WEBVTT - Thom is joined by Home Improvement guru Gary Sullivan 1/15/2026

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<v Speaker 1>Oh you eight eleven on the morning shows, seven hundred

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<v Speaker 1>w l W. Kind enough to join us each and

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<v Speaker 1>every Thursday at this time. You can hear him syndicated

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<v Speaker 1>on nearly three hundred radio stations coast to coast. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean the brand, the man Gary Sullivan.

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<v Speaker 2>Mister Brenneman. How in the world are you good?

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<v Speaker 1>Buddy? How you doing today?

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<v Speaker 2>Good? You got your overalls. We're gonna work today.

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<v Speaker 1>Are we? I'm ready to go.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's go, toolbox, got your goggles.

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<v Speaker 1>I got a hat, need a hat. My hair's fallen out,

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<v Speaker 1>and so all of a sudden it's skin being exposed

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<v Speaker 1>rather than hair. Doesn't happen to you.

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<v Speaker 2>I got hair.

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<v Speaker 1>You got a whole head full of hair. Goodness, gracious,

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<v Speaker 1>good yeous. All right, right now, you told me that

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<v Speaker 1>there are a few things around your house that have

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<v Speaker 1>bothered you lately. Right, okay, so you tell me. The

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<v Speaker 1>first one is whenever you go to you say the

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<v Speaker 1>vanity like shave in the morning, that kind of thing. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>there's an odor there right now? Now? What is going

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<v Speaker 1>on with that?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah? You ever have that problem?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, it's a fairly common problem. And what it is,

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<v Speaker 2>it's bacteria. I mean that's what causes odors and the reason.

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<v Speaker 2>And there's always going to be bacterian drains, whether it's

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<v Speaker 2>the kitchen and you got food particles, whether it's you know,

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<v Speaker 2>the vanity and you've got flakes of skin, hair shaving residue,

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<v Speaker 2>all that. But really, what's happened in the cosmetics industry?

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<v Speaker 2>A lot everything is kind of sticky. I mean, we've

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<v Speaker 2>got hairspray. Of course, you don't need that now you're losing.

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<v Speaker 1>Your That's exactly right, that's exactly right.

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<v Speaker 2>You needed that day. Yeah, thanks a lot, you bet you.

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<v Speaker 2>We got shaving cream that's not really soapy, it's kind

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<v Speaker 2>of just sticky. It's kind of like a gel. Yep,

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<v Speaker 2>So we got all these things on toothpastes of a jail.

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<v Speaker 2>Everything's a gel. So the inside of the pipes get

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<v Speaker 2>a little sticky, and when we turn the water on,

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<v Speaker 2>or before we turn the water on, you start having

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<v Speaker 2>this odor from the bacteria. And so people will get

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<v Speaker 2>in there and they'll put drain cleaners in there and

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<v Speaker 2>different things like that. But we kind of started the odor.

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<v Speaker 2>So what's going on?

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<v Speaker 1>What is going on?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And a lot of cases people overlook one thing

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<v Speaker 2>and that is the overflow tube on the inside of

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<v Speaker 2>the vanity bowl. So in other words, if your drain

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<v Speaker 2>was not running very well and somebody left the water on,

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<v Speaker 2>which by the way, happened to me about thirty years

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<v Speaker 2>ago when the kids were home, and the water spills over, well,

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<v Speaker 2>that's because it wasn't able to take enough water down

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<v Speaker 2>during that overflow hole. But that's where the odor is

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<v Speaker 2>coming from. Everybody's concentrating on the drain and you should

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<v Speaker 2>ud but bathrooms are humid in a lot of cases,

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<v Speaker 2>that bacteria is being activated by moisture, and the odor

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<v Speaker 2>is actually it's in the drain, but it's also coming

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<v Speaker 2>up through uh the overflow tube. So the overflow tube

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<v Speaker 2>agains on the front side of the ball tom usually

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<v Speaker 2>about right where the right where your gut is on

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<v Speaker 2>the inside of that bowl. Get some either bleach or

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<v Speaker 2>dishwashing for the dishwasher, that soap, and just puts that

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<v Speaker 2>down there. It'll migrate down into the pipe and it

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<v Speaker 2>will also sanitize that overflow and I'll tell you, within

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<v Speaker 2>a day or so that odor will be gone. And

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<v Speaker 2>it's almost something that's going to be relatively a maintenance thing.

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<v Speaker 2>You get a little whiff of that. Just get just

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<v Speaker 2>get that. Uh, get that solved with the dishwashing.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, So if I if I hear you right, this

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<v Speaker 1>is not only you, you were making reference it for you.

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<v Speaker 1>It's in the bathroom where you shave the vanity, et cetera.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the same kind of thing. Because I noticed

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<v Speaker 1>yesterday around our house that it was the kitchen sink right,

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<v Speaker 1>the disposal. Right, So you're telling me this same thing

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<v Speaker 1>works for.

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<v Speaker 2>That, Well, I'll tell you what I would do. So

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<v Speaker 2>there's different products that will sanitize your disposal. Some of

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<v Speaker 2>them look like a big giant pill. It looks like

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<v Speaker 2>a hockey puck. You just put it in there, grind

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<v Speaker 2>it up, and it'll sanitize the inside of the disposal.

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<v Speaker 2>But if you're having that odor, throw some ice cubes

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<v Speaker 2>in there, threw a lemon in there, grind it up.

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<v Speaker 2>That'll clean the inside up pretty good. Okay, But where

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<v Speaker 2>the odors coming from on a disposal, Tommy, You that

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<v Speaker 2>a little black gasket that fits down in the drainkyp

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<v Speaker 2>pull that out, it just comes right out, sure, and

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<v Speaker 2>scrub the back of it with just some dish soap.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what happens when the food gets ground up, it

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<v Speaker 2>splashes on the back side of that gasket and that

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<v Speaker 2>bacteria starts growing. It creates an odor. So it's as

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<v Speaker 2>simple as just as cleaning that out, and it's pretty

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<v Speaker 2>simple to clean.

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<v Speaker 1>It's funny you bring that up because just experiencing that yesterday. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>another thing that you said bothering you about your house.

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<v Speaker 1>These days, you're getting gaps around the door and your

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<v Speaker 1>floors are squeaking. Let's take each of those in and

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<v Speaker 1>out by themselves.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, they're all related. Okay, they're all related, which makes

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<v Speaker 2>it really simple. And I don't know if you have that,

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<v Speaker 2>but if you got some crown molding and all of

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<v Speaker 2>a sudden you can see a gap between the crown

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<v Speaker 2>molding and the ceiling or baseboards, the baseboard to the wall,

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<v Speaker 2>there gets to be a little grap gap. And it's

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<v Speaker 2>especially this time of year or around the doors and

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<v Speaker 2>the floor squeaking. And the reason is your house is

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<v Speaker 2>drying out. It is cold out there. It's going to

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<v Speaker 2>be cold all weekend, and when it's really cold, humidity

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<v Speaker 2>gets very very low. When everybody checked their indoor humidity,

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<v Speaker 2>it should be between thirty and thirty five percent, you

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<v Speaker 2>probably are running. If you don't have a humidifier, you

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<v Speaker 2>very well could be running humidity around twenty twenty five percent.

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<v Speaker 2>It dries out the wood and it causes squeaks. It

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<v Speaker 2>causes squeaks. So now a really good thing for around

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<v Speaker 2>the gaps between the crown molding and the floor. This

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<v Speaker 2>is a perfect time to clock those. You can use

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<v Speaker 2>in acrylic, siliconized calcking good stretch ability. Because you go,

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<v Speaker 2>your house goes.

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<v Speaker 1>Here you go again, Gary, Here you go again, Here

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<v Speaker 1>you go again.

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<v Speaker 2>I told you talk about cruelty.

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<v Speaker 1>Again, here we go. I'm not down for me how

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<v Speaker 1>easy that is, because I'm sure it probably is.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not that different, okay, And if you don't want

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<v Speaker 2>to do it, it's okay. Just let's work on getting

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<v Speaker 2>the humidity level up to around thirty five percent in

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<v Speaker 2>your home. Maybe you get a umidifier in your furnace,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe you get a bedroom youmidifier. Again. Putting some moisture

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<v Speaker 2>in the air will alleviate some of these problems and

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<v Speaker 2>you'll feel better. Your nasal passages will feel a lot

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<v Speaker 2>better in the morning, and your skin's gonna feel better.

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<v Speaker 2>So getting that humidity up so you can see it

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<v Speaker 2>wherever there's organic material like wood, and you take the

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<v Speaker 2>moisture out because the air is very, very drier. Of course,

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<v Speaker 2>your wood floors are gonna squeak, right, and there's gonna

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<v Speaker 2>be gaps. Things are shrinking your houses literally breathing and

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<v Speaker 2>shrinking and expanding in contraction. So if you don't want

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<v Speaker 2>to get the calking out, even though you can siliconized

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<v Speaker 2>to crily calking, it's paintable, it's stretchable, and it will

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<v Speaker 2>do a great job of filling that up and it'll

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<v Speaker 2>close up real nice in the summer. As it stretches

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<v Speaker 2>next winter, you'll have that elasticity to cover that gap.

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<v Speaker 1>So this sounds like a stupid question, but you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not a bright guy on this stuff. Generally, when

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<v Speaker 1>the humidity comes back, as things warm up again, those

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<v Speaker 1>things take care of themselves.

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<v Speaker 2>By and large, they do, Okay, they really do. Yep.

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<v Speaker 2>They'll expand and fill out. But it's not very you know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's not very pretty in the winter time, and if

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<v Speaker 2>you want to stay on top of it, this is

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<v Speaker 2>a perfect time to fill those gaps.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, last thing I wanted to ask you about, and

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<v Speaker 1>and look I don't care if you have a house

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<v Speaker 1>it was built last year. It feels like this time

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<v Speaker 1>of year, when it gets this cold, you get anywhere

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<v Speaker 1>near a window, there seems to be a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a draftiness to it.

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<v Speaker 2>Is that fair? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>Okay? And what to do?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you know sometimes Toms, it's as basic as making

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<v Speaker 2>sure the window is locked. I know it sounds weird,

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<v Speaker 2>but if it's a casement window or a double hung window,

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<v Speaker 2>there's locks. You know. You got the two little locks

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<v Speaker 2>on the top of the slider of the double hung window.

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<v Speaker 2>Make sure they're locked because that pulls the two windows together.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'll tell you when people complain to me about

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<v Speaker 2>drafting windows and I tell them about checking to make

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<v Speaker 2>sure it's locked, I can't tell you how many times

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<v Speaker 2>they go, oh yeah, different, I bet. So that's one thing,

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<v Speaker 2>just double check. Another thing you can do is pull

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<v Speaker 2>the blinds down. That'll help, you know, alleviate a little bit.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the draft's still gonna come in, but it's not

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<v Speaker 2>gonna blow right on you, so pull the blinds down.

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<v Speaker 2>There is also I'm gonna go back to the calking thing.

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<v Speaker 2>A lot of people don't realize this product exists. There's

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<v Speaker 2>one called a draft stop, and I think one's called

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<v Speaker 2>peel away. It's a clear calking. You can literally calk

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<v Speaker 2>your windows closed. So where the two meet the frame,

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<v Speaker 2>or where the two panels meet each other, you can

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<v Speaker 2>put a bead of cocking there. Like the draft stop.

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<v Speaker 2>It's clear. It'll seal that draft come March. You can

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<v Speaker 2>just pick and peel that away.

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<v Speaker 1>Hmm. Okay, I got one more question, all right, and

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<v Speaker 1>this wasn't on our list as far as the flume

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<v Speaker 1>is concerned. Okay. In a fireplace, okay, right, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>really really cold, there has to be some air that's

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<v Speaker 1>coming down there if you leave it open, and it

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<v Speaker 1>probably it gets in even if you have it closed. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>But is there a rule of thumb about really should

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<v Speaker 1>I close it or can I just leave it open?

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<v Speaker 1>The difference?

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<v Speaker 2>Do you have a gas fireplace?

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, but then I turn off the gas and let

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<v Speaker 1>the wood burn?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I would, uh, First of all, when the fires burn,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, the flu stays open. Second or the four

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<v Speaker 2>it's everything's extinguished, everything is out. I'd give it a

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<v Speaker 2>half hour and i'd definitely close it, okay, because what

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<v Speaker 2>it is, it's like a metal plate that just kind

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<v Speaker 2>of you know, it's not like weather stripping and rubber

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<v Speaker 2>on it or anything. It's just a metal plate. But

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<v Speaker 2>it stops the draft. And as you turn a cooking

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<v Speaker 2>fan on the bathroom fan, guess where it's pulling the

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<v Speaker 2>air right down the chimney. Yep, yep, ok, yeah, make

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<v Speaker 2>sure that's cool.

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<v Speaker 1>My wife was all over my case yesterday about it.

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<v Speaker 2>Did you win or lose?

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<v Speaker 1>Why would you even ask me that?

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<v Speaker 2>I just thought, I mean, are you kidding that?

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<v Speaker 1>I just how long you've been marry Gary?

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<v Speaker 2>Fifty years?

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<v Speaker 1>Like, okay, you got me double. I hit twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>a month and a half ago.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's why I can ask those questions.

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<v Speaker 1>You've lost a lot more than I have.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh I've lost one.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, my friend, Thanks for your time. As always,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, I goes Gary Sullivan. You can hear him

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<v Speaker 1>over on fifty five KRC Saturdays and Sundays, nine to noon.

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<v Speaker 1>Danny Gleason produces his show that goes coast to coast

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<v Speaker 1>nearly three hundred stations across America.