Home improvement myths debunked

There are all sorts of energy-saving techniques, cleaning hacks, and other home maintenance and home improvement tips out there. Unfortunately, many of them are simply myths. Here are some of the common myths many of which you may have heard before.

Solar panels only work in warm, sunny climates

While it’s true that solar panels are the most efficient in warm and sunny climates, they can still absorb UV rays on cloudy days as well. The rainiest, cloudiest climates may not be a good fit for solar panels but you don’t have to live in Phoenix, either, to consider installing solar panels.

Better to keep the heat on low all day

You may have heard before that it’s better to leave your heating system on low all day rather than cranking it up when you need it and turning it off when you don’t. The opposite is actually true. That’s because all homes lose a little heat throughout the day. If your heat is always on, even when no one’s home, you’re paying to heat up the outdoors and not benefiting from the heat in your home. Some homeowners will just heat individual rooms as needed with baseboard heaters.

Painted baseboard radiators are more effective

Many people assume that since darker colors are better at absorbing heat, baseboard heaters painted with in a dark color will be more effective at heating a room. In actuality, painting a baseboard radiator can actually lessen its efficiency since it insulates it and baseboard heaters work through convective heat. Instead of painting your baseboard radiators, you can install baseboard radiator covers and paint those instead.

Water the grass in the evening

It’s common knowledge that you don’t want to water the grass in the heat of the day when much of the water will evaporate before the grass can absorb the moisture. But the evening hours aren’t ideal either since it’s more likely to lead to mold or fungi problems. Instead water in the morning so the grass can absorb what it needs and any excess evaporates in the heat.

Coffee grounds can unclog a sink

An old wives’ tale encourages people to pour coffee grounds down the sink each day to keep pipes from getting clogged up. Any plumber will tell you that this is terrible advice. Coffee grounds actually lead to more drain clogs than virtually anything else. Over time coffee grounds can build up in the pipes causing a severe blockage that only a professional plumber can take care of.

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