What detergents should I use if I have a septic tank?

A useful guide for those who are at sea when it comes to cleaning up their act.

When spending RM1.8 million is no longer cool

It was reported that Air Keroh Community Polyclinic in Melaka would need to replace its fungus-infested air-conditioning system to the tune of RM1.8 million.

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai told Bernama that ‘damage to the system’s temperature control unit had led to high moisturization that caused fungus to grow’.

He complained: ‘That is why I have always stressed that maintenance is very important. If there is no proper maintenance these things will happen. When the fungus attack becomes too big it gets out of control. So we have to change the whole system.’

The Minister dismissed the possibility of a flaw in the design of the polyclinic as being the cause. But will negligence go unpunished?

This polyclinic case is similar to that of the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baharu in September 2004 that caused the RM557.8 million hospital to be closed temporarily.

Another big chunk of taxpayers’ money being dumped into the drain, and another mistake of the past sadly repeated.

Flushing out our soiled image

There’s good news for ordinary Malaysians who are concerned with the country’s image, especially at the international level. Something that ought to bowl them over.

The Quality Restroom Association of Malaysia (QRAM) will hold the National Toilet Expo and Forum (Natef) in Seremban in November, reports Bernama today.

Natef, organised by QRAM since 2006, is one of the initiatives towards improving and upgrading the quality of toilets and restrooms in the country, especially at petrol stations, airports, restaurants, railway stations and bus terminals.

“One of our main objectives to organise Natef is to create and promote public awareness on the importance of maintaining quality and clean toilets for healthier life in Malaysia,” Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew told a news conference here Friday.

It’s common knowledge that many of our public toilets stink to high heavens. This is partly due to lack of adequate maintenance service and also the attitude of some members of the general public who tend to treat these toilets as if they are sewerage tanks.

We certainly can’t afford to have these people smearing the good name of the country in this manner, which is in line with the aspiration of the deputy minister who quipped, “Visitors will judge our country and how our country runs by the quality of the toilets that we provide them.”

Be that as it may, such an expo and forum on toilets should also attract some politicians who of late have displayed enormous energy at mouthing foul language and inanity, which at the same time stain the country’s image.

A visit to the expo should be made a ‘must’ particularly to those politicians who have been afflicted with verbal diarrhoea.

Housekeeping tips

Photo courtesy of Abalder

 

It’s that time of the year when it is advisable to air the mattress and later, to turn it over. This is to ensure that lice are uncovered and other prickly bedbugs are crushed. Stubborn stains, if any, are best treated in an open public space under a glaring sun.