Politics & Government

Des Plaines on YouTube: Liquid Plumber Commercial Stars Des Plaines Alderman

Does the thick stuff matter? Find out the answer.

You may know him as the Sixth Ward alderman in Des Plaines, and, more recently, as acting mayor, but many people are unaware Mark Walsten starred in one of the most popular television commercials of the 1990’s.

Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Walsten is seen here endorsing Liquid Plumber. Walsten worked as an actor on a variety of television and film productions during the 1980’s and 1990’s, he said, including extra roles in Code of Silence with Chuck Norris and Weird Science.

Walsten, while not a union plumber, ran a remodeling business in the 1980’s, he said, and currently operates a home inspection company. Walsten said the series of commercials, starring him and another actor, Dave Dykstra, received top ratings at the time they were first aired.

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“It was very effective, very realistic,” Walsten said. “It was the most successful breakout commercial in the history of Clorox, which owned Liquid Plumber at the time.”

After watching the Liquid Plumber commercials, and asking Walsten if it was true the thicker viscosity made a difference, he chuckled.

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“That’s what they told us it was at the time,” Walsten said.


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