't able to get the paint off the leather without damaging the leather and taking off the dye on the leather. 

The couch back has had those white paint marks on it for ten years or more. Princess Five and I worked on the couch this week and I figured while we were working on it, I should take care of those white paint marks. 

I have made many posts on using Sharpie pens to fix scratches on furniture, cars, toys, books, and this post is on using it on leather! 

I use three different techniques to cover the marks, cover scratches, or fixing fading around the scratches. 

The first method is drawing on the scratches and before the ink dries, you use your finger to rub over the wet ink which blends it into the leather. 

The second method is to scribble a bit of the ink on your finger and rub it onto the faded leather transferring the ink onto the leather while it is still wet. It works if you don't want to use the marker directly on the leather. 

The last method is to use the tip of the marker and just making dots so that there is a darker area in the center and then lighter as it goes out. Natural leather sometimes takes up dies in a dotted pattern so this can be used to make it look more natural. 

WATCH THE VIDEO for more detailed instructions. You can see very clearly on the video how it can match fairly well if done right. Depending on the color of leather item you have, you may have to try different colors of Sharpie markers. I have sometimes even used non-sharpie brand permanent markers. 

Always try this on a spot that won't be noticed if the colors don't match exactly. Sometimes you can blend a darker marker in by mixing some of the ink on your finger and mixing it with a bit of fluid, I have used spit and water at times. Gross but effective. 

Feel free to ask questions! Have a blessed day!