Home Maintenance Myths You will Wish You Knew Sooner

There are and always will be myths in every aspect of life. A place where one would not think there would be any, though, is home maintenance. Yet, here you are, about to read about home maintenance myths which tells you just how much life can surprise you. But you should read on as many times when you tell your friends that you will do one or another form of home maintenance, you will get spammed with advice on what to do, and many of the things you hear will probably be only things they heard themselves and never put to the test. One of those pieces of advice could very well be one of those myths which you should neglect. Here are some of them.

• You can test your smoke detector by the push of a button.
People will go out of their way to make their lives easier. They will even try and save a simple minute of testing a smoke alarm just by pushing the button of the detector and nodding affirmatively that their smoke detectors work perfectly. Actually, the only thing that pushing that button does is assure you that the smoke detector’s audible system works, and not that the actual sensor is functioning. Testing the sensor requires you to blow a little smoke into the detector and wait for results. You should do this at least once a month and change the batteries of the detector twice a year.

• Stone countertops are perfect for the kitchen.
Yes, you can see why one could think that. Stone is difficult to bend and scratch and a stone countertop will last longer than any wooden or plastic one, for sure. But longevity and resistance to scratches does not mean indestructible and definitely not perfect. Countertops should be maintained and protected just the same whether they are stone, wood, or plastic. If you place a hot pan on your stone countertop, it will eventually reshape and will cause dents or depressions that will ruin your perfect smooth surface. Vinegar’s acidic properties can cause plenty of scratching on stone countertops and could leave nasty and dangerous holes.

• It does not matter which way ceiling fans turn.
There is a reason why ceiling fans turn both ways – and yes, they turn both ways. Some people seem to think that they turn only one way, and will keep repeating it until somebody points out the obvious flaw in their thinking. When turning one way, the fan pushes the air down – this is the summer mode, when you want all the cool air to blow at you. The other rotation draws the air up – this is winter mode, used to take as much as it can from the cold air. If you are not sure how to turn the rotation, check your ceiling fan’s manual.

• Minimal maintenance works for everything.
This is the best of the myths; it suits everybody who is too lazy to actually do some maintenance around the house.  Of course, its fallibility lies within the very statement. The definition of maintenance is regular checking and refreshing, and what is regular about dealing with something as little as possible? If you want to maintain your home, you take your time for everything and do not just leave it at the mercy of time, trusting that will go wrong because, after all, you did touch it once or twice in the last few weeks, right?

Do not simply trust what people tell you and actually do the work required. Work for the safety and cleanliness of your home and if that requires doing monthly spring cleanings, then do it.