Community / Embroidery /
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by justonlyme 07 Aug 2012 ( edited Aug 09'12 01:40 )
+77

WARNING!!

This may have been posted before, but I want to reinforce it. When you rinse out the water soluble stabilizer (WSS) from your projects, be sure to use a bowl or container other than your sink. Then pour the water outside rather than down the drain. Otherwise, you will eventually be calling a plumber or will be working to fix your pipes.
I did a big FSL project. Afterward, my sink wouldn't drain. I pulled the lines apart to find that the goo of the WSS had stuck to the sides of the pipes and closed them off. It took me hours to scrape off the goo from the inside of the pipes so water would once again pass through. The starch from cooked potatoes etc. can also cause this, but the WSS will compound this in a big hurry. Please learn from my mistakes!

Comments (36)
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by marjialexa 07 Aug 2012
+12
Bummer! Well, I suppose you could just dump it outside and consider it "driveway sealer"--wonder if it will stick all the gravel in my drive together? What brand of WSS do you use, anyway, and how big was that project? Thanks for the warning, but sorry you had to find out by trial and error. It'll save my pipes, I promise. Hugs, Marji
2 comments
by katydid 07 Aug 2012
I like your attitude!
by justonlyme 07 Aug 2012
So far I've only used Vilene. I imagine the clear stuff would have the same effect.
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by mariagiannina 07 Aug 2012
+13
Thank you for this information. It's very good advice, I will remember it next time I use WSS.
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by sukira 07 Aug 2012
+12
Thank you for this advice. You should post it on Embroidery Library. Many people will appreciate it.
Thanks again, and sorry you had that trouble. Hugs,
Rachel
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by katydid 07 Aug 2012
+10
wow!! another boomer. My dentist said not to put dental floss down the toilet as it could cause major problems, now another warning!!
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by airyfairy 07 Aug 2012
+13
Thank you Deanna for this tip. Well worth knowing. Sarah.
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by meganne 07 Aug 2012
+12
A very timely warning. I am so sorry to hear of your problem, it doesn't help that we no longer use hot water to wash our clothes, as this used to help keep drains clear.
I always fill a bowl with warm water to rinse FSL, then throw the water and designs straight over the balcony. I kid you not! LOL!!!
Hugs n roses, Meganne
5 comments
by moyed 07 Aug 2012
Those poor ducks. no wonder they are SOOO huge and float down the river.LOL
by greysewist 07 Aug 2012
LOL what a comedian you are, Helen!
by marjialexa 07 Aug 2012
Meg, why do you throw the designs over the balcony, too? Do they dry in the grass, hee hee hee?
by moyed 08 Aug 2012
LOL
by noah 09 Aug 2012
i was wondering the same thing???
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by moyed 07 Aug 2012
+13
Put 2 tablespoons of bicarb of soda in the drain hole then half a cup or so of white vinegar. Clears drains a treat of all sorts of blockages.
hugs Helen
5 comments
by moyed 07 Aug 2012
I wash all my lace in the bathroom basin and once a month rinse it with the above..No problems.
by oigelcox 07 Aug 2012
Thanks for the great tip. Hugs Joyce
by momhome 07 Aug 2012
Thank you. I will give this a try and see if it helps the bathroom sink. (slow -but not from FSL.)
by justonlyme 07 Aug 2012
I had no problem...and then I did. The goop was on the sides and there was a tiny hole in the center for water to drain. Kinda reminded me of the Plavix commercials.
by noah 09 Aug 2012
ok moyed what is bicarb o soda??
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by bevgrift 07 Aug 2012
+12
Maybe the maufacturers of WWS should reconsider their product. Water Soluble tends to imply disolve in water.It should also come with warnings.
Anything bad for Fish should not go down the drain.
Thanks for your warning.
Hugs Bev
1 comment
by justonlyme 07 Aug 2012
I wonder if it IS bad for the fish. I know it is bad for the drains!!
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by momhome 07 Aug 2012
+11
Thank you. I was not aware that it would cause a problem.
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by oigelcox 07 Aug 2012
+12
Thanks for the warning. i will be more careful in the future. Hugs Joyce
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by nglover1 07 Aug 2012
+10
I put several paper towels in a Ziplock baggie(from the Dollar store ) and pour the liquid in ,then take a wet paper towel to wipe the bowl ( Also from the Dollar Store and mark the bottom of the bowl with a Black Sharpie FSL ) clean and add to the baggie ,Zip and toss in garbage . Nancy
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by cherylgauteng 07 Aug 2012
+10
Thanks for this good advice !!!!!
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by maleah 07 Aug 2012
+9
Thank for all the information Cuties.
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by phi4 07 Aug 2012
+9
Thank you for sharing this info. I had no idea!. I am there are a lot of people like me. Sorry about your trouble.
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by esansom 07 Aug 2012
+8
Thanks for the info. I had no idea that WSS would could cause a problem like that.
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by mislynx2 07 Aug 2012
+9
Thanks so much for this tip - I would never have thought of that.

hugs**
mislyn
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by scrappinhappie 07 Aug 2012
+9
Thanks for the warning, I have done mine in the sink before but never anything very big, I never thought about the goo before.
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by berny 07 Aug 2012
+7
With a septic tank I have to watch everything that goes down the drain, Thank you for sharing this.
1 comment
by justonlyme 07 Aug 2012
I have a septic tank too. It is gonna get pumped soon. I'm wondering if maybe it will have a gel consistency. :)
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by mysew1325 07 Aug 2012
+8
I did not know this... I will put the liquid in the yard from now on.. thanks..
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by loosie 07 Aug 2012
+9
I mentioned this a year or so ago, I saw the warning on a program can't remember which now. I think when the new site is up we need a tip section for embroidery with warnings for furture Cuties.
I hope all is well now. A flower for you!
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by shuede 07 Aug 2012
+8
I didn't think about this. Thanks for the warning.
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by rsehorse 07 Aug 2012
+8
Thanks, good to knoww. Susan
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by leenova54 07 Aug 2012
+7
I guess I better quit rinsing them out in the sinks, I have done it in both the bathroom and the kitchen. I am a very bad girl and must stop this one bad habit!
Thanks for the tip again!
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by susiesembroidery 07 Aug 2012
+5
A good warning, thank you. I live in an apartment on the ninth floor and there is no other facility than the washbasins to do this work - so I have been doing each as I finish them to prevent this sticky situation. Thanks for the warning.***
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by zoefzoef 07 Aug 2012
+5
thanks ! I did not know this !
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by castelyn 07 Aug 2012
+5
Thanks for the warning. I use the hand wash basin and then pour boiling water from the kettle down the drain, to ensure that it all goes through. Hugs Yvonne
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by mary51 07 Aug 2012
+5
Thank you!
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by sewmom 07 Aug 2012
+4
If you don't have a choice could you mix the residue with dish detergent to break it down and the pour it down the sink?
1 comment
by justonlyme 07 Aug 2012
I tried that. It just causes it to stick further down the pipes, where it is more difficult to clean.
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by gerryb 07 Aug 2012
+5
I have read this before, but then get lax in doing so. I still cannot understand how something that is WS can do that. But you had the mess to prove it!
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by cathiejones 07 Aug 2012
+5
Thank you, I didn't know as I didn't read it before !
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by marjialexa 07 Aug 2012
+3
Well, WSS might dissolve in water, but it is starch. Now you have to figure, if that starch is strong enough to make a fabric-like stabilizer, it's still going to be pretty strong going down the drains. I imagine if you rinsed with lots and lots of hot water as you were rinsing designs, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But we're all trying to save water, and save on hot water use, so that's probably where the trouble comes in. Better to be safe than sorry, let that starch feed your lawn, or use it for driveway sealant. Just think, with all of us using WSS and putting it on the ground, in 10,000 years the archaeologists & geologists are going to be confused over the goo-layer they find on earth during this time period, hee hee hee. Wonder what kind of story they're going to propose to explain it, hee hee hee? Sorry, I have a very twisted mind. Just don't put it down the drains. Hugs, Marji
3 comments
by justonlyme 07 Aug 2012
Great theory!! I love it. I live where there are lots of fir needles. I wonder if they will stick to the ground in sheets now that I'm "watering" them with my WSS water. :) Guess I'll know soon enough.
by marjialexa 08 Aug 2012
Hey, then maybe you can do a tutorial on "how to embroider on fir needles", a really "green" project, hee hee hee.
by justonlyme 08 Aug 2012
Ha ha. Actually, IF that happens, I'll do that. :)
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by justsew 08 Aug 2012
+4
Thank you for that. i will be carfull.
Hugs Pam.
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by tilde01 08 Aug 2012
+3
Thank you, I never thought of this at all & I'm on septic, so you'd thought I would have considered it.
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by nancygiroir 09 Aug 2012
+2
that never crossed my mind, I'll be sure to use a separate container for now on--thank you for the heads up.
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by noah 09 Aug 2012
0
never thought of this or read it that i remember .I have put it in my drain for years maybe 3??I have a pump right under my sink (in the basemant) to pump the water or whatever up and out seems to be fine but***thanks hugs
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by katydid 09 Aug 2012
0
Another warning from my dentist. Do not flush dental floss down the toilet. Can cause major problems. Plumbers cost a fortune!