How To Keep Portable Toilets Clean Between Services

If you have to rent portable toilets in Novato, CA for any length of time, they are going to get used and dirty. You will likely have service times set up with the professionals, but the products could get dirty between those services. The professionals will come to service the portable toilets at regular intervals, but if you are getting heavy use out of them, you might want to do some things to keep them working, and clean order as well. Here are a few things you can do to keep things operating smoothly and looking clean for guests.

Spray Down With All-Purpose Cleaners

The exterior of the portable toilets is going to be out in the elements. If it rains or the wind blows, they are going to get dusty and dirty. Even if the inside is fine, the outside grim could turn people away. It doesn’t take much to spray the exterior down with an all-purpose cleaner and wipe it off. You can clean the walls of the interior in the same manner to make sure everything is shiny and polished.

Use Sanitation Wipes

Many people are concerned about germs when it comes to portable toilets. Any public toilet, in fact, is going to have germs. You can cut down on the amount of germs being passed around by taking some sanitation wipes and running them around the interior of the portable toilet. You can also clean things like the handles, both inside and out, and things people touch a lot. The more often you can do that, the better.

Wear Gloves

Any time you are cleaning any part of the portable toilet, you are going to want to wear gloves. You don’t want the chemicals on your hands and you also don’t want the germs jumping over to your hands. Gloves or not, use hand sanitizer and/or wash your hands when you are finished.

Scrub With A Magic Eraser

If there’s a hard stain, marker, a rubber shoe streak, or something else on the portable toilet that you can’t get off with regular cleaning, try a magic eraser to help you to remove that unsightly mark. You might not care as much for your guests, but you want the portable toilet to stay in good condition since it is a rental and you don’t want any damage charges.

Stock Toilet Paper and Sanitizer

Every time you clean the portable toilet, and perhaps sometimes in between, it’s a good idea to stock the toilet paper and also the hand sanitizer station on the wall. You never want anyone to be without those important items when they are using the facilities.

There are lots of different options within portable toilets in Novato, CA that you might not even know about and you can cover guest needs for a number of different events. Contact the professionals to take a look at the options and talk about the servicing of those portable toilets so you can judge how much extra cleaning they might need.

Things You Need To Know About Septic Tank Pumping

Not many people know all that much about septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA, and that’s okay. That’s why there are professionals in the industry—to fill in those blanks. But as a homeowner that has a septic system in place, there are certain things you might want to know about that system so you are able to treat it well and space out the service needed as long as possible. Here are a few items to keep in mind.

Don’t Plant Trees/Shrubs Too Close

Most people love to landscape around their home to enhance beauty, curb appeal, and give shade and other things. However, you are going to want to be careful how close you plant trees and even bushes or shrubs to the septic tank. While surrounding the tank with bushes that hide its presence sounds like a good idea, the roots of these green items can damage the tank, which is the last thing you want to have to dig up and replace.

Toilets Aren’t Trash Cans

You might be used to flushing facial tissues and anything else you want down the toilet, but that’s not a good idea with a septic tank. With homes that have these systems, the toilets are meant for waste and toilet paper and that’s all. Anything else can clog things up or fill up the tank too fast, causing you to have to have it pumped out more often than you would otherwise.

Tanks Need Pumping

Any septic tank is going to have to be pumped out at some point. Most homeowners have the process done every other year or so, but it really depends on how large the tank is and how much water you use. You definitely don’t want to go more than 5 years without having the process completed.

Don’t Use Anti-Bacterials

While hand sanitizer and soaps with anti-bacteria in them are all the rage, they are something you are going to want to ban from your house. With anti-bacteria gets into your septic tank, they can kill off the bacteria that are trying to eat away at the waste and keep the tank’s ecosystem healthy. Make sure you check soaps and other things for ingredients before using them.

Use Water In Phases

All of the water you use in your house has to filter out into the tank, and that takes time. In order to avoid overworking the system, you will want to use water in phases. Don’t take a bath and drain the tub while the washing machine is running. Don’t run the dishwasher while the wash is already going in the laundry room. Space out your water usage as much as you can.

When you are trying to get used to having a septic system, there are lots of things to know. You will want to get septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA regularly and the professionals you hire can answer other questions you have about the septic system as a whole.

How Septic Tank Pumping Works–For New Homeowners

If you are a new homeowner, there are a lot of things you are going to have to learn in order to keep up with your home’s maintenance and needs. You need to figure out your budget, for example, with the mortgage and all of the other bills that go into the home. You need to decide on home repair, maintenance, and replacements over the years. If you have a septic system, and that’s new to you, you have to figure out septic tank pumping in Novato, CA and other such details. Here are a few to understand

Waste Water Goes To The Tank

All of the water that you use in the house will go through the same pipe, out into your yard, and into your septic tank. It doesn’t matter if it’s water draining from the washing machine, down the sink from handwashing, or from flushing toilets. The waste water will go into the tank. What you need to understand about that is that anything within that water also goes to the tank. You have to be more careful about what goes down the drains, in general.

Septic Systems Need Maintenance

Even if you are careful about what goes down the drains, all septic systems are going to need maintenance as time goes by. Septic tanks are going to fill up and you have to get septic tank pumping done. You never want to go more than 5 years without having this done. Most people do it every other year or so, depending on the size of their tank and the amount of water they use. You can have professionals out for an inspection at any time and you can get further advice on pumping then.

Take Great Care With Drains

You can’t put anything and everything down the drain, as you may have in a different house. Instead, you want to only put waste and water down the drains. Don’t use anti-bacterial soap or it can kill off the good bacteria in the tank that eats waste and keeps things down there. Don’t use the garbage disposal as a garbage can, either, but rather throw the big things away.

Call Experts For Advice

IF you are new to owning a home with a septic tank, you want to understand what you can and can’t do and what you need to do to keep things on the up and up. You also want to know the signs that something is going wrong and that you need help from the professionals. It’s a good idea to talk to the experts, either by phone or in person, to get suggestions on how to keep your septic system in good working order for as long as possible. They can also run assessments and inspections whenever you want. When necessary, you can also get septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done. Contact the professionals with any questions you have about your septic tank at any time and they can help you keep things running well.

What Comes With Your Portable Toilet Rental

When you need to rent portable toilets in Petaluma, CA, of course you are going to get the portable toilets, but there are a lot of other things that come with that rental as well. You can talk through the details with the rental company, but here are some things you can expect to come along with renting the portable toilet units for your purposes.

The Actual Portable Toilets

The first thing you get, of course, are the portable toilet units themselves. And there is more variety in that than you might think. There are standard portable toilets, which is what you might picture when you think of portable toilets. But there are also larger, family friendly portable toilets with zero entry and enough room to turn a wheelchair around. These are good if you need mobility-inclined options or if you are going to have family groups on site. There are actual fully flushing toilets that even have running water for the sinks. You get to choose what type you get and how many of each.

The Trailer/Hauling

When you rent portable toilets, you don’t have to pick them up and transport them. The rental company has trucks and trailers and they will haul the portable toilets to your property and place them for you. You don’t have to worry about picking them up as the professionals will set up a time that works for you to do the delivery.

The Placement/Advice

Once the company arrives with the portable toilets on their truck and trailer, they will help you to place them in good spots. They have professional opinions as to where things should go and they can help you to find good spots that serve your needs and meet your purposes at the same time.

The Maintenance/Cleaning

If you are going to have the portable toilets on site for more than a day or two, you might want to have maintenance and cleaning done. The company can work with you on that as well and help you to work out a schedule as to how often it should be done. They will clean out the tanks and take care of the big things, but in the meantime, you might want to change out toilet paper and do some of those types of things.

The Removal

Once you are done with the rental process, the company won’t leave you hanging with portable toilets you can’t move. They will come to the property and take them back on their trucks and trailers so you don’t have to worry about that part of the process, either.

When you need Portable toilets in Petaluma, CA, the professionals are there to provide everything you need from start to finish and not just the portable toilets themselves. You can talk to them about everything you need and ensure that you get what you have to have from start to finish. This may not be something you have to deal with often, but they have your back.

Is The Septic Tank Clogged?

There are plenty of things that can go wrong in a house and when it comes to your septic system, the last thing you want is for it to get clogged up. When things seem to be going the wrong way in your plumbing, you might think that septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA is the way to go—and it might be. Before you jump to conclusions, you are going to want to think about whether it’s the septic tank that is clogged, or just a pipe. Here are some signs that can help you figure things out.

The Pipe Is Clogged: Only One Fixture Is Slow To Drain Or Blocked

If you notice that one of your drains is running slowly, or the drain is blocked completely, but others are flowing fine, then there is a pipe clogged and you will have to address things with that pipe. You won’t want to use drain cleaner, but you could try snaking the drain. Otherwise, it’s a good idea to have a plumber come and check things over before they get worse.

The Septic Tank Is Clogged: All Fixtures Are Slow To Drain Or Blocked

If you notice that one drain is running slow and then you use another sink and things are running slowly there too, that’s not a good thing for the septic tank. If all of the drains are running slowly and getting backed up, or if they all seem to be blocked completely, then you likely have a clog in the septic tank, or things are filling up and need to be pumped out.

The Pipe Is Clogged: One Drain Backs Up

If dirty water starts to come up one drain, it’s not something you want to see, but if it’s just that drain, you likely have a clogged pipe. Once you address it and get things flowing again, you can get your house back on track.

The Septic Tank Is Clogged: All Drains Back Up

IF you have water coming up all of the drains and perhaps even backing up through the toilet, you are in a world of trouble and need to get things on track fast. It could be that the septic tank is clogged or it might be full and you need pumping done. Check with the professionals to get an inspection done so you can figure things out fast.

Get Septic Tank Pumping Done Regularly

In order to prevent problems within your septic system, it’s a good idea to get septic tank pumping done on a regular basis. You never want to wait more than 5 years between pumping sessions. And if you have a small tank and/or a larger family, you will want to do it more often than that. Talk to the professionals about septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA and see how often they recommend the process for your home and its needs. They are there to help you with maintenance and repairs along the way whenever you need advice.

Best Practices For Portable Toilet Placement

If you have an outdoor event coming up and you need to rent portable toilets in Sonoma, CA, you are going to have to place them somewhere on your property. While you might be good at event planning, you don’t have to rent this type of thing on a regular basis. When the time comes to make the decisions, where are you going to place the portable toilets? Here are a few of the best practices that can help you get things lined up in the right spots.

Flat, Dry Land

You want the land you choose for the portable toilets to be flat and dry. You don’t want to set them up on a slant or they could fall over or be a danger to your guests. You also don’t want to place them somewhere that is already muddy or they could sink into the ground or get off-kilter when the weather turns and rains come through.

Remember The Wind

You are going to want to think about the wind and which direction it blows when you set up a spot for the portable toilets. You might not want them high up on a hill where they tend to catch the wind. Instead, somewhere that is blocked from the wind can be more protective of the toilets.

Consider Accessibility

You may not want the portable toilets in the center of everything, but you also don’t want them to be way out there where they aren’t accessible. Consider what would be convenient for your guests and accessible, but where would not be something that would stand out like a sore thumb amidst your event.

Place Units In Banks

If you are going to have quite a few people at this outdoor event, you will want to think about putting the units in banks so you don’t have long lines at one portable toilet. The professionals can let you know how many you should get based on about how many people you are going to have at the event. They can also help you decide how many you want to put in each bank and how far apart you want to spread the banks.

Consider Enclosures

It can be helpful to have the portable toilets up against enclosures, like a building, or under a shelter to keep them from the weather elements. That can help keep them clean, protect them from wind, and help them to stay on ground that works well for their purposes.

Take Advice From Pros

When you work with the professional rental company, take advice from them as to where you want to place the units. They work with these devices on a regular basis and it’s wise to listen to their advice as to where they should be placed. They can also help you with maintenance advice and other such issues. When you need Portable toilets in Sonoma, CA, getting recommendations from the professionals who know what they are doing can help you to get everything lined up well.

Facts To Know About Septic Tank Pumping

If you own a septic system for your home, there are a lot of things you might want to know about it, including details about septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA. Septic tank pumping is done by professionals who come to your home, hook a hose up to the tank, and suck the sludge out from the tank. Once the tank is cleaned out, it will operate efficiently and effectively once again. IT’s something that has to be done on every septic tank, even if you maintain it well over time. Here are some facts you might want to know about the process.

Septic Tank Pumping Needs To Happen Every 3-5 Years

You aren’t going to want to go more than 5 years without septic tank pumping. Most people have to do it more often than that, but if you near that 5 year mark, you know it’s definitely time. If you aren’t sure how often you need to have it done, you will want to consider how large your tank is and what kind of use it gets. If you have a larger family or a lot of guests on a normal basis, you are going to need to have it pumped out more often. The professionals can offer you advice as to how often you might want to consider having it done.

Watch For Odors Or Leaks Between

Between the pumping sessions, you are going to want to watch for signs that something is going wrong. If you see leaks in your yard, slow drains, backed up pipes, or smell odors from the tank area, that might be cause for concern. You might want to have an inspection done so you can figure out if repairs are needed or what might be going on.

Have Rules Around Tank Usage

It’s wise to have rules as to how you and other family members will treat the septic system as a whole. Make sure everyone knows that you can never flush anything down the toilet other than waste and toilet paper. You also don’t want to use antibacterial cleaners or soaps or they can kill off the good bacteria in the tank that is doing its job in eating away the waste. And, you will want to prevent your family from using too much water at once. Don’t let someone take a bath or shower while the dishwasher is running and so on.

Consult With The Pros When More Info Is Needed

If you feel like you don’t know enough about your septic system, there are professionals available to help you with any questions you have. You can have an assessment and consultation whenever you need one and you can ask them to repair and pump things out whenever necessary.

Every septic system needs septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA from time to time, no matter how good you are to your system. Contact the professionals when something seems to be amiss so you have peace of mind about getting things back on track.

Surviving The Bathroom Remodeling Process

When you decide that one of the bathrooms in your house is old and tired and needs to be completely redone, it can be an exciting process. It can also be a huge pain for your family. It might mean taking the bathroom out of commission and that can be an inconvenience. You are going to want to think ahead to what things will look like and how you can get through the process as easily as possible. You may need to rent portable toilets in Novato, CA, for example.

Create A Schedule For The Other Bathroom

If you are taking one bathroom out of commission for a certain length of time, but you still have another, perhaps you are going to want to put a schedule into place for the remaining bathroom. There are certain situations that will occur, like when someone really needs the bathroom, that you can’t predict. But you can put a shower schedule into effect and have kids get ready the rest of the way in their rooms, perhaps, after the showering portion is out of the way. The schedule can help you survive the lack of bathrooms in the best possible way.

Rent A Hotel Room For Certain Days

There might be certain occasions in which it feels possible to survive on the bathrooms you have left, if you have any left at all. You might want to rent a hotel room for certain days in order for the family to have more space to shower and use facilities. It’s not a cheap way to go, but since you are renovating a whole bathroom, you can include it in with the budget and it will be an expected expense.

Talk To A Neighbor About Using Their Facilities

If you are close with your neighbors, you might want to talk to them about sharing their bathroom, on occasion. Ask them if you can send someone over in an emergency situation or set up times when their bathroom will be free for some of your family members to use it. Make sure you show your appreciation with gifts of some kind since this will be inconveniencing them as well.

Rent A Portable Toilet To Help

One of the easiest things you can do is rent a portable toilet that you station outside of your house. That can help you cover the basic needs your family has during the interim when a certain bathroom is out of order. There are standard portable toilet options, but there are also options that feel like real bathrooms, complete with a sink and running water. Those products can also help you to allow family space to brush teeth, wash up for dinner, and other such things.

When you are renovating a bathroom, there are many different things you might consider doing to survive the part where you can’t use that space for needs at all. Call the professionals and look into renting portable toilets in Novato, CA to cover your needs.

Getting Ready For Spring

Ah, yes, the springtime. It’s a lovely time of the year, perhaps your favorite. But it could also be that time of the year in which you are the busiest. There are a lot of things you can do around your house, and you should. You might need to rent portable toilets in Petaluma, CA for part of those plans. Here are some of the things you may want to do this spring.

Clean Up The Yard

The yard can take a beating over the winter months and in the spring, it’s the time to get things cleared off and ready. You might want to rake up the dead grass, prepare for seeding, take away the old leaves that got left behind in the fall, and other such things. You’ll be mowing in no time, if you aren’t already, and cleaning up the yard is a good place to start.

Prepare The Landscaping

Your landscaping may need an overhaul after the winter months and the spring is the perfect time of the year to get things in order again. Take out deal bushes and remove leaves that dropped into the area. Trim back things that have gotten too big and refresh the landscaping with annual flowers. Your home will look bright and fresh again and you will be able to enjoy its curb appeal once again.

Check The Roof

Now that the weather is more pleasant, it’s a good time to check the roof. Stay on the ground and see if you can spot any flapping shingles, missing areas, or other things. Have professionals come to do a free assessment to ensure that the roof can handle the spring rains you know are on the way. You will be glad you prevented further issues with small repairs.

Plan Your Summer Events

Once you feel spring in the air, it’s a great time to start looking ahead and planning your summer events. Whether you want to have a family reunion in the park, a craft fair, or something else, you will have a lot of things to put together and set up for the process.

Rent Portable Toilets

As you plan those summer events, consider the restroom situation you might be in. It’s possible that there aren’t any buildings with bathrooms nearby, or at least not enough of them. You may want to rent portable toilets of certain kinds and get them placed in the right locations.

Whether you are having a wedding, a craft show, a concert, or a family reunion, you might need to get portable toilets in Petaluma, CA placed for the event. The professionals can help you figure out the options, fit them to your budget, and decide where to place the products for the best outcome. There are many different styles to consider today as well. There are standard options, but you can also get something that is fully flushing, something larger for families and handicapped individuals, and other such options, depending on what you need.

Septic Issues That Arise When Guests Descend

Since you live in a beautiful area of the country, it only makes sense that family and friends from other areas are going to flock to you for vacations. They might use your home as base for their time away from their own house or they might just stop by when they are between sightseeing activities and beach time. Either way, when you have guests come through, your septic tank is ripe for issues. You might want to have septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done to help you prevent those issues from occurring in the first place.

Someone Flushes Something They Shouldn’t

Guests may not know what septic tanks can and can’t handle, and that makes perfect sense. When someone arrives at your home, there’s always the possibility that they might flush something they shouldn’t. The only things that should be flushed are waste and toilet paper. Anything else can clog up the system and cause an issue. That could easily happen if you aren’t careful when guests are around.

Over Usage Occurs

If you have a lot more family around, using the shower, flushing the toilets, and using the dishwasher, your septic system could get overused. When that happens, the water might not drain away fast enough and process the way it should. If there’s too much water being used at once, you might have a backup in your house, among other issues that could occur. If the septic tank was already pretty full, it might fill up fast as well, causing all sorts of issues.

The Tank Fills At The Wrong Time

Your septic tank needs to be pumped out every few years. You should never go longer than 5 years without pumping the tank. Even if you treat the tank well, you are going to fill it up. And, with your luck, that time could come when you have guests. You are using more water, which means things are going to fill up faster.

Give Guests Direction, Perhaps

If it’s possible, you might want to inform your guests that you have a septic system and let them know they can’t flush anything but waste and toilet paper. You can also try to space out showers, laundry usage, dishwashing, and other such things so the system can process everything that is happening as it should.

Monitor Usage

You know how much your septic tank can handle and you can space things out accordingly. Avoid running the dishwasher in the morning when everyone wants to shower. Save those things for late at night once everything else is out of the way.

If you know you will have a lot of guests coming through, you might want to have septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done before they arrive, and the summer months hit. You could have that chore completed and then, you can rest easily throughout the visits. The tank won’t fill up as fast and you’ll be much safer overall. The professionals can check things for repair needs at the same time.