Nothing to Tell You. Unless...

Unless you have a serious interest in toilet troubles. Oh, you do? Okay.

Lately my toilets have been gross. Orangey slime buildup within three days of a scrubbing, and you don't want to know what they look like if you wait a week or two. Finally I sent Ken down to check out the water softener to see if it was even working. It was.

I've been hitting the toilets with a pumice bar and all types of toxic cleaners to no avail. The other night I picked up a couple of Iron Out tablets, thinking that might at least solve the orange problem. (The slime? I dunno.) Directions said to thoroughly clean the toilets, then drop a tablet in the back of the tank before it refills. I can handle that.

After scrubbing the first toilet, I lifted up the tank lid and surprise, there was the problem the whole time! About a quarter of an inch of clay-based silt lined the bottom of the tank and had ventured up the sides. For months this crap has been sitting there leeching into the toilet bowl with every flush. Wonderful.

I scrubbed one tank out by hand, and decided to save the others for later. I'm thinking a wet vac would be much more useful in this situation, and lucky for Ken, I bought him one for Christmas last year. It will be good to see him put it to use!

But the real mystery is how I managed to not notice the city workers flushing out the water system. After all, it's not something that's easily missed.