True trash-tier software and hardware. Last year I was having trouble with frequently dropped packets from my office computer. I thought it was a Spectrum issue until I tore everything out and started testing all my ports (modem, router, wall ports, etc). I FINALLY narrowed it down to the relatively new TP-Link dumb router I bought. I threw that piece of trash in the garbage.

Never again.

I played this game for Christmas with my parents! For fun, they offered me $10 or a scratch-off. For the heck of it, I took the scratch-off and won $40. With the way my luck went last month, I’d have to pick the lottery ticket.

So, with just one sink, I was doing this maybe once every few months, so maybe 3-4 times a year per sink. Now that I have family staying with me, I have to do this 3-4 times a year per sink. Not bad, but if there’s something I can buy or do to get my time back, I’ll take it.

As far as I know, nothing out of the ordinary is causing the blockage. It’s some combination of hair, soap scum, and toothpaste. It usually all accumulates on the stopper before it even gets to the P-trap.

It’s definitely not a quality brand for sure. The blinds themselves are a pretty cheap paper-like material and tear very easily. I would very much appreciate the metal ones instead.

Not sure why, but ordering online is something I hadn’t even considered. Thanks for the suggestion!

I am not sure if that is what you meant by exercising the tension mechanism

Yep, that’s what I meant. I’ve tried pulling them out perpendicular, at a 45 degree angle, gently tugging on them (as recommended by countless YouTube videos), and even taking it down and pulling the strings myself to try and jumpstart the tension mechanism. No dice.

I have $7 blinds from Menard’s, so I am not talking expensive or nice by any means

I’m thinking maybe I just bought a bad lot. I bought all of these blinds all at once except for one. The original blinds I bought are starting to fail. The one odd blind I bought a bit later than the rest is still going strong. Same brand although it is made slightly different than the others. Thanks for the info though - I’ll try store brand again and hope for better luck!