Thumbs are next

[resonant]

The kitchen faucet: choked with mineral deposits from our hard water. I haven't taken it apart to fix it because I'm not confident I can. You have to arrange the lever just so when you turn it off, or it drips.

The house: quiet. Empty, except for me and a sleeping kidlet.

The sound from the kitchen: a drip, starting suddenly out of nowhere. I go into the kitchen to investigate.

The bobkitten: has learned to turn the faucet on.

Comments

[twistedchick]

Have you tried melting the mineral deposits with white vinegar? I have had that work for me.

[mecurtin]

Ditto.

[resonant]

Yeah, vinegar is one of those midwestern pantry necessities; the problem is that to get at the deposits, I'd have to take the faucet apart, and I'm not confident that I can, or that I can put it back together again when I'm done.

[jesse_the_k]

We've got a faucet with hard water issues. We immerse it in vinegar overnight. If bobkitten is sufficiently spooked by the acid, that will break down the hard water crust into some cleanable.

[resonant]

Yeah, it's getting it off to immerse it that's the problem.

[jesse_the_k]

I've never done it, but it's certainly conceivable to:

Get BAMF rubber bands -- say five -- and put them on the bottom of the faucet. Twist and cover several times to create a very tight seal.
Put the vinegar in a sturdy balloon
Insert the faucet into the balloon stem
Add a little water to create a vinegary cloud
Pull the rubber bands up to hold the balloon stem on the bottom of the faucet.

God help us if bobkitten likes balloons.

[sage]

That is adorable. Tonight one of mine escaped from quarantine in the bathroom, and I was sure he'd found a way to teleport until I realized the door didn't fully latch when I shut him in. He can turn lever door handles and pull doors open when he's got the leverage (countertops, etc.), but turning a knob from the floor is a bit beyond him. *g*

Also, if you can dismantle the whole faucet and let the parts soak in vinegar for a few hours, that should do wonders for the calcium build-up.

[resonant]

Yeah, it's the dismantling that's a problem.

It would just figure that cats would develop a high-tech method like teleporting, or time travel, or something like that, and then only use it so they can get free, eat strings, and lick your feet while you try to sleep.

[mergatrude]

"Slinky Malinki leapt high off the floor,
He swung on a handle and opened the door."

[resonant]

There's a band I like called Malinky! Coincidence, I wonder?

[shrewreader]

Emma the Late Clever Calico made me put a password on the computer to wake up from screensaver.

I came in one day with coffee to find her batting at the mouse (normal) and then using the other paw to try to pin down the cursor (not normal. Even for a cat.)

I had visions of mass catnip deliveries from Amazon, so I set up the password. Went for more coffee 3 hours later. Came back.

Emma, batting at the mouse.

And staring in fury at the screen that didn't give her the toy.

[vily]

I've put straight vinegar into a spritzer before, shot as much as I can up the faucet and then quickly sealed it off with saran wrap and rubber bands. It won't clear out everything, but it does some good.