c/general-home-advice

Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop using dish soap on my pressure washer

I was cleaning my deck last week and kept getting weak suds, then a contractor friend in Cincinnati saw my setup and said I was clogging the injector with regular Dawn. He showed me how to use the specific low-suds soap for my Simpson model, and the difference was like night and day... has anyone else made this simple mistake with their gear?

TIL a frozen bag of peas is the best way to find a stud when you lose your detector

After my stud finder vanished into the void of my garage, I pressed a frozen bag of peas against the wall and the cold spot showed exactly where the wood was, which my buddy in Denver said was the dumbest genius thing he's ever seen.

Remembering the week my dad taught me to fix a leaky faucet

It was spring break when I was maybe 14, and our kitchen faucet started dripping non-stop. My dad, who usually just called a plumber, decided we should fix it ourselves. We spent a whole afternoon at the hardware store in Spokane getting the right washers and a cheap basin wrench. Back home, we turned off the water under the sink and took the whole thing apart, with him explaining each step. I remember the feeling when we put it back together, turned the water on, and the drip was gone. That was over twenty years ago, but I still use that same basin wrench for small jobs. It makes me think, do you have an old tool from a family member that you still use for home fixes?

My water heater was set to 140F for years until my plumber buddy in Denver asked why my electric bill was so high.

He showed me how dropping it to 120F saves a ton of money and is just as safe. Anyone else run their water way too hot without knowing?

Just realized my whole plan for fixing a squeaky floor was wrong

Last week, I tried to fix a squeaky spot in my living room by driving 3-inch screws down through the carpet, which everyone online says is the right move. It just made the squeak louder and now I've got a weird lump under the rug. Why do we all just accept that as the best fix when it can make things worse?

The choice between a tankless and a standard water heater for my house

When my old water heater gave out, I had to pick between a new standard 50-gallon tank or a tankless unit. The tankless was about $800 more upfront, but the sales pitch was about endless hot water and lower gas bills. I went with the tankless, a specific model called the Rinnai RU199iN. The install took two full days because they had to run new venting and a bigger gas line. It's been six months, and I do like the constant hot water for back-to-back showers. But my gas bill has only gone down about $15 a month, so the payback will take a while. Has anyone else done this switch and seen bigger savings, or did I just get sold on the idea?

I was at a friend's house in Boise and saw them use a toothbrush to clean their window tracks.

Remembering how my dad used to fix a squeaky floor with a single nail, but my attempt to silence one in my 1950s bungalow turned into a three-week project of pulling up boards and shimming joists.

What started as a simple squeak under the bedroom rug ended with me discovering a section of subfloor that had separated from the joist by nearly an inch, a problem that took three weekends and a borrowed rotary tool to properly shim and secure without damaging the original hardwood.

Finally picked a paint color for the living room after staring at samples for a month

I was stuck between two shades of gray for weeks, 'Repose Gray' and 'Agreeable Gray' from the same brand. They looked so similar on the little cards. I ended up buying a small can of each and painting big squares on two different walls. After living with them for a full week, I went with Repose. It just felt a bit warmer in the afternoon light. The painter started yesterday and it already looks way better than the old beige. Anyone have a good trick for picking a trim color to go with a light gray like this?

Tbh, I thought those magnetic vent covers were a total gimmick until my heating bill dropped $30 last winter.

My buddy in Denver swore by them for years, but I finally tried them on the three vents behind my couch and TV stand. Honestly, the difference in room temp was immediate and my furnace stopped cycling on every ten minutes. Anyone have a good method for figuring out which vents to actually block without messing up the system?

Tried the vinegar and baking soda drain trick and my kitchen sink is worse now

I saw a bunch of videos saying to pour 1 cup of baking soda and 2 cups of vinegar down a slow drain. Did it in my kitchen sink in my apartment last night, and now it's completely clogged. The fizzing just pushed all the gunk further down and it won't drain at all. Anyone know a real fix for this mess, or do I have to call a plumber?

My dad told me to put a bowl of water in the microwave when reheating pizza

He said it for years and I always thought it was silly, but my leftover slices kept coming out tough. Last night I tried it with a cup of water next to the plate for 45 seconds. The crust was actually soft and the cheese melted perfectly instead of turning to rubber. I guess he knew what he was talking about after all. What other old kitchen tricks actually work like this?

Rant: My bathroom vent fan took 4 hours to replace because the old housing was glued in with construction adhesive.

I had to cut it out piece by piece with a multi-tool and a pry bar, and the whole thing was covered in decades of dust. Anyone have a better method for dealing with that kind of stuck-in-place old housing?

Hot take: I replaced my smart thermostat with a basic dial model after it locked me out of my own heat for a weekend.

Read a report that changed how I see attic insulation

I was looking through some old energy audit papers for my house in Tacoma and found a note about attic insulation. It said that adding just 6 inches of blown-in cellulose can cut heating bills by up to 20% in our climate. I always thought you needed a foot or more to see real savings. This was from a local utility's guidebook from 2019. It made me check my own attic, and sure enough, I'm way under that in a few spots. Has anyone else had a similar surprise from an old home report?

My garbage disposal quit right before a dinner party last night

I had to fish out a lemon wedge by hand while my guests were arriving. What's the dumbest thing that's ever jammed yours?

I finally tried the 'soak your showerhead in vinegar' trick from a 5-year-old YouTube video and it actually worked.

After three years of weak water pressure, a 24-hour soak in a bag of white vinegar cleared out the mineral buildup completely, so has anyone else found a good way to keep it from clogging again?

My plumber said I was crazy for using a shop vac on a slow drain

He told me to just use chemicals, but a quick $20 rental cleared a 2-year clog in my kitchen sink in five minutes. Anyone have a better fix for hair in bathroom drains?

Can anyone recommend a good motorized ceiling lift?

We just moved into a new place and the garage has high ceilings but limited floor space. I want to add some overhead storage but I absolutely hate ladders. Can anyone recommend a high-quality motorized lift system?