Being a homeowner comes with a lot of responsibility. But, there are steps that one can take to ensure their inner sanctum is protected and stays in one piece. While people might believe they are taking significant steps towards caring for their homes, the reality is different. There are a lot of so-called “cleaning hacks” and “home improvement hacks" that are doing more bad than good to your house. Not only that, some of these tips and tricks can cause extensive your health and your house. So, here are some terrible home care habits that might be ruining your home and things you can do instead. Trust us: your home will thank you!

Nothing is more annoying than cleaning the grout lines in your ceramic tile shower. However, it is one of those things that just needs to be done. Grout is porous and soaks up dirt and grime like a sponge.  That said, it doesn’t take long for grout lines to look discolored and fill with smut. People often use cleaning solutions like toilet bowl cleaners to protect grout lines to preserve grout lines. But, this should be avoided because these cleaners may corrode the grout and damage the surface. That would cause even more significant problems than dirty grout!

A basic rule of thumb is that wood floors and water do not go well together. Similar to grout, wood is a porous material that absorbs moisture. So, water that gets onto your wood floors can seep through the surface and damage your foundation on the inside.  The most common cause of water seeping into hardwood floors is people walking with bare, wet feet after a shower or a bath. To prevent any trouble and ensure your floors are at their best, all you need to do is make sure you’re all dry, especially when it comes to your feet after you shower or bath. This is easy as pie!

Just like any other kitchen appliance, dishwashers require maintenance and cleaning every once in a while. Cleaning your dishwasher means doing more than running an empty cycle. Regularly cleaning your dishwasher drain will ensure clean dishes and that your dishwasher performs at its best.  Dishwasher drains have filters that catch food, soap, scum, and other buildups. They also prevent clogs. However, the clogs cannot be completely precluded unless you occasionally clean the filter. So, it is best to ensure you don’t forget to clean your dishwasher’s drain and filter! 

If you live in an area prone to storms, or even if your trees just have incredibly long branches that are close to your home, it is best to trim those branches. This will prevent branches from breaking off in high wind or hot weather conditions. Long and weak tree branches pose a significant risk to the people and structures around them. There is a chance that people can be injured by falling tree branches, and these branches are powerful enough to damage their homes. Therefore, tree trimming is essential, so trees don’t grow to look unbalanced and distorted.

Summertime and barbeques go hand in hand. With that being said, many love to pull out their grill and prepare delectable dishes like hot dogs, burgers, skewers, and more right in the comfort of their backyards.  However, many do not realize that they need to be careful about how close their grill is to their house. A grill working too close to a structure could potentially cause a fire. Every year, thousands of fires are started this way, so the best course of action is to move your grill away to prevent it.

When moving into a new home especially, people love to decorate. Not only does decor make their home unique, but it spruces up the place and prevents it from looking dull. Some examples of decor are pictures, bulletin boards, mirrors, and light fixtures.  People who don’t know any better will just hammer a nail into a wall. But those who are aware will use a stud finder to ensure that they are beating the nail into the right part of the wall. Using a stud finder is an excellent way to avoid drilling into sheetrock and save your walls altogether. The more you know!

Hardwood floors can be fragile, but they are a mainstay in most homes and an investment worth protecting. There is no denying that most rooms with hardwood floors get furnished, and with heavy furniture comes potential dangers. This includes the possibility of scratches or dents.  But, there is an effortless way to prevent this. All you need to do is place furniture pads on the bottom of the furniture legs. This way, furniture will glide across the floor instead of scratching and digging into it.

A fireplace in your home is usually a plus, especially in colder climates. But, they require added responsibility to take care of the fireplace itself and the chimney that comes with it. But, just as long as you regularly clean your fireplace and chimney, there shouldn’t be a problem.  Fireplace and chimney cleanings and inspections are essential to the air quality of your home. But, if you don’t keep up with this, you might have to deal with fireplace pollution and foul odors. Yikes!

Flower beds and mulch-based landscaping are an attractive addition to any front or back yard. But, they come with many potential problems when it comes to the structure of your home. Mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of the soil.  It's known for conserving soil moisture, reducing the growth of weeds, and keeping greenery pretty. However, planting it too close to your home's foundation could attract termites and other pests. Termites, in particular, could eat away at your house’s foundation.

Not only do clean floors and counters make a house look that much better, but they also make any house that much safer for people to inhabit. In addition, it is essential to clean your floors and counters accurately for the sake of the surfaces themselves. A common misconception when cleaning these areas is that you should spray cleaning fluids directly onto the surface. Instead, you should spray the cleaning solution onto a paper towel or sponge and clean all home surfaces in that manner. Your floors, table tops, and countertops will thank you!

There are so many advantages of using an exhaust fan that people usually gloss over. First and foremost, exhaust fans quickly remove smoke and other odors making the air cleaner in a given room easier to breathe in. Exhaust fans in showers, in particular, help maintain circulation and remove excess moisture from the air in bathrooms after baths or showers. Also, without air conditioning, exhaust fans can decrease the temperature in a given area, including kitchens. It’s like magic!

It is way too easy to clog a sink drain. Something that will immediately harden inside your pipes and clog your drain is grease. When you pour bacon grease down your drain, it can get clumpy and adheres to the pipes' sides, causing blockages and clogs. While one might not think this far ahead, pouring bacon grease down your drain could damage your whole neighborhood’s pipe system. Pour excess oil into a container to prevent this disaster from becoming a reality. Don’t worry, and you won’t have to give up bacon!

Cleaning toilets is a disgusting chore, but it needs to be done. While it might sound self-explanatory, there are misconceptions about cleaning toilets. For example, after the cleaning part is done and you have scrubbed the toilet, it is best not to put the toilet brush back into its holder. Putting a dirty toilet brush back into its holder, especially a wet one, won’t be able to dry in those conditions. So instead, you could try to kill some of the filth and bacteria by dipping the brush into a household cleaner and letting that dry before putting the brush into the holder.

Sure, it makes sense to have small towels in your bathroom space, so they are there when you need to dry your hands and whatnot. However, contrary to popular belief, larger towels, including those you use after a shower, should not always hang in the bathroom. Leaving these towels in a moist environment such as a bathroom can be a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Wet towels are susceptible to these fungi, which can be detrimental to your health while also causing awful odors. Nobody wants to deal with that!

Vines growing on the side of a building make a beautiful addition to the structure. But, looks can be deceiving, and these vines can cause many issues to the building itself. For example, vines can cause damage to wood siding.  These green, leafy vines create moisture between plants and the home, which leads to mold, mildew, and rot in the house itself. In addition, insects can creep inside your home, causing infestations. So while vines are beautiful, it isn’t worth the trouble to have them growing on the side of your home! 

Vinegar is one of the best cleaning aids. So, you’ve probably had someone suggest that you should rinse your dishwasher with vinegar as a cheaper alternative to detergent. Vinegar can keep water spots at bay and clean glasses efficiently, but it could also ruin your dishwasher. Dishwashers are made of delicate rubber gaskets, hoses, and other parts made of plastic which can easily be harmed by things including high acidity. If you must use vinegar to clean your dishwasher, make sure it has low acidity and pour the vinegar into the bottom of your dishwasher during the rinse cycle, so it gets diluted with water instead.

Nobody wants a dirty toilet tank, but nobody wants theirs to corrode quickly. Though tossing a bleach tablet into your toilet tank seems like an efficient way to keep your toilet looking clean, it isn’t the most viable solution if you want your toilet tank to last.  The bleach within the tablets can make the plastic and rubber parts within the toilet tank’s flushing system wear down faster. Thus, it wouldn't constantly need repairs, or you would have to replace the system quicker. Avoid using bleach tablets in your toilet tank to get the most out of your appliance.

The downspout coming out of the side of your house might not look the best, but it serves a good purpose. Downspouts are vertical pipes that carry rainwater from your house’s roof or gutters to the ground level or a drain. Without downspouts, water would pool and cause damage to your house’s foundation. It could also cause soil erosion and damage to the roots of plants. So the best thing to do is to keep your downspout the way it is. It might look ugly, but it is worth it.

Bleach does everything from disinfecting clothes to bathrooms to tabletops around your home. It is one of the most effective ways to disinfect your house to prevent the spread of viruses. However, bleach is a potent chemical agent; sometimes, it can be too intense for specific surfaces. This includes hardwood floors. Bleach is a viable solution for cleaning tile and porcelain surfaces, but hardwood floors are too fragile for it. In addition, bleach is so powerful that it could strip the polyurethane coating right off these floors. It simply isn’t worth the risk!

Hardwood floors are beautiful. They provide a sleek elegance to any room that might have otherwise looked ordinary. However, all types of flooring require proper care to keep their original look. When it comes to hardwood floors, one factor that can impact them is humidity. Installing a hardwood floor in a humid room can be detrimental to your floor because it can absorb moisture from the air. As a result, the wood would swell, and pressure could be created between the boards, causing the panels to warp or cup. Being wary of where you install hardwood flooring and the temperature of the given area can make all the difference!

There is nothing wrong with letting a little sunlight into your room. However, keeping your curtains or blinds open all the time instead of just sometimes could have adverse effects on your home, especially your furniture.  Not only does closing your curtains and blinds give you the privacy you deserve in your own living space, but it also protects your furniture from the sun’s rays. Keeping this in mind, having your curtains and blinds closed all the time is not suitable for your home either. It is all about finding a good balance.

For gutters to do their job of managing water, they need to be clean. For instance, if gutters and downspouts are blocked with leaves and other debris, the rainwater might not drain properly, causing an overflow.  Water overflows from gutters, causing water damage outside your house on your roof and inside your home in rooms like the basement. In addition, excess water can damage your home's foundation, which could be a measurable expense and a necessity.

Most toilets nowadays are made out of porcelain. Porcelain is made from clay and water. Toilets made out of this material are clean, non-porous, and remain clean in most cases. Still, they are prone to get stained if the wrong things are poured down the toilet. For instance, if you pour coffee or tea down, your porcelain toilet is almost guaranteed to stain. Plus, coffee grounds and tea leaves can clog a toilet causing a whole other set of issues. Therefore, throwing coffee and tea out in the trash can is best than down the toilet. Doing this could save you a massive headache!

This one is for those who have rugs in their homes. Rugs come in so many beautiful designs and textures. It would be a shame if anything were to damage a rug or carpet. Something to avoid for the sake of your rugs is over-shampooing. Ideally, your rug should be professionally cleaned.  Yet, to save money, many people clean their rugs themselves. The dangers of over-shampooing are that the build-up of the shampoo can be impossible to clean out, and it can attract dirt to the carpet, making it even dirtier than it was, to begin with. This is something to think about before cleaning your rugs on your own!

Washing and drying clothes is a whole process in itself. However, when it comes to dryers specifically, there is a vital step that many people forget to take. This step is cleaning lint out of their lint filter. When clothing, towels, and other linens tumble around in dryers, the high heat and movement cause some linen to shed off. A lint filter catches that excess linen. It is essential to keep this filter clean because it could lead to your dryer lasting longer and your clothes drying faster. In addition, if you don’t clean the lint filter and the debris builds up, it could cause a fire.