is this too hard-core for Good Housekeeping?
We had a drains overflow yesterday. We tried to clear the blockage ourselves but after a few hours wading through sewage gave up and called out a man with a flexible hose, who flushed the blockage out, hosed down the path (it all happened along the side return of the house), and put bleach down. He told me we'd need to rinse it today, and re-disinfect it.
I've hosed it all down, and where the water has pooled, I've swept it into the drain. I've put down diluted jeyes fluid and done the same thing with that, and finally poured diluted jeyes fluid all over the path and left it for a bit. It is pooling to some extent but I'm going to leave it for a while before I rinse it off. Love jeyes fluid.
There's still a horrible smell. I've dealt with lots of horrible poo situations with my children, but this sewage smell has pushed me further than I can bear. I'm not even sure if the smell is still there or if it's just stuck in my nose.
I think part of the problem is that there are heavy objects along the side return, which we really need to move and clean the underneath of, but they are far too heavy for me to move on my own and DH is away until tomorrow night.
We have a pressure washer but I couldn't work out how to use it and was just too grossed-out by the whole experience to focus on working out how.
After days of rain it's now gloriously sunny and it's warming up the path, and making the smell even worse. We have a mint plant at the bottom of the path and the lovely smell of mint is mixed with the smell of jeyes and sewage. I don't think we'll be using any mint from that plant this year.
Actually, reading that bleating stream of whiny consciousness, I think I just need some sympathy please 