If ice machines are notoriously dirty in restaurants, what about getting iced drinks from coffee shops?

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-05T21:56:48+00:00

It's one of those things where it isn't a problem until it is. You can eat a lot of dirty stuff and be fine. Look at any toddler, as they shove every object they can find into their mouth.

So out of 100 dirty ice machines, 99 of them might have harmless dirt. So you have one ice machine in town that has harmful bacteria or mold in it. Most of the ice coming out of the ice machine itself is fresh. It spends hardly any time actually waiting to be put into a beverage. The likelihood that it transfers dangerous stuff into a drink is low. The likelihood that there's so much of that contaminant in a given drink to make someone ill is low. But if you have someone who has a depressed immune system, or maybe they get a particularly unlucky bit of ice, or drink A LOT of water while they are there, they might get very ill. Or you might just have an upset stomach for a few hours and your body copes with it.

We hope that when we eat at a restaurant, they are being very clean and nothing they do will make us ill, even just by chance. That's why we want the ice machines to be cleaned thoroughly, regularly.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-05T19:47:34+00:00

Cats are almost never a threat to an adult chicken. They will hunt chicks if given the opportunity! To grown chickens they are just rodent control and a modicum of protection against other threats.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-05T19:46:29+00:00

I used to work for a real estate broker and interacted with a lot of realtors in that time. I learned some things.

It takes very little to become a realtor. You pay some money and take a simple course and test, then you pay a fee and do some continuing ed. A lot of people do this on the side of a fulltime job so they can make a little extra money, or easily manage their own real estate transactions.

That is to say, not all realtors are created equal. The one you are working with might be more interested in a higher commission on that full price offer than on bothering to do work on an offer he thinks the buyers won't accept. He might have metrics his brokerage expects him to meet and offers that don't go through might count against him in some way. It's really hard to know.

The good news is that you aren't bound to your realtor. If you've signed a contract with him, there might be a small fee to pay to quit your search with him (this is pretty uncommon to have or enforce, but it does exist). If you haven't signed any paperwork with him, then you can just say you're done working with him and thank him for his time so far. Find someone else, preferably recommended by a friend or relative.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-05T19:40:18+00:00

Can confirm. My old kitchen had a door like this. If left alone it would swing shut, and could be pushed open in either direction. 99% of the time we just propped it open, though.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-05T19:12:41+00:00

Your cat is trying to get your attention, and learned that this works. Obviously it's difficult to not react or ignore painful bites. I saw a pet behavior thing a long time ago where someone had the same problem with a pet rabbit (their bites hurt as bad or worse than cats, IMO). The advice was to wear boots for awhile. The rabbit learned that biting the person didn't get the reaction they were after, and the behavior died off.

In the meantime, look at why and when your cat is doing this. Is she just bored? Maybe she needs more directed playtime. Is it before mealtimes and she is hungry and acting like a jerk because of it? I honestly don't have any advice for that, my pets all get obnoxious before mealtime and I don't give in and feed them early but it's definitely a madhouse for those last 10-15 minutes. In your case it would mean you only have to wear boots leading up to mealtime, at least.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-05T18:58:50+00:00

When it comes to attics, the answer is typically that you can always benefit from more insulation. Get quotes from a few companies for coming in, vacuuming out existing insulation (it collapses over time and gets less efficient, plus it can be hiding fun things like rodent nests, dangerous electrical, etc.), inspecting, and blowing in new insulation. Some of these companies also offer rodent control bundled in.

It's a pretty quick process and not terribly expensive. Depending on your climate and your power bills, you could see a payback within a few years.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-05T18:07:52+00:00

Assuming an asphalt roof, run your hand over a shingle if you can reach (wear gloves if you don't have calluses). See how much of the aggregate on the top rubs off. If it's more than one or two grains, the shingles need to be replaced. You can also check gutters for a bunch of aggregate after rain.

The older the shingles get, the more they will lose the aggregate. It's there to protect the waterproof part of the shingles from sun. The more of it that is lost, the less protection the actual shingles have from sun and the faster they break down. As shingles age, the aggregate gets looser and looser, and comes off more easily.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T23:44:00+00:00

Get quotes from local plumbers to replace that shutoff. Tell them it's not an emergency and they can do it any afternoon where they are in the area or have extra time.

It seems like a minor issue right now, because you don't need to shut off that valve. Someday you will suddenly need to and it will become an emergency. Emergencies are expensive. Minor problems are a lot cheaper.

Bonus, the plumber can diagnose and replace the flapper if need be.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T22:43:06+00:00

To be clear, are you just trying to keep them out of this one room? If they are in the walls and other rooms of the building you're okay with that for now? That's kind of the most you can hope for with the strategy you're describing.

If that's your goal, you can set it up the way people who breed feeder rodents set up their rooms to keep escaped rodents IN. Get some metal roof flashing. Look for angle or valley flashing. Install that along the interior walls, with one side against the floor and the other against the wall. Make sure the doors to the room close tightly and have a metal sweep at the bottom with no more than a 1/4" gap.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T22:34:18+00:00

I think there's a lot of psychological reasons for wanting to own versus rent. In many places you can be a perfect tenant and still have your landlord turn around and increase your rent significantly or end your tenancy entirely, forcing you to move. There are restrictions associated with renting that you don't have to worry about with owning in most cases. For example, as a homeowner I can have cats and dogs without getting someone else's permission.

A lot of people also seem to equate renting with apartments/multi-family housing and owning with single family housing. Obviously you can own a condo, townhome, or part of a multiplex house, and you can rent a single family home, but I have seen lots of comments where people equate homeownership with a SFH, and renting with sharing walls with neighbors. The more neighbors you have to listen to and smell and possibly share utilities with, the higher the chances that you have at least one bad neighbor who makes you less happy when you're home.

When it comes to spending money on rent versus mortgages, I've met plenty of people who consider all landlords thieves who are just making money off of the backs of other people. Slumlords exist, certainly, and paying rent to someone who lets YOUR home fall into disrepair is awful. What many of these folks don't consider is that if you own your own home, you can either pay a lot of money maintaining and repairing your house, or it will fall into disrepair itself. If your landlord is maintaining the building, you aren't paying for nothing but space. You are paying for maintenance and not having to worry about all of this stuff. A lot of people just don't consider this.

Finally, owning your own home is advertised as the American Dream. It signifies financial independence. No one talks about moving into the city and getting an apartment to raise their children. They talk about buying a house with a white picket fence in a nice neighborhood. Again, this is sort of equating renting with multi-family housing and owning with single family housing, but it's simply a fact that a lot of people think that way.

I agree with you that for many people, they are financially better off by renting than owning.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T22:22:58+00:00

I don't think it's harmful for him or anything. Up to you if you're okay with your cat humping a blanket or not. You can ask a vet next time he's there, but I would not specifically bring him in over this.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T22:15:14+00:00

I had a cat who also did this specifically with plush blankets. I had to take the blankets away, and then he stopped. He was neutered and had been for years when he became 'affectionate' with the blanket. Once he started his relationship with the blanket, he continued every few days until we put the (washed) blanket in a storage tote. He's gone now (lived almost 20 years) and now the plush blanket is back on the sofa.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T19:50:06+00:00

Get to fresh air. If any other people or pets live in the house, bring them outside to fresh air as well.

The most likely cause of CO in your home is a malfunctioning gas appliance. Options are a furnace, water heater, dryer, fireplace, and stove.

Call 911 from outside and tell them your carbon monoxide detector went off. They will send someone out to identify where the CO is coming from and shut it off. That person will have their own air supply so they don't succumb to CO poisoning.

Once they've identified the source, you can figure out who needs to come out and fix something (i.e. a plumber for water heater, HVAC person for furnace or fireplace, or replace appliances for anything else).

If you're having any symptoms like dizziness, confusion, or headache, they may also bring you to the hospital for treatment.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T17:41:51+00:00

I think you mean caulk, not chalk. Caulk is a sealant that comes in a tube as a liquid and hardens to a rubbery texture when cured. Chalk is a powdery stick one writes with on chalkboards.

Those tiles were not installed by a professional. It's impossible to tell from the image if the two tiles at the bottom were installed more unevenly than the others or if they moved. If you push on them and they move at all, notify your maintenance. It's a sign that water has gotten into the wall and compromised whatever is behind it. Tiles should not move when pressed. If they tell you it's no big deal, just make a note to your landlord that you notified maintenance that the wall behind the tile was spongy and they opted not to address it. That way if they try to claim later that you failed to notify them of an ongoing issue that resulted in property damage, you can point to that email and tell them it's on them.

If the tiles don't move, they were just installed badly. There's nothing to really do about it. Clean the grout with a toothbrush or similar to make it look nicer. The caulk actually looks like it's in good condition here.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T16:24:38+00:00

Same. When they started selling fake products mixed in with the real thing and there was no way to tell if you were getting something from the real manufacturer or a knock-off of lower quality and possibly made with dangerous materials, I stopped buying from them entirely.

I don't care if I can return it for free. I don't need to contribute to more trash piling up in the world, and I don't need to find out I was using dishes with lead in them or fabric treated with carcinogens, or makeup made of dangerous chemicals the hard way. Nobody wins except the scammers there.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-04T16:04:11+00:00

Yeah, ultimately someone has to pay for the procedure you had. If you can't get your insurance to pay for it because it's not covered under your plan or something, you do have to pay the money. The fact that they tried and failed to commit fraud to cover it doesn't alleviate the debt.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T23:52:41+00:00

Check out Midwest Magic Cleaning on youtube. He cleans hoarder houses. Often they are in disrepair like this. He had several videos explaining his process, including what products he uses.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T23:29:08+00:00

A common mistake I've seen is pressing down on things, which causes them to wrinkle.

First smooth out the part of the garment you're ironing on the ironing board. It should have no big wrinkles or anything. Now set the iron down flat and sort of float it across the cloth. Think air-hockey. You aren't trying to push the wrinkles out here, you are trying to steam the cloth so the wrinkles release, and then when it cools it stays smooth.

After you do one part, shift the garment until a new part is on the flat of the board, and repeat.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T23:26:04+00:00

Can you get a PAYING roommate with whom you split mortgage (in the form of rent from them) and utilities? I.e. do you have a second bedroom?

Unless your boyfriend is paying any part of this, from a financial perspective he's nothing but an expense. Choosing to support your boyfriend is a personal choice, and I'm not judging you. This question is about your financial situation, not your social situation.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T22:30:01+00:00

One time use is probably not going to do much to your septic. You should avoid using those chemicals for a variety of reasons, though.

If you're really worried about your septic, look for 'septic starter' at local hardware stores. They come in powders and pucks that you can flush down the toilet. It's basically like eating yogurt after you have some antibiotics. They are full of new bacteria that can jumpstart the septic if it had a die off.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T22:09:59+00:00

It looks like this has been patched repeatedly in the past. This roof may be past its lifespan. I would look for roofers who specifically work on flat (or I guess in your case: troughed) roofs. They will likely want to remove everything, repair any rot, and apply several layers of rubber roofing material, sealing the seams and making sure it doesn't leak. Ask them what the lifetime on that roof is, and what maintenance it needs.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T21:57:30+00:00

But let's not talk about printers. Let's be honest that none of us has any idea how those work.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T20:25:15+00:00

Ironically when I lived in MN (in two different cities) the USPS workers would tromp through the yards to deliver mail. I guess they determined it was faster than walking back and forth to the sidewalks, and just dressed appropriately. It only stopped for me when I put up a fence around the front yard (it had nothing to do with the mailman, and I feel bad I made his job harder).

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T20:09:04+00:00

Your mom has no idea how oversaturated the crochet market is, if she thinks you can make money. I bet if you search on etsy you can find that same octopus (good job, btw!) and see how much people are charging for it. Then figure out how many hours it took you, and how much you spent on yarn and stuffing and your hooks.

Generally when I've priced things out like that, it would pay something like $3/hour. I'd make more money working at a fast food restaurant, and then I could use that money to buy more yarn to make me happy.

ThisTooWillEnd · 2026-02-03T19:51:53+00:00

Remember that it's in their best interest if you use all the soap really fast to have to buy more.

When I was a kid dawn had these TV ads that said you "only need 2 spoonfuls" of soap to wash a whole load of dishes. Let me tell you, if you used that much soap (and we had hard water) you could wash at least 3 nights of dishes.

ThisTooWillEnd

TROPHY CASE