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blogging, customer service, Dog Days of Summer, family, family fun, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, June, Pool Maintenance, pools, southern living, Summer, Summer Photography

Family Splashing Fun-Pool Days of Summer

June 8, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

School is out and the fun days of summer are upon us! Summer days can be spent with family and friends splashing in the sun by the pool. Those pool days can offer a bit a relaxation or a “mini”vacation day, even if it’s at your local community pool or home pool.

The calming mind-body response to a pool or a lake view creates, the “rest and digest” effect, originating in the parasympathetic nervous system. Think about it…connecting back to the water, the sounds of water … aids in relaxation, digestion, and can even lower blood pressure,and your heart rate. I’ll take that oasis of good health all day long!

But before the splashing of summer fun can begin, let’s address the elephant in the room. Owning a pool requires constant maintenance.

In just the last week, the questions are rolling in with the ever moving target of pool maintenance. So let’s take a moment to consider a few common scenarios and keys to safely have fun all summer long. Hopefully these pieces of information might be useful to you as a pool owner or even as a casual visitor to your local pool in search of a relaxing oasis for a brief moment this summer.

Testing the Water

I can recount the numerous times that Dad asked me to go check and complete the quick pool chemistry test for the family pool. Dad taught both my sister and I how to do some of the basic maintenance tasks involved in having a pool. One of those necessary tasks, checking the pool chemistry basics…chlorine levels and PH.

I used a kit similar to this one many times as a kid growing up at home!

Everyone pitched in and helped with keeping the pool water clean, and clear…all the while, maintaining that beautiful, wavy-blue color. We wanted to be ready to swim all summer long with NO green slimy algae growing. It was a lot of work! Scrubbing the side walls, vacuuming the pool, scooping leaves, whatever needed to be done🤪.

**This photograph was a winner for me at Wilkes Art Gallery Photography Exhibition January 2024-1st Place Everyday Life Photography entitled, Walking on Water**

Dad made sure to stay on top of the necessary pool maintenance tasks so that our pool days were fun-filled to balance out all that work…Volleyball games in pool, floating around the pool, basking in the sunshine listening to the latest music tunes on the radio… life couldn’t have been any better! Those are some great pool memories and always look forward to the summer pool season each year, as it offers another way to unwind and relax, and spending time with family.

Chlorine Maintenance

Let’s get back to the task at hand.. Often, our pool customers ask Richard about their pool water and how to keep it chemically balanced all summer long. It’s a delicate balance of maintaining a clean sanitized pool. Having the right tools, equipment, chemicals, and knowledge is crucial to a pool owner.

Here are a few common key factors that will influence the chlorine levels and the PH of the pool water… sun, rain, and heavy use of the pool.

Our pool water testing is complimentary to our customers. No charge for this service!

We often have a collection of empty water bottles and jars by the end of the summer pool season.

Knowing that these three factors (sun, rain, usage) dramatically influence your pool water chemistry, being proactive about your pool chemistry is key. Stay on top of your cleaning and maintenance routines in regard to your pool. Wilkes County Hardware has all the basics you will need for your pool swimming fun all season long… Chlorine, Baking Soda, Algaecide, calcium and more!

Pool Chemicals 101

Another common question thread that we get from our pool customers is how to use these chemicals correctly. Some pool chemicals require a process of stirring and mixing with water prior to pouring into the pool. This process aids in dissolving and a better even distribution of chemicals.

Always use a bucket to stir up chlorine… often times he will use a bucket to stir up other types of pool chemicals as well to ensure even distribution into pool as to not have it sink to bottom.., as this photo demonstrates (see description below for full details)

In order to use granular chlorine effectively, take a clean 5 gallon bucket add some pool water then add granular chlorine. You never want to add water after the granular chlorine, it could create a volatile reaction!!!! Always begin with water. Stir mixture … 15-30 seconds … with a suitable “stick” (wooden paddle, handle, pvc pipe). Pour about half mixture into pool and add in more pool water into bucket and stir again. Pour remaining granular chlorine solution into pool.

Granular pool shock MUST be dissolved using water/bucket method prior to pouring into pool. This is a fast way to boost your chlorine levels like… after a fun pool party to raise your chlorine levels back to where you need it to be.

Chlorine tablets are a great way to **SLOW release** chemicals into your pool, long term. These dissolve in pool over time.

**Liquid chlorine… FAST action and convenient way to boost your chlorine levels and no mixing in a bucket! You can pour straight into your pool.** **One gallon is equivalent to about one granular shock**

Baking soda will help you correct your PH levels when the PH level is too low.

Pool owners can use and Dilute in water … Muriatic Acid to lower alkalinity and PH levels.

***Have fun swimming safely all summer long! Stop by and pick up a new summer shirt at Wilkes County Hardware***

Pool Swim Safety Tips:

1. Never swim alone -swim with a buddy always

2. Be mindful of opening and closing times at your community pool or public pool. AND yes, even when you are on vacation as well! Pool chemistry is checked at least once a day (usually before opening each day). Chemicals are often added prior to opening/closing each day and time is a factor! Give the pool chemicals time to work properly and swim safely without the worry of harsh pool chemicals impacting your skin.

3. Obey all pool rules. This one might be obvious but definitely crucial for a safe swimming environment.

4. Be mindful of drains and skimmers. Stay away from these areas as you swim. Educate your children about these areas as well.

5. Protect your skin! Use proper sunscreen and enjoy your pool day.

6. Avoid night swimming… pool areas should be well lit and have lights installed in the pool for SAFE night swimming. This rule applies back to basic pool hours noted at your public swimming pool, community pool or your vacation swimming pool fun.

7. Roughhousing and running around the pool area creates safety concerns. This also includes the safety equipment, like hanging on the safety rope. The safety rope has to be in place at public pools to designate the shift from shallow to deep water in the pool. If it is damaged, the pool may have to close. 😬

8. Stay weather aware. Summer storms are frequent throughout our area. If you hear thunder, it’s time to get out of the pool.

9. Come prepared. Take the essentials: towels, sunscreen, phone (in case of emergency) water (hydration), first aid supplies (bee stings, cuts etc) and of course the best pool snacks!

10. Lastly, keep watchful eyes on all children in the pool, even though they maybe good swimmers. Accidents can happen can occur instantly.

A new journey begins, blogging, challenges, customer service, entrepreneurship, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, old hardware stores, Resilence, Shop Local

“The Hardware Life”

January 29, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

*Made in McGrady created this sign for us a few years ago, thanks for your friendship and encouragement always!*

Eight and half years ago, we just started. Richard and I launched ourselves into hardware store ownership… Beginning our journey into “The Hardware Life”. This new venture into business ownership was exciting, challenging, scary, and ultimately life altering. All of these different emotions could be filled up in a 5 gallon bucket. Dip your toes into the water, “sink or swim” as they say.

Richard was excited about beginning a new career path, exploring the opportunities to learn more about the inner workings of the hardware industry. He had always been around it, as he worked for a paint manufacturer for over 20 years. Richard pushed hard for the first few years without me at Wilkes County Hardware. It soon became apparent, that we needed to grow our business or move on. So, we decided to grow together. I launched into early retirement, leaving my 26 years in education behind. Our skill sets are different…utilizing them to bring the best hardware store experience possible our customers.

*Richard and Angela Searcy- Owners of Wilkes County Hardware*
📸 *By Hannah Crow Photography*

Working together, Richard and I have slowly made changes inside our historic hardware store walls, such as resetting our shelves and changing the flow of customer traffic. Other avenues we have explored included adding new hardware products into our existing lineup. But probably the most distinctive aspect that we are becoming known for is finding and curating locally sourced goods. All of these changes have created an unique shopping experience for all who visit our hardware store in Downtown North Wilkesboro.

*Handmade baskets, stained glass, local soap, honey, pottery, and woodworking… just a few of the items you can find inside our hardware store.* 📸 *Hannah Crow Photography*

For those of you who may not know, our building dates back to 1904!! The timbers tell our story, just look up as you enter through our front door. We are doing our best to honor our building history by keeping it as authentic as we possibly can.

*As you enter the front doors, the chippy paint may catch your eye, but the beams that built this place will definitely keep your interests .* 📸 *Hannah Crow Photography*

*Honoring our legacy…. Read about some of the changes we made inside & out in 2023 at Wilkes County Hardware*https://hardwarelifewife.com/2023/12/27/reflections-and-highlights-of-2023/

What motivates us to keep moving forward… especially during “roller coaster” times????? In other words, WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO at Wilkes County Hardware???
The answer is simply YOU!!! Our customers are our driving force. We have been so blessed to have formed many new friendships and made lasting connections with our customers, helping them meet their needs each and every day.

Those personal connections are also applicable to our staff. Our staff at Wilkes County Hardware has been an amazing part of our story. We have been able to hire staff with hardware expertise, or offer on the job training as in my case…. AND I have been able to reconnect with former students, watching them learn and grow as employees. Leaving us, as they head off to college, or work, taking away with them valuable insights and knowledge that they will take into adulthood. That’s success in my book.

Our business story is simple. We thrive on interaction with our customers and our greater community. Without that, we would not exist. We have heard too many stories about how old, vintage, authentic hardware stores are just not around anymore, and we are thankful that our community still supports our local hardware store.

Lastly, I know we both think and spend differently based on our learned business experiences…. As a result, we have decided that supporting locally owned businesses in our community is important to our community success. We eat at locally owned restaurants, and make purchases from local businesses. After all, the community supports our business and we will reciprocate helping to grow our local economy.

blogging, customer service, entrepreneurship, finding inspiration, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, Shop Local, TV streaming

The Ted Lasso Effect… Takeaways and Viewpoint of a Business Owner

January 11, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

I have a confession to make…

We cut the “cable cord” several months ago and I’m not looking back! Streaming services offer so many different options. BUT, at the same time, I’ll admit, it can be confusing trying to decide which streaming platform works best for you and your family. Richard and I have been slowly building our favorites and we have found a nice rhythm to our streaming service choices.

Now, I must admit that keeping cable television might have been the easy route, because having cable tv isn’t hard… you just turn on the tv with the remote and instant tv shows appear on your screen. Ultimately, the expense of a large cable bill coupled with internet costs just didn’t make sense for us. So, we decided to let it go.

Streaming tv services can require a bit of extra navigation but it’s definitely worth the journey. One of our biggest finds in our new tv watching journey was finding Apple TV. The quality of the shows that we have watched on this streaming platform has made this streaming service a “keeper” for us. So you might be wondering where I’m going with all this tv talk…

Today, this blog post will be centered around ONE key show that is a “must see” on my list of recommended series, Ted Lasso. I must admit that I was inspired by Ted, and I would like to share a few takeaways as we launch headlong into 2024.

For those of you who have never experienced this show, Ted Lasso, the main character, is a US football coach who was recruited, and hired to come to the UK to coach a professional futbol (soccer) team. Ted is an experienced football coach who has the power to motivate his players and has found great success in his career prior to moving overseas.

It’s easy to see as this series begins, that the new coaching path of coaching Futbol is a great challenge for Ted as he knows very little about the game of futbol and his family is now 3,000 miles away.

Richard and I were instantly hooked into the show with the vast array of personalities that Ted interacts with in his newly chosen career path. Many of these challenging personalities often would throw up roadblocks along the way, as Ted and his coaching staff, worked to create a winning, cohesive team. Ted was steadfast in his mission.

Before I go any further, it is not my intent, to retell the entire series, but to simply to do a quick analysis of the FOUR most helpful major takeaways I found from this series, in what I like to call, The Ted Lasso Effect, and how I applied it in a new way in regards as a business owner. In my opinion, Ted impacted his greater community through his work ethic, core beliefs, and interactions with others… creating a positive impacts, in which I coined it as, The Ted Lasso Effect.

The Ted Lasso Effect… in the viewpoint of this business owner

1. Support your local community… Ted developed a series of habits ( shopping and eating in his local neighborhood ) that followed him through each show and he was consistently displaying those behaviors throughout the entire series! His habits were manifested in his outward behaviors! I said it, it was not an afterthought for Ted to shop local, it was his LIFE! You could simply tell that Ted lived and worked inside his new community.

Make it a habit to shop and support local businesses in Downtown North Wilkesboro. We appreciate your support and we couldn’t continue doing what we do without your support.

EAT, SHOP, PLAY

Our Downtown is a beautiful place to walk, enjoy a meal, shop at your favorite places, and play…

EAT– Ted Lasso was always featured in almost every episode eating meals at his local pub. Eat Local! Support locally owned and operated restaurants in our town. The quality of food is always impeccable!

SHOP– Ted was immersed into his life in the new community and shopped at local stores. He made his own “biscuits “ (cookies) daily for his new boss. She always looked forward to the daily treat Ted presented to her each day.

PLAY-The futbol team town support ran deep for Ted’s professional futbol team. The crowd of supporters poured into the local pub on everyGame Day with sporting team colors. Ted was often a target of their abuse when the team did not win, but the community consistently rallied around the futbol team… “Life is Futbol”, GAME DAY was a major town event each and every game.

**“Life is Futbol”**… Our Downtown doesn’t feature soccer games BUT, think about all the FUN Events that are welcoming you constantly back… Spooktacular, Light Up Downtown, Shop Small Saturday, Christmas Parade, Apple Festival, Art Gallery Events, Concerts on the Deck… and More! Opportunities to PLAY and bring consistent support into our Downtown community is ongoing all year long.

2. Believe… At the beginning of the series, Ted brings out a bright, yellow sign which appears to be scribbled on a sheet of large construction paper, with a single word written on it, BELIEVE. Ted tapes it up with black electrical tape over the entrance to the door to his office.

The yellow BELIEVE sign becomes the symbol that the team views each and every day in the locker room. This was the “outer symbol” to his new future team of his innermost coaching goal, believe in yourself and the concept of perseverance.

As a business owner, belief in your passion for your own business might be intrinsically there, but Perseverance, can be hard and it can waiver during the hard financial times. There are days you want to throw in the towel, especially when economic times are tough.

3. Be A Goldfish… Ted brings us to one of my favorites all time quotes from the entire series. Ted says to one of his futbol players after a rough practice session, “Do you know who the happiest animal in the whole world is, it’s a Goldfish. Goldfish have a 10 second memory. Be A Goldfish”. It’s easy to focus on the negative and lose your sense of focus, or let a grumpy customer ruin your attitude momentarily. At times, it’s good to “Be A Goldfish.”

4. Biscuits with the Boss…Lastly, Ted Lasso spends time getting to know the new people in his surroundings and he develops connections with them. Let’s face it, not many of us would be willing to move 3,000 miles away from home. I could imagine that it was a bit of adjustment moving from the United States to the United Kingdom for Ted … learning to drink tea, or sparkling water or not… lol there’s some fun there but I’ll not give that away… But, as I mentioned earlier under the SHOP section, Ted Lasso made his own “biscuits “ (cookies) daily for his new boss. She always looked forward to the biscuits Ted presented to her each day and readily devoured each one in a glorious manner. Ted enjoyed the conversation with his Boss each morning, learning a bit more about her each and every day. Ted purposefully made connections with each person he encountered. It wasn’t always easy, but he did it.

Ted also sought advice from Keeley, another central character, when he had trouble connecting with a key, star soccer player. Ted worked hard to connect with everyone he met.

Have you ever felt like you are just not connecting with people… they just aren’t getting what you’re saying or asking for? Enough said, right? How many times do we feel like a faceless person when we go into a “box store” and have to use a self checkout or ring a button and no one appears to help you. The lack of human interaction within the established retail business is slowly disappearing to my extreme disappointment… so why go to these places??? 😳 OR have you heard someone say, making an online purchase is “cheaper” than buying it in store???? There’s NO connecting when you purchase online…How can small businesses continue to compete with major online retailers who have more buying power than their smaller counterparts…. Most folks don’t consider that, the more purchases you make inside a small business in your local community will impact our local economy and add to the buying power potential of that small business! Shopping local is a conscious decision that impacts our greater community.

Biscuits with the Boss… At Wilkes County Hardware we don’t have that… but we often have folks who gather around to sit and talk, intentionally making connections with us or others who have gathered in that moment in time.

Final Thoughts

My closing thoughts are wandering… like the soccer ball being played downfield. The rhythm of the Futbol team moving the ball from person to person and then finally a head bump of the ball ⚽️ ump.. launched towards the goalkeeper who by fault, can’t keep the futbol from going in. Score!

We as a team, our community of Wilkes, can find success in building habits and which will become instantaneous behaviors that lead to growing our Downtown community using newly coined phrase, The Ted Lasso Effect… Support local businesses, believe we can do it, Be a goldfish(mistakes will be made, move on), and make connections within your community. We can’t lose the game y’all!

**Shop local all year long! Support local restaurants, businesses & retailers. We need your support in 2024**

customer service, entrepreneurship, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, nuts and bolts, old hardware stores, plumbing, Shop Local, southern living, wood stove, work, Works in Progress

ABC’s of Wilkes County Hardware…

September 13, 2023 hardwarelifewife 2 Comments

When people walk into our hardware store, they often say y’all have just a little bit of everything here don’t you!!! As we have entered into year number 8 of business, we have slowly expanded and refined our offerings to our customers. Here’s a sampling of our product offerings via ABC’s of Wilkes County Hardware.

***Top down view overlooking the back corner of Wilkes County Hardware***

Let’s begin by diving into the Amazing finds from All Around the Hardware Store! Sometimes our building might be considered an “Antique” due to its advanced age…1905 is A long time AGO!

A- Almanac, acetone, axe, American Flags, animal repellents

B- bird feeder & seed, BBQ sauce, brooms, bi-fold door hardware, bungee cords, batteries, black iron fittings and pipe cut to size, bolts

C- Customers! We can’t do this without you!!! Thank you for shopping with local with us! It’s soooo easy to forget about local businesses when you’re busy running errands or just headed to that “box store” for something on your to do list. Keep the CASH in our community!

***Thanks for shopping local and keeping the CASH in our community!***

C- Caulk, candy, command strips, canning supplies, cleaning products, compression fittings, chain cut to size

***Clorox wipes and much more can be found in our cleaning area***

D- Drill bits, DampRid, Denatured Alcohol, driveway and asphalt coating/pothole patch, door locks

E- electrical supplies, eye hooks, Ecos soaps, extension cords

F- Freight Elevator .. we have an Oldie Goldie, I bet you might find this as you wander through the hardware store.

***The old freight elevator… We don’t use it much anymore but it’s still works***

F- fastener aisle, flower seeds, fly strips, fly swatters, flashlights, fuses(replacements), flower pots

***Sometimes all you need it just one bolt or fastener… that’s ok with us, no need to buy a whole box. This area of our store is often full of customers all day long.***

G- Gardening tools, garden seeds, grass seed, gloves, glues, grilling accessories, Greased Lightning, gas cans, galvanized fittings and pipe cut to size, window glass cut to size

***Lawn and Garden area has been moved towards the front of the hardware store. We are excited to offer new products in this busy area for our customers.***

H- hammers, hooks, hinges, hand tools, hose barb, Howard wood cleaning products, honey(it’s local y’all!)

***Only local honey sold at Wilkes County Hardware!!***

I-I didn’t know you had this! I should have come here first… we have heard this a few times over the last 8 years when folks find what they need and more as they shop.

I- Iron Out, ice melt

J- Juxtaposition of old school hardware store with excellent customer service found in 2023 versus “the box store experience”in 2023, no self service checkout here.

J-Japanese beetle traps, joint compound

K-keys duplicated with ease, knives, kerosene heaters & replacement wicks

***Wayne has been a fixture inside Wilkes County Hardware for over 20 years. He just celebrated his 85th birthday!!! I bet Wayne has made a key or two for you.***

L- Ladder wall, this wall showcases some of our amazing local artisans work.

***Our local artisans are prominently featured along the back ladder wall.***

L- lag screws, locks, light bulbs, laundry detergent, Lodge Cast Iron, Lava soap, Linseed oil, Lexel caulk, liquid chlorine

M- Mural.. have y’all noticed the new mural on the front side of the building? Why the chicken??? Our building was a poultry processing plant in its early years.

A more detailed account is linked here for you from an earlier blog post. https://hardwarelifewife.com/2022/11/21/mr-ee-eller-chickens-and-turkeys-nothing-but-clucking-gobbling-and-plucking-out-the-truth/

M- Meyers Clean Day, Magnets, mineral spirits, mops, Milwaukee, metric bolts

N-nails … we don’t sell these by the pound anymore but we have small size packs available for purchase as well as larger sizes, National Hardware what an amazing selection of all things related to home hardware and more!

O- Order it for me please! Yes, we special order items for our customers each and every week

O- O-rings of all shapes and sizes!

P- Pool supplies, paper towels, PVC fittings, PB Blaster, Pex fittings, plungers, plumbing supplies galore! PVC pipe, padlocks, potting soils, polyurethane and and plethora of so much more!

***Our plumbing section has been recently updated***

Q- Quite a step back into time.. our building dates back to 1905, they don’t build them like this anymore. You can quickly find what you need and save TIME by not driving to a box store fighting the traffic or the crowd… and if you need our help we are here to answer any questions you may have about your project.

Q- Quick knife/scissors sharpening done in a matter of a few minutes, Quartz piston clock… locally made

R- Repairs made to lamps, kerosene heaters, re-screening windows, and tool handle replacement

***Fall and winter season is a busy time for Kerosene heater repairs***

R- Ready Seal, rodent control products, Rid-X , rope cut to size or just buy it by the package.

Rocking chair… we brought this chair from our house once we bought the hardware store. I rocked my son as a baby in this rocking chair. It was a sweet reminder of home. Harry loved this chair as well.

S-Staff… we are blessed with an amazing team!

Richard & Coby … these two can fix just about anything!

Lisa .. we can’t live without her! She is a gem

Lastly, Carter Call … I don’t seem to have a good photo of him but he has been a star pool guy all summer long! Look for him at the hardware store in the afternoons and Saturdays to come!

S-snow shovels and sleds, locally made soaps, suet, screws ( sheet metal, lag, stainless, self tapping, wood, deck), spray paint, Shark Bite, sandpaper, stove pipe, screwdrivers and much more!

T- Take a few minutes to wander from the front of the store to the back of the store.. you never know what you might find!

T- Traeger Grills & pellets, tape, tape measures, toilet repair, toilet paper, Tarn-x, TSP, tarps

***We keep a variety of pellets in stock for our established Traeger customers.***

U- U-bolts and unique gifts from locally sourced artisans

V- Don’t be vexed by our selection of furnace filters, we have so many different sizes in stock!

V- Vulcan 55 gallon drum liners for your trash can

W- Wood stove… warm by the fire on those cold days

***It won’t be long until this stove will be back in action again!***

W- wheelbarrow, WD-40, window glazing, water hoses, locally made wooden bowls and boards, weed eater trimmer line, wing nuts, wrench

X- Xacto blades, Xtreme contractor trash bags

Y-y’all are always welcome

***Our doors are normally open for most of the warmer months, and conversations are usually flowing most of the day… near the old wood stove.***

Y- Yellow Quell- did you know that we sell pool supplies and test pool water???

***Pool season runs from May to September for most of our pool customers. Thanks for shopping locally with us!***

Z- Zep products, Zip ties(cable ties) , Zero-G lightweight hose

***The best water hose for watering plants***

That’s just a glimpse of some of the familiar hardware products that we have inside Wilkes County Hardware. Richard and I are proud to continue into year 8 with new products to be added into the hardware store lineup as the next year progresses. Thank you for your business and continued support.

customer service, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, old hardware stores, plumbing, Shop Local

8 Things Your Plumber Wishes You Knew…

April 29, 2023 hardwarelifewife 6 Comments

April 25th is National Hug your Plumber Day. When you need a plumber, you usually need one ASAP!! I would say that a good chunk of our customers that walk into our hardware store are seeking help with some type current plumbing issue or seeking a replacement plumbing fitting. That being said, this might be a “fitting” blog post to “plunge” into today.

The plumbing aisle is usually a busy place on most days of the week inside our hardware store.

Plumbing issues can become time consuming and can be expensive, especially if you lack the equipment and expertise that a plumber has.

As we all know, Home maintenance is ongoing, and can get expensive. Being proactive with your maintenance tasks, can give you an opportunity to move forward with other projects.

No worries y’all, just following these tips could add to your existing knowledge base about plumbing 🪠 so let’s plunge into the tips!

**WCH Recommends** … every home should have a plunger. Now, Let’s “plunge” into these great tips!

1. Know where your main water shutoff is located. Enough said! If you don’t know where your water shutoff is located, then make it your mission to find out ASAP! A water issue can be controlled much easier when you know where the main shutoff is found. Instead of a looming disaster with water everywhere inside your home, you can divert the danger by immediately turning the water off.

A very kind plumber who came to our home several years ago on a small plumbing project took the time to show me where our main shutoff is located. I value and appreciate his expertise and friendship .

2. Don’t use bleach to clean with regularly if you are on a septic tank system(Think about the toilet bowl drop ins and cleaning chemicals you are using the most often.) . The bleach can kill off the good bacteria in your system. When the good bacteria are destroyed, your tank won’t be able to break down waste effectively, meaning a clogged septic tank could be inevitable. 😳

Always available at Wilkes County Hardware!

3. What goes in must come out… and everything is not flushable! Yes, to most folks this is common sense. But everyone doesn’t know that baby wipes, Q-tips, grease, feminine hygiene products, diapers, paper towels, tissues are not flushable or acceptable for drains! Yes, even coffee grounds can clump up as well as cat litter and can lead to a clog. All of these items can reek havoc on your pipes/toilets and cost you a small fortune in order to get rid of a massive clog!

This 🧻 Decomposing at a faster rate! A camping & boating essential! Now available at WCH!!

4. When you do have a clog, deal with IT effectively. Using a Plunger or a snake is your first line of attack against a clog. Powerful Chemicals are secondary… especially if your plumbing lines are older. The harsh chemicals can break down your current, older plumbing lines even more quickly. 😳 AND if you have to use a chemical agent, read the directions and use it as directed!!! Be safe!

**WCH Recommended item:** if you need to deal with a clog, this is a good, safe option and eco friendly.

5. Check out your Insulation around water lines in basements and crawl space. If you don’t like what see, it is a good idea, especially during the extremely cold months to add insulation. Don’t forget to also check your Well pumps and pressure tanks, they should also have insulation around them too.

We stock essential homeowner necessities for plumbing….Glues, tape, fittings, insulation wrap, CPVC, and more!

6. Disconnect your water hose at the end of the growing season and cover your outdoor faucets. Outdoor faucets will freeze and create greater problems for you!

**WCH Recommended item:** These are great to have in hand before the first frost hits at the end of the long hot summer.

7. Do a bit of Reconnaissance work as a homeowner… a visual inspection of your plumbing . It is necessary as a homeowner- check your whole house water filters, look for any leaky hoses, or visible water around base of toilet( this can become a costly repair) are your toilets flushing properly, do you see leaks around hot water heater, visible water under your sink??? The small cost of a roll of plumbers tape is definitely worth the investment to add to your home toolbox. Lastly, Some leaks are not visible… pay close attention to your water bill each month to examine any spikes in your monthly costs. If you see a noticeable increase, definitely get this checked out!

**WCH Recommends:** A roll of plumbers tape is good to keep on hand at home for quick fixes.

8. Know when to call in an expert. Even the best DIY homeowners often know their limits and will call in the professionals when necessary.

The Hardware Life – A wife's journey into the hardware business