# Good at pep talks? Come help motivate me to do a gross yet unavoidable task **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2006, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664 "2006-02-02T11:45:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/21 "2006-02-02T23:44:09Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > I routinely leave toilets uncleaned for months at a time and they are never, ever, in bad shape. What the hell is he doing in there? > > Six months… since he flushed? I wish I knew! Maybe he doesn’t get enough fiber. My guess is that MOST people will flush twice if they need to flush twice, if you know what i mean. If you don’t flush twice, and you don’t clean, eventually skids develop into a toxic landfill. Especially with low-flow toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/22 "2006-02-03T01:13:09Z")
Hmmm… Tell him he has 2 choices and they both involve him. Choice 1, he cleans the bathroom. Choice 2, you clean the bathroom using his head as a toilet brush. I have better luck with Kaboom. Cuts through the buildup in the shower better including any organisms contemplating a hostile takeover. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/23 "2006-02-03T01:43:27Z")
Plan B - get him so drunk he has to throw up in his own toilet. The smell of it will may kill him but all is fair in love and war. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/24 "2006-02-03T04:21:26Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I’ll say it again: Drano Gel. I hadn’t cleaned my shower for 2 years, and a lot of crust had built up. I let some Drano Gel soak there fore ~15 minutes and the crust sprayed right off. (The main ingredients are lye and bleach, so don’t use it your toilet is vulnerable.) > > Yeah, it doesn’t specifically recommend it be used just to clean with but sometimes you need to use the nuclear option… **Be warned,** I used some Drano to clean my sink once (and only once!) It ate the chrome right off the drain opening. Not a good thing when you’re renting. **Big Bad Voodoo Lou,** use bamboo skewers instead. The longest ones you can find. Break the sharp tip off of one and insert the ragged end down the drain. Twist and pull a couple of times and all the longer hair will form a secure little tangle around it, ready to be tossed in the trash. Run the length of the skewer around the inside of the drain and all the black slimy stuff and shaved hairs will be ready to be rinsed away. This is my favorite self-learned household tip. I haven’t had to use Drano in years because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/25 "2006-02-03T05:14:44Z")
> [@Obsidian](#): > > What gets you motivated upleasant tasks? Alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/26 "2006-02-03T05:56:50Z")
> [@Obsidian](#): > > The prize, of course, is you’ll get to laugh to yourself when you picture me doing this. You mean we don’t get to watch you? ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/27 "2006-02-03T06:17:44Z")
Forbid yourself from doing or getting something you enjoy until said task is done. I’ll do that sometimes, and it helps get my rear in gear. I’ll tell myself something like, “Finish the dishes, then I can go play Splinter Cell.” ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/28 "2006-02-04T04:56:44Z")
So. Today I took apart our living room. Moved all the furniture, rolled up the rugs, cleaned the woods floors, vacuumed the underside of the rugs, and re-arranged the furniture twice. It looks great, I’m exhausted, and I am **completely** astonished by the lengths I will go to to procrastinate and avoid this toilet. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/29 "2006-02-04T09:12:23Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > I routinely leave toilets uncleaned for months at a time and they are never, ever, in bad shape. What the hell is he doing in there? > > Six months… since he flushed? I was thinking the same thing. I use the comet and toilet brush about every 6 weeks, sometimes 2 months or so. The toilet never smells or anything, the worst that happens is that dog hairs get stuck to the tank from static and those I do dust off frequently. What on earth is he doing to the toilet??? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664/30 "2006-02-04T16:09:51Z")
> [@Dorjän](#): > > Those metal drain stoppers in bathtub sinks usually have a nut UNDERNEATH the sink that must be removed. See [this link](http://www.askthebuilder.com/550_Removing_Clogs_From_a_Bathroom_Sink.shtml) for details. > > Once you get that out of the way, use a drain auger to unclog the sink. Much better and safer than chemicals. You can find them in a variety of styles at any hardware store. Thank you so much for directing me to that website. That was the exact problem, and I cleaned everything yesterday. I took the website’s advice and wore latex gloves, but I still used chopsticks because I didn’t have a drain auger or \*\*Tikki/b]'s bamboo skewers. I managed to pull out several huge disgusting black slimy hairy masses, scraped all the black slime off the drain stopper itself, screwed everything back in place, and now my sink drains just fine. I did actual _plumbing_ – I feel like such a manly man! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-at-pep-talks-come-help-motivate-me-to-do-a-gross-yet-unavoidable-task/342664.md?page=1)