Fishing for the Wookie

A few things I noted while taking a shower this morning:

a) My razor wouldn't cut butter. Why am wasting my time trying to shave when my legs feel almost as furry as they did before I shaved them?

b) I still do not understand why my huband refuses to use that last sliver of soap. We have a collection of slivers that I've mashed into a free form soap blob that he claims is "gross." I say it's frugal.

c) Standing ankle deep in your own dirty water means something is seriously wrong with my plumbing. Time to go fishing for the wookie.

The phrase "fishing for the wookie" was coined by my father in law. My husband comes from a large family with two brothers and a sister. Said sister had long, thick, gorgeous hair that frequently clogged the shower she shared with her brothers. When things weren't draining as they should, my father in law would roll up his sleeves, grab a coat hanger and a bottle of Draino and go "fishing for the wookie," the wookie being a blackened, soapy, greasy ball of his daughter's hair. I suppose whatever he managed to dig from the drain resembled Hans Solo's famed companion, Chewbacca, thus the strange yet appropriate moniker.

Giving a whimsical name to a disgusting chore doesn't make me want to do it. I've been trying to ignore the fact that our shower isn't draining but this morning's back up was a little ridiculous. And though I'm hoping to avoid the coat hanger, I sure as heck won't be using Draino if I can help it. It's toxic, it's dangerous and it's expensive. There are a variety of DIY green drain cleaner recipes but I decided on good 'ol baking soda and vinegar. Apparently the bubbly action will soften and dislodge whatever nastiness is lurking in your drain.

Pour, pour, bubble, bubble, test....nothing. Then I tried baking soda and boiling water. Pour, pour, burn myself, cuss, test...better, but still not draining. I am trying desperately not to resort to chemicals but my green cleaning efforts have failed. I don't want to go fishing for the wookie....help me help myself! Leave me a comment and tell me about the clog cleaning concoctions you have used.

(This post is linked to the Green Resource. Check it out every Thursday for great green solutions!)