Episode 1566
Debunking Popular Home Improvement Myths
There are so many things around the internet and even on social media groups that are myths filled with bad information around your house. Today we tackle those and get you the real facts. What works... and what doesn't!
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Mentioned in this episode:
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Baldwin Hardware
Transcript
[00:00:20] Eric Goranson: Now the next thing is if you have mold in your home, and if you grab that bottle of bleach, put it away, especially. On a porous surface like wood, drywall, anything like that, because guess what? It doesn't work. All you're doing is taking that black, dark orange, whatever mold, mildew, and what it's doing is on the topical surface There you might, when it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is a lot to know that we got you coming.
[:[00:01:11] Eric Goranson: And these are the things that maybe your father told you, your grandfather, your grandmother, or it's just something you figured out on the internet. And are just wrong. So we're gonna have some fun today. And by the way, this episode is brought to you by Root Quencher and root quencher.com. If you've got trees, shrubs, bushes, and you're wasting water when you're watering 'em, or you want to cut it back, check out root quencher.com.
[:[00:01:52] Eric Goranson: The first one on our list today is gonna be a little bit of a controversial one, but it's true, and you probably heard me talk about it before, but I could not put it on the [00:02:00] list today. And this is pre rinsing your dishes before the dishwasher. And the thing is, is when you do that, if you've got a dishwasher and you're pre rinsing those things running under the sink.
[:[00:02:34] Eric Goranson: You know, if you buy a dishwasher these days under about 500 bucks. Uh, I tell you what, uh, a low quality dishwasher is a low quality dishwasher, and that's just what it is. And we'll talk about that a little bit later. But if you have a decent, properly working dishwasher, there is no need to pre rinse those.
[:[00:03:13] Eric Goranson: And of course, don't pre rinse those dishes. Now, here's one of the biggest, and probably my pet peeve that I see out there. If they sell it in a home improvement store, it has to meet building code, right? That is no, and for a couple of reasons, one. Home Depot, Lowe's, any of these large, big box stores have no idea what the building code is in your state or your area.
[:[00:04:05] Eric Goranson: So here's the thing, any of those corrugated flex drain things, even if they have designed them somehow to get around a loophole and building code, I strongly advise to do the project right and get things aligned. And don't buy them because you're gonna end up throwing it away when somebody comes out to fix it, because that's always plugging up.
[:[00:04:52] Eric Goranson: And I say that because. Every state is different. You know, Washington, Oregon, a lot of these states were around me here, you have to have that [00:05:00] vented outside. If you pull a building permit, they will force you to run that outside, whether you have a window or not. They will make sure that exists, exhausts outside.
[:[00:05:37] Eric Goranson: Those only last a few years and are one of the top leading causes of water damage in your home. So if you've got a washer and dryer in your house, go take a look. Look behind that washing machine right now, and if you see that rubber hose, and if you have not, You know, the water infill, so that's the hot and cold water coming in.
[:[00:06:16] Eric Goranson: You can get into, um, you know, you'll see, uh, in, you'll see a chandelier hanging over the bathtub in a picture. Guess what? You can't put that if you can touch it. There's, uh, certain rules that you have like that. So again, these are those home improvement myths. Just because they sell it at the, uh, home center does not need.
[:[00:06:51] Eric Goranson: We've got some other pieces of this we'll talk about a little bit later in the show, but this is one of the big one. Now, here is one of the ones [00:07:00] that. At the home centers, that is big. You know when you walk into the home center and you see the toilets, you've got the $99 one, you got the $280 one. You need to keep in mind that those toilets, there are kind of the low end of the industry.
[:[00:07:37] Eric Goranson: And, uh, there's a lot of the house brand ones that you walk into the store that, uh, whatever home center has, uh, I don't recommend those for a number of reasons, only because you get what you pay for when it comes to the toilet. And so, This is where I want to touch on. Old toilets are better than new toilets.
[:[00:08:18] Eric Goranson: Those work so much better than the old toilets. Now, that is one of the ones that I want you to make sure and take a look at because to get a good toilet, you get what you pay for and you want to get something that's gonna last. And here's some of the things they don't plug up as much. A good toilet when you buy them has the porcelain that goes all the way down through the trap.
[:[00:09:03] Eric Goranson: Where it's almost like a non-stick surface that's on top of the porcelain that is key to having a great working toilet. And that means right there that you're gonna have something that's going to clog less easier to clean some of these new toilets. You only have to go in there and really clean it once a month to get things that are stuck to it versus, you know, having to go in there weekly.
[:[00:09:39] Eric Goranson: Why
[:[00:10:09] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to The Round The House Show where we help you get the most outta your home through m. Information and education. Hey, if you're looking for YouTube videos, if you really wanna see what I've been doing on the television show, head over to the K ptv Fox 12 YouTube page and look at the around the house playlist.
[:[00:10:49] Eric Goranson: All of these areas of made in u s A stuff we just did, uh, last week we did roofing shingles. How are roofing shingles made? It's all over there. On that page, we've been talking about home [00:11:00] improvement myths of your home, and I wanted to touch on cleaning a little bit, and this is, this is some big ones here that, that I really want to talk about when you are cleaning bleach is, Something you see being used to clean things and disinfect, but bleach will also damage things.
[:[00:11:47] Eric Goranson: Mold and mildew, you have now made a grip surface for it to snag and you have now ruined that surface. So if you've got a toilet that's hard to clean, and the only way that you can actually clean that toilet like we were talking about in the last segment, [00:12:00] is to put bleach in it. It is time to get a new toilet because that is one that you have damaged with that bleach.
[:[00:12:40] Eric Goranson: Then many times with the toxic molds, it's think you're attacking it because you are. And it releases all these microtoxins into the air, which means it's even getting worse. So you've now released those, which means it's more likely to spread. And then third, the bleach doesn't kill all of it's the water that's in the bleach, cuz bleach is mostly water [00:13:00] that is now feeding the mold so it comes back even stronger.
[:[00:13:25] Eric Goranson: If you wanna use something that's more natural and bleach is horrible in the environment anyway, go for some hydrogen peroxide, get some of that. That'll work well, and there's a ton of other great. Uh, mold killers and preventers out there. Now, if you've got an area that has a ton of, of mold in it, one, maybe you bring in a professional and make sure you stopped what's going on there with ventilation or stopping the water or whatever you're doing.
[:[00:14:17] Eric Goranson: And that'll last for about five years. So, uh, be very careful with your cleaning cuz bleach will probably do more damage than good. You know, the bleach that's in the toilet bowl cleaners, it's so diluted. It's not that big a deal. But, uh, anything like that, that can etch is a big deal. And then the next myth is Magic eraser.
[:[00:15:05] Eric Goranson: It was cleaning off all the marks because the kids were beating the cabinets up and the most of the damage was done When that magic eraser sanded the finish off. From week after week after week. Now, if you've got something like you've got water spots on glass or something like that you're trying to do, I guess that's one thing, but just think of that Magic Eraser is what it is.
[:[00:15:46] Eric Goranson: That is a good one. Magic eraser. Use it very carefully. Do not use it on anything with a wood painted finish or anything like that. You know, if you're using it on a glass cooktop or something like that, maybe that's a great use for it or a laminate countertop. But keep in [00:16:00] mind, all of those things can be scratched.
[:[00:16:23] Eric Goranson: So it's great for taking off the stuff off the bottom of a cooking pan that's built up, you know, something that you're not concerned about, but anything with a clear protective coat like a faucet. Or anything like that. Any of these abrasive cleaners are meant for areas like, you know, a cooking pan or something like that.
[:[00:17:09] Eric Goranson: Just because your water is coming from your municipality doesn't mean that your drinking water is actually safe to drink. And this is where I wanna see lab tests done on your drinking water from time to time to make sure that you've got things great. And there are things that you can do because maybe you've got an old, especially an older home.
[:[00:17:45] Eric Goranson: And all of a sudden you've got a little nipple out there that goes between a valve and another fitting that is sending rust and all that iron into your system. And so then you want to figure out what's going on. But a little bit of maintenance. It goes a long way with that. [00:18:00] So watch your water. And then here's one other tip too, make sure while we're talking about that, if you're gonna do a remodel and you've got some big projects and you have hard water, always deal with the hard water first.
[:[00:19:10] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to The Round The House Show. This is where we help you get the most outta your home through information and education. Hey, if you wanna find out more about the show, head over to around the house online.com. And you can find about there. And it of course Facebook. We have our closed group, which is around the House Nation.
[:[00:19:55] Eric Goranson: And it's a very big emotional issue. There are people that say [00:20:00] that gas ranges in your home are so much more unhealthy than an electric range in your home. And really if you look at a range that's not working and it's leaking gas, sure. That can happen. You can also have an electrical short in your electric ranges that could electrocute you.
[:[00:20:50] Eric Goranson: So if you're concerned about it, that's a great way to knock it out. But here's the thing, if you look at ranges, the biggest pollution coming from a range is what [00:21:00] you are cooking. Not the little bit of gas that you're burning inside the house. And so I don't care if you've got an electric range sitting next to a gas range, next to an induction range, electric induction range, you still have steam, VOCs, formaldehydes, and a ton of nasty chemicals coming at the top of that, and it's gonna be all very similar coming out of those.
[:[00:21:57] Eric Goranson: This is actually about having a healthy home [00:22:00] inside your home and making sure that you're doing the right thing. So I don't care if you've got a gas range or an electric induction range. All those are great. I have a gas range at my house. And if I could get an ELE electric induction range right now, I would probably change over to it cuz it's a more efficient use.
[:[00:22:38] Eric Goranson: Circling Van Hoods are not it. We talked about that earlier in the show and that you use it. That is the big part of that thing. If you turn the burner on, you should turn the fan on though. If you're boiling water, you should have the fan on high. If you've got meat or something like that that you're cooking, that should be on medium to high.
[:[00:23:18] Eric Goranson: What's makeup air? That's when you have that, uh, that fin hood. And when you turn it on, it actually turns on your heating and cooling system. And allows air to come back. Because if you think about it, if you've got an 800 c FM hood, that's 800 cubic feet per minute, that's 800 basketballs in air of air leaving the house at once.
[:[00:23:56] Eric Goranson: Ranges are just as [00:24:00] dangerous as an electric range. You just need to maintain it just like you would if you maintain it and use your hood. There really isn't a health issue that's different between a regular coil electric range and that you just have to use your hood correctly. And if you're operating it like you should be.
[:[00:24:39] Eric Goranson: They're not. Many times if I go jump on and I walk into my local Ferguson store, let's say and and grab a toilet. From a major American made name brand, PL player, and I'm, I'm specifically not talking about branch here cuz this is not what this is about, [00:25:00] but this is about what you see compared to the home center.
[:[00:25:29] Eric Goranson: It has the same name, but a different part number. Now I've seen it where it has the same name and the same part number. But the boxes are different. Like one is in a, uh, more cardboard esque box, and the other one is in more of a retail box with pictures and instructions and stuff on the outside, stuff you wouldn't see on a normal plumbing box.
[:[00:26:09] Eric Goranson: And you go, eh, that's not, so, that's not a hundred percent, but it's 95% or maybe 90%, maybe even 85%. Those are the B models. Versus the A. The B models will function just beautifully, but it might have a little divot in a weird spot, or it might not be perfect. That goes to the home centers because the home centers negotiate those prices with those major plumbing people to carry in there, and those people want to have, you know, the the Kohlers or the American standards or the.
[:[00:27:04] Eric Goranson: Now the other thing you'll see is in faucets, and I've seen this too, you go buy a a, a faucet. You grab the same name and you go, wow, different packages. Interesting. Maybe a slightly different model number or the same model number. I've seen it both ways. Unbox 'em, you look at it and go, wow, this one has braided hoses that come down outta the bottom of it, out of a kitchen faucet, let's say.
[:[00:27:54] Eric Goranson: Because the home center really when it comes down to it, is more of an entry level place to find. [00:28:00] Plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, and all of those things, windows and doors. That's kind of the entry level stuff you see out there because they wanna be price competitive for homeowners, which is okay, but it's not, especially when it gets into tile and things like that.
[:[00:29:06] Eric Goranson: Welcome to The Round the House Show. This is where we hope to get the most outta your home through information and education. Thanks for joining us today. We've been talking about home center myths and myths about your home. Really. We've been talking to home center myths over the last segment here, but really, Myths about things around your home.
[:[00:29:56] Eric Goranson: And you know something, a lot of the lumber. [00:30:00] Is graded and you can start to see what the difference is. So great example. I do a lot of my local business here through Conrad Lumber, which is a little local lumberyard up the street from me. The guys are awesome. They get a lot of my business for exterior wood.
[:[00:30:39] Eric Goranson: Nothing wrong with those guys, but the number that I got from them, it was about $10 a sheet more than from my local Lowe's store who had it on the shelf as well. So I saved a boatload by going over to Lowe's and getting it. And that is [00:31:00] interesting because right now the lumber yards are really trying to compete with the, with the home centers because they're trying to get the business of contractors out there.
[:[00:31:29] Eric Goranson: You get apples to apples. But many times if you had a premium that was sitting there at a home center and premium at a lumberyard, here's the differences. Many lumberyards don't keep that stuff indoors with air conditioning. What's it doing? It is sucking the moisture outta that wood. It is forced drying it in there by just pulling the wa, the water outta that wood because it's summertime.
[:[00:32:24] Eric Goranson: Everybody goes through it looks like they're trying to build a curio cabinet with it, even though they're framing, they want the cleanest, straightest, low knot, perfect piece. So if you walk in there and half that unit has been gone out. Now here's the other thing. Home centers are really about not throwing stuff away many times.
[:[00:33:04] Eric Goranson: It's probably shown up as junk as somebody's pulling it off that way. But if you're sitting there and you walk in and grab it off a new unit, you're gonna be okay. But many times the reason is the lumberyard has theirs sitting outside and it's acclimated to what's going on there. So you have straighter lumber because it hasn't been, suck the moisture out and then it shows up out at, at your rainy job site and it's all moving around cause it's been all over the place.
[:[00:33:56] Eric Goranson: That you can be really careful with. But yes, [00:34:00] many times the plywood at the home center, if you look at the grading on it, should be the same. And it might even come from the same place, is what the plywood from your other location is that you're looking at, which is your local lumberyard. So I'm not saying you shouldn't do business with your local lumber yard, quite frankly, I would prefer it.
[:[00:34:37] Eric Goranson: And so you get left with a bunch of junk when they haven't had a chance to work with it. So that's the key right there. Now one more here. I wanted to talk about, uh, the myths that you can save some really good money buying. Home improvement products online, and yes, that is somewhat true. I have bought wire online and saved a ton of money [00:35:00] over my home centers because home centers is getting so much ripped off that they've raised those prices.
[:[00:35:27] Eric Goranson: You know, just name a brand, you know, one of the major, you know Hans Growy, growy name it. You jump online to somebody other than a, a build or a Ferguson or something like that, somebody that's not a brick and mortar retailer. Here's the problem. I could sit there and walk into Home Depot and buy a Kohler faucet off the shelf.
[:[00:36:18] Eric Goranson: And where you see it is in faucet valves because you know, if you're designing out a custom shower, you need a bunch of different pieces, maybe a valve extension, you need all these little pieces. And so many times a homeowner will come in and go, Hey, I just ordered this stuff online and I need this piece, but it doesn't fit.
[:[00:36:53] Eric Goranson: I wanted to talk about that. Uh, front load washing machines are moldy and top load machines are [00:37:00] better. Yes. If you bought a 20 year old front load washing machine that, uh, uses about 15 gallons of water versus your 50 gallon one. That's one thing. Uh, all the new ones that I've seen, there might be one out there that doesn't.
[:[00:37:34] Eric Goranson: If you have a black shirt, and you know me, I have plenty of black shirts. I have some that I have washed every week, probably for years, and they still have a lot of color. And how you can tell is run a load of towels through a top load machine with an agitator and run a same one through the front load.
[:[00:38:11] Eric Goranson: So don't be afraid of the front load washing machine. I have been a user of one for about 20 plus years now, and, uh, I don't regret any minute. I am, I do not like working with the, uh, top load machines. And the other thing is, is you can actually go through and steam clean that, or the, especially ones that have the steam function, it's so much healthier than the top load machines that get that moldy ring of all your oils that settle at the top.
[:[00:39:01] Eric Goranson: A, uh, water savings and cleaner clothes that last a lot longer. All right, everybody, we got a great interview coming up here. Next we're gonna be talking with spray foam genie about spray foam and about how that works. All that coming up in hour number two of around the house. Thanks for tuning in around the house.
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