You Could Be Wrecking Your Home — And Not Know It (Yet)
Source: HouseLogic
First-time homeowners often make these 9 common — and avoidable — mistakes. Don’t be one of them.
You haven’t felt like this since you were a teenager. You have a crush on your new house. (You’re officially a home buyer — wait — owner!)
It’s soooooo great. You love its quirks. It’s your very first home, and you want to do everything right.
The feeling is fun, but also scary: You remember too well how badly you screwed up that first crush as a teenager (so embarrassing. Don’t ask).
Could you screw this up too?
No need to freak out. You can make this love a lasting one. For now, keep an eye out for these common no-nos that can result from good intentions.
#1 Using Bleach as a Cure-All
If bleach is your chicken soup for whatever ails your home, proceed with caution.
Bleach can:
- Eat through the sealant on stone surfaces like granite
- Discolor laminate and colored grout
- Fade enamel and acrylic tubs
- Dissolve vinyl and linseed-based flooring like linoleum
- Corrode seals within the disposal
In addition, bleach kills mold on non-porous surfaces, but can feed future mold growth on absorbent and porous materials, like grout. Yep, whitening grout with bleach creates a mold feeding ground. Whoops.
Better options? Water and vinegar are all you need for most cleaning jobs. If you’ve got a heftier mold or mildew issue, apply a commercial anti-fungal product.
And to clean your disposal, just dump cold water and ice cubes down the hatch.
Leave a Reply