[00:00:00] Eric Goranson: It's around the house. So if you've got a toilet that's hard to clean and the only way that you can actually clean that toilet like we were talking about in the last segment, is to put bleach in it. It is time to get a new toilet, cuz that is one that you have damaged with that bleach. So do not grab that bottle of bleach and do cleaning.

[00:00:20] Eric Goranson: Now the next thing is if you have mold in your home, and if you grab that bottle of bleach, put it away, especially. On a porous surface like wood, drywall, anything like that, because guess what? It doesn't work. All you're doing is taking that black, dark orange, whatever mold, mildew, and what it's doing is on the topical surface There you might, when it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is a lot to know that we got you coming.

[00:00:53] Eric Goranson: This is around the house. Welcome to the Round the House Show. This is where we help get the most outta your home. Through information and [00:01:00] education. Thanks for joining us today. We've got a jam packed show for hour one, an hour two here, and today we're gonna talk about really the top myths about your home.

[00:01:11] Eric Goranson: And these are the things that maybe your father told you, your grandfather, your grandmother, or it's just something you figured out on the internet. And are just wrong. So we're gonna have some fun today. And by the way, this episode is brought to you by Root Quencher and root quencher.com. If you've got trees, shrubs, bushes, and you're wasting water when you're watering 'em, or you want to cut it back, check out root quencher.com.

[00:01:33] Eric Goranson: Those guys have spikes to put water right into the roots and not all over the top where it runs down the hill and doesn't end up where you want it to. If you wanna save money, go to root quencher.com. Well today, These myths, we're gonna see if we can save you some money and help you out in the long run today.

[00:01:52] Eric Goranson: The first one on our list today is gonna be a little bit of a controversial one, but it's true, and you probably heard me talk about it before, but I could not put it on the [00:02:00] list today. And this is pre rinsing your dishes before the dishwasher. And the thing is, is when you do that, if you've got a dishwasher and you're pre rinsing those things running under the sink.

[00:02:10] Eric Goranson: One, you're wasting that water. And two, all of the dish soaps today that go into your dishwasher use enzymes and enzymes have to have food to activate them so you're not activating that part of the detergent, which means you're not getting the dishes as clean. Now, I can't help you if you have bought a or have a poorly or badly working dishwasher.

[00:02:34] Eric Goranson: You know, if you buy a dishwasher these days under about 500 bucks. Uh, I tell you what, uh, a low quality dishwasher is a low quality dishwasher, and that's just what it is. And we'll talk about that a little bit later. But if you have a decent, properly working dishwasher, there is no need to pre rinse those.

[00:02:51] Eric Goranson: I mean, scrape 'em off, get the big chunks out. But, uh, there used to be a dishwasher out there, and I think it was KitchenAid years ago that [00:03:00] actually took a sheet cake and put it in and started it. And then showed up the glasses and dishes afterwards being cleaned. So it tells you how powerful some of these dishwashers are, but you just have to make sure that you've maintained it.

[00:03:13] Eric Goranson: And of course, don't pre rinse those dishes. Now, here's one of the biggest, and probably my pet peeve that I see out there. If they sell it in a home improvement store, it has to meet building code, right? That is no, and for a couple of reasons, one. Home Depot, Lowe's, any of these large, big box stores have no idea what the building code is in your state or your area.

[00:03:43] Eric Goranson: They don't look at it, they don't pay attention to it, and if they can sell you a product, this is about sales, not about meeting, building code. So if you walk in there, you'll see these Flex Drain connectors and they might. Meet some kind of [00:04:00] international code out there, but they most likely don't meet your local building code.

[00:04:05] Eric Goranson: So here's the thing, any of those corrugated flex drain things, even if they have designed them somehow to get around a loophole and building code, I strongly advise to do the project right and get things aligned. And don't buy them because you're gonna end up throwing it away when somebody comes out to fix it, because that's always plugging up.

[00:04:30] Eric Goranson: So that's, that's another one. Now, another product that is in their home improvement stores that don't meet building code and most areas. And that is gonna be the recirculating vent hood. Like your microwave, uh, vent hood that blows the air back in your face because there's that grate right there when you hit the fan In most areas, that does not meet building code in most areas.

[00:04:52] Eric Goranson: And I say that because. Every state is different. You know, Washington, Oregon, a lot of these states were around me here, you have to have that [00:05:00] vented outside. If you pull a building permit, they will force you to run that outside, whether you have a window or not. They will make sure that exists, exhausts outside.

[00:05:08] Eric Goranson: And so, but I can walk into my local, um, you know, home Depot, low stow store and walk out with a big, huge 30 inch or 36 inch vent hood that's recirculating, that does not meet building code. And the list goes on and on. There's vent fans that don't, uh, lots of plumbing stuff. And then there's stuff that's just a really bad idea, like the washing machine hoses that are made just out of rubber that look like your regular garden hose.

[00:05:37] Eric Goranson: Those only last a few years and are one of the top leading causes of water damage in your home. So if you've got a washer and dryer in your house, go take a look. Look behind that washing machine right now, and if you see that rubber hose, and if you have not, You know, the water infill, so that's the hot and cold water coming in.

[00:05:54] Eric Goranson: If you look at that and say, that's rubber not braided, and it's been more than a year or two, I would go ahead and [00:06:00] replace those with a higher quality braided hose and you'll be good to go. And that's one of those things that, uh, you want to definitely, uh, pay attention to. When you're doing this, uh, and the list goes on, like I was saying, with, with home improvement stories, you can get into the electrical department.

[00:06:16] Eric Goranson: You can get into, um, you know, you'll see, uh, in, you'll see a chandelier hanging over the bathtub in a picture. Guess what? You can't put that if you can touch it. There's, uh, certain rules that you have like that. So again, these are those home improvement myths. Just because they sell it at the, uh, home center does not need.

[00:06:34] Eric Goranson: Mean it makes meets local building code. Windows is a big one too cuz uh, the home centers have a general replacement window in there, but many times you can go in there and it will not meet your energy code for your area. So that list goes on and on. So make sure you do your research before you walk into the home improvement store.

[00:06:51] Eric Goranson: We've got some other pieces of this we'll talk about a little bit later in the show, but this is one of the big one. Now, here is one of the ones [00:07:00] that. At the home centers, that is big. You know when you walk into the home center and you see the toilets, you've got the $99 one, you got the $280 one. You need to keep in mind that those toilets, there are kind of the low end of the industry.

[00:07:17] Eric Goranson: If you walk down the toilet aisle, you'll see the most expensive toilet there. That in the scheme of. Toilets, if you walk into a regular specialty, plumbing store is still on the lower end. So you need to put that into, into perspective. You know, really to get a good toilet, I think you need to spend about 300 bucks.

[00:07:37] Eric Goranson: And, uh, there's a lot of the house brand ones that you walk into the store that, uh, whatever home center has, uh, I don't recommend those for a number of reasons, only because you get what you pay for when it comes to the toilet. And so, This is where I want to touch on. Old toilets are better than new toilets.

[00:07:55] Eric Goranson: No, now that was okay 20 years ago when they went from the [00:08:00] 3.5 gallon or three gallon toilets to the 1.6. Yeah. We had not done enough research to make that happen, but today these new toilets that are made by like Toto and the higher end Kohler and the higher end American standard and D X V and a bunch of the other brands out there.

[00:08:18] Eric Goranson: Those work so much better than the old toilets. Now, that is one of the ones that I want you to make sure and take a look at because to get a good toilet, you get what you pay for and you want to get something that's gonna last. And here's some of the things they don't plug up as much. A good toilet when you buy them has the porcelain that goes all the way down through the trap.

[00:08:39] Eric Goranson: So there's less things for things to get grabbed to. Then here's one thing as well is that you want that to have the specialty coatings on there. Totos is a great example. They put on a very specialty coating on there that keeps it so it doesn't get as dirty. So when you go to the bathroom, there's nothing sticking to the bowl, which means you clean it less, [00:09:00] and so that extra smooth surface.

[00:09:03] Eric Goranson: Where it's almost like a non-stick surface that's on top of the porcelain that is key to having a great working toilet. And that means right there that you're gonna have something that's going to clog less easier to clean some of these new toilets. You only have to go in there and really clean it once a month to get things that are stuck to it versus, you know, having to go in there weekly.

[00:09:26] Eric Goranson: And that can be a big deal. And it's a lot less chemicals you're putting into the environment, more of those home improvement myths. Just as soon as around the house returns don't go anywhere.

[00:09:39] Eric Goranson: Why

[00:09:46] Eric Goranson: should I be allowed to be so hot?[00:10:00]

[00:10:09] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to The Round The House Show where we help you get the most outta your home through m. Information and education. Hey, if you're looking for YouTube videos, if you really wanna see what I've been doing on the television show, head over to the K ptv Fox 12 YouTube page and look at the around the house playlist.

[00:10:25] Eric Goranson: We have over a hundred videos hanging out over there, including what's in this weekend show, though we've got so much going on that is, uh, There to help you from new products and great people. Like we talk from Brent Gentling, B Y O T. Bring your own tools. We've got Sarah Listy Tool Girls Garage. We have uh, Emily Mara, Mara Architecture, Kevin O'Connor, this old house plus we go visit.

[00:10:49] Eric Goranson: All of these areas of made in u s A stuff we just did, uh, last week we did roofing shingles. How are roofing shingles made? It's all over there. On that page, we've been talking about home [00:11:00] improvement myths of your home, and I wanted to touch on cleaning a little bit, and this is, this is some big ones here that, that I really want to talk about when you are cleaning bleach is, Something you see being used to clean things and disinfect, but bleach will also damage things.

[00:11:22] Eric Goranson: For instance, if you take that bottle of bleach and you wanna ruin a toilet, pour it down into the water in that toilet to clean it with that bleach will actually etch the porcelain. When you et something, you make little micro fissures in it, and those micro fissures mean that hard water deposits. Give it something to grab ahold of.

[00:11:47] Eric Goranson: Mold and mildew, you have now made a grip surface for it to snag and you have now ruined that surface. So if you've got a toilet that's hard to clean, and the only way that you can actually clean that toilet like we were talking about in the last segment, [00:12:00] is to put bleach in it. It is time to get a new toilet because that is one that you have damaged with that bleach.

[00:12:05] Eric Goranson: So do not grab that bottle of bleach and do cleaning. Now the next thing is if you have mold in your home, If you grab that bottle of bleach, put it away, especially on a porous surface like wood, drywall, anything like that, because guess what? It doesn't work. All you're doing is taking that black, dark orange, whatever, mold, mildew, and what it's doing is on the topical surface there, you might kill a little bit of it, but you're bleaching out what you see.

[00:12:40] Eric Goranson: Then many times with the toxic molds, it's think you're attacking it because you are. And it releases all these microtoxins into the air, which means it's even getting worse. So you've now released those, which means it's more likely to spread. And then third, the bleach doesn't kill all of it's the water that's in the bleach, cuz bleach is mostly water [00:13:00] that is now feeding the mold so it comes back even stronger.

[00:13:03] Eric Goranson: So if you're trying to, uh, kill bleach, Use bleach to kill mold. Stop. Please don't. Now you can work on a, like on a surface, like a, a countertop or something like that, but you're also probably gonna etch it if you're using pure bleach. So again, you're gonna damage that. So just take the bleach away and use the right product.

[00:13:25] Eric Goranson: If you wanna use something that's more natural and bleach is horrible in the environment anyway, go for some hydrogen peroxide, get some of that. That'll work well, and there's a ton of other great. Uh, mold killers and preventers out there. Now, if you've got an area that has a ton of, of mold in it, one, maybe you bring in a professional and make sure you stopped what's going on there with ventilation or stopping the water or whatever you're doing.

[00:13:52] Eric Goranson: But there is a paint that you can use, uh, made by Calwell and that paint, and we've talked about it in the show before, is a, uh, I [00:14:00] believe it's a lime based paint. So it has the, um, uh, a very caustic. Surface to it. So what happens is, and this is what's cool about that, is that caustic surface will sit there and absolutely eat the mold up so it doesn't have a chance to grow.

[00:14:17] Eric Goranson: And that'll last for about five years. So, uh, be very careful with your cleaning cuz bleach will probably do more damage than good. You know, the bleach that's in the toilet bowl cleaners, it's so diluted. It's not that big a deal. But, uh, anything like that, that can etch is a big deal. And then the next myth is Magic eraser.

[00:14:39] Eric Goranson: Magic eraser. I'm calling it out. It's about 1600 grit sandpaper if you were to measure that out. So if you take that to clean cabinets, a toilet bowl, anything like that, you're sanding the surface. So if you. Wanna be very careful with what you're doing. [00:15:00] I have had cabinets get ruined in a kitchen because the house cleaner came through with a magic eraser.

[00:15:05] Eric Goranson: It was cleaning off all the marks because the kids were beating the cabinets up and the most of the damage was done When that magic eraser sanded the finish off. From week after week after week. Now, if you've got something like you've got water spots on glass or something like that you're trying to do, I guess that's one thing, but just think of that Magic Eraser is what it is.

[00:15:28] Eric Goranson: It's nothing magic. It's about 1600 grit, flexible sandpaper, and you are taking the finish off almost everything that you're doing. So if you're trying to get a mark and make it go away, great, but just keep in mind that you can change the sheen of almost anything that you're working on. So keep that in mind.

[00:15:46] Eric Goranson: That is a good one. Magic eraser. Use it very carefully. Do not use it on anything with a wood painted finish or anything like that. You know, if you're using it on a glass cooktop or something like that, maybe that's a great use for it or a laminate countertop. But keep in [00:16:00] mind, all of those things can be scratched.

[00:16:02] Eric Goranson: All of those things can lose their luster just because you're using enough of it. So use it sparingly and understand what you're trying to clean and be careful with it. So really take the time. And make sure they're using the right products for what you're doing. You know, um, bar keeper's friend is a great cleaner, but just like Comet, it has a grit to it.

[00:16:23] Eric Goranson: So it's great for taking off the stuff off the bottom of a cooking pan that's built up, you know, something that you're not concerned about, but anything with a clear protective coat like a faucet. Or anything like that. Any of these abrasive cleaners are meant for areas like, you know, a cooking pan or something like that.

[00:16:42] Eric Goranson: Don't use it on a fiberglass tub shower, or an acrylic or anything like that, that can actually be scratched. Just keep in mind, abrasives are bad unless you're trying to work on something that doesn't matter. And that's gonna be a really big key right there. So here's another one too. And [00:17:00] this is something that, uh, we're gonna talk about more in upcoming episodes, but, You know, drinking water just because your, here's another myth.

[00:17:09] Eric Goranson: Just because your water is coming from your municipality doesn't mean that your drinking water is actually safe to drink. And this is where I wanna see lab tests done on your drinking water from time to time to make sure that you've got things great. And there are things that you can do because maybe you've got an old, especially an older home.

[00:17:27] Eric Goranson: So you could have some lead pipes, you could have a lead. Pipe out in the street, I've seen a plumber make a mistake and grab the wrong fitting, and all of a sudden they've got a fitting in their plumbing system that's made out of iron pipe for gas instead of, uh, instead of, uh, for water where it would've been galvanized.

[00:17:45] Eric Goranson: And all of a sudden you've got a little nipple out there that goes between a valve and another fitting that is sending rust and all that iron into your system. And so then you want to figure out what's going on. But a little bit of maintenance. It goes a long way with that. [00:18:00] So watch your water. And then here's one other tip too, make sure while we're talking about that, if you're gonna do a remodel and you've got some big projects and you have hard water, always deal with the hard water first.

[00:18:10] Eric Goranson: And by doing that, make sure you do a lab test and then design that system around it, because that is gonna be my biggest tip for doing a kitchen or bathroom or other projects. Make sure you take care of that water first. Steal that so you don't destroy all the new stuff. All right, we got more top myths of around your house just as soon as we return outgoing.[00:19:00]

[00:19:10] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to The Round The House Show. This is where we help you get the most outta your home through information and education. Hey, if you wanna find out more about the show, head over to around the house online.com. And you can find about there. And it of course Facebook. We have our closed group, which is around the House Nation.

[00:19:25] Eric Goranson: People post up stuff over there. We're trying to grow that group. So head over to around the House Nation on Facebook. And don't forget the Around the House show. We've been talking about the top myths of your home today. We've talked about, uh, you know, pre rinsing your dishes before the dishwasher. Like things that they saw in the home improvement store that doesn't meet building code and making sure that your drinking water is safe even when it comes from your city municipality now, Here's one that is a big controversy right now, and we're gonna talk about the facts here.

[00:19:55] Eric Goranson: And it's a very big emotional issue. There are people that say [00:20:00] that gas ranges in your home are so much more unhealthy than an electric range in your home. And really if you look at a range that's not working and it's leaking gas, sure. That can happen. You can also have an electrical short in your electric ranges that could electrocute you.

[00:20:27] Eric Goranson: So we can all talk about things that aren't working and those are maintenance issues that we should be taking a look at. And you know, if you have a gas range, it's a great idea. Maybe every couple years have your gas company come out and do a, a, a check inside your home to make sure you don't have any leaks, because then you can get 'em addressed because they have the gear to do it, and most likely they will do it for free.

[00:20:50] Eric Goranson: So if you're concerned about it, that's a great way to knock it out. But here's the thing, if you look at ranges, the biggest pollution coming from a range is what [00:21:00] you are cooking. Not the little bit of gas that you're burning inside the house. And so I don't care if you've got an electric range sitting next to a gas range, next to an induction range, electric induction range, you still have steam, VOCs, formaldehydes, and a ton of nasty chemicals coming at the top of that, and it's gonna be all very similar coming out of those.

[00:21:29] Eric Goranson: Thanks because you're still cooking and that's the mass of what's coming out. The top of that, how do you fix that ventilation? That is that range hood that goes outside that you should have for a gas range. For an electric range or an electric induction range. So I understand that they are trying to ban gas ranges out there in many areas, and they're trying to get rid of fossil fuels, and that's not what this conversation about.

[00:21:57] Eric Goranson: This is actually about having a healthy home [00:22:00] inside your home and making sure that you're doing the right thing. So I don't care if you've got a gas range or an electric induction range. All those are great. I have a gas range at my house. And if I could get an ELE electric induction range right now, I would probably change over to it cuz it's a more efficient use.

[00:22:19] Eric Goranson: But it is nice having that elec, that gas range if the power goes out. But I have a generation, so guess what? I can actually run an induction if I wanted to. So here's the deal. When it comes down to it, let's talk about the, the, the safety reasons. Make sure that you've got the proper sized hood that's going all the way to the outside.

[00:22:38] Eric Goranson: Circling Van Hoods are not it. We talked about that earlier in the show and that you use it. That is the big part of that thing. If you turn the burner on, you should turn the fan on though. If you're boiling water, you should have the fan on high. If you've got meat or something like that that you're cooking, that should be on medium to high.

[00:22:58] Eric Goranson: Make sure that you [00:23:00] can look around your house and if you can see any sign of steam or smoke outside of the hood, you don't have the hood on enough. And if you've got a big range hood like I do, that's 1200 CFM or so, you need to make sure that you've got anything over 400 cfm. You should have makeup, air.

[00:23:18] Eric Goranson: What's makeup air? That's when you have that, uh, that fin hood. And when you turn it on, it actually turns on your heating and cooling system. And allows air to come back. Because if you think about it, if you've got an 800 c FM hood, that's 800 cubic feet per minute, that's 800 basketballs in air of air leaving the house at once.

[00:23:38] Eric Goranson: It has to come from someplace. Otherwise you create a vacuum. So the big thing is, is you wanna make sure you're not pulling in from the hot water heater or something else, cuz that would create carbon monoxide. And that's a big one right there. So that's the key right there, making sure that you have that gas.

[00:23:56] Eric Goranson: Ranges are just as [00:24:00] dangerous as an electric range. You just need to maintain it just like you would if you maintain it and use your hood. There really isn't a health issue that's different between a regular coil electric range and that you just have to use your hood correctly. And if you're operating it like you should be.

[00:24:18] Eric Goranson: There's really not a big health difference between those two, just as long as you make sure you don't have any leaks. And that's just common sense. And that's that one. All right. Here's the next myth that I want to talk about today, and this is another one here. Name brand Plumbing is the same at a home center and the same at a specialty plumbing store.

[00:24:39] Eric Goranson: They're not. Many times if I go jump on and I walk into my local Ferguson store, let's say and and grab a toilet. From a major American made name brand, PL player, and I'm, I'm specifically not talking about branch here cuz this is not what this is about, [00:25:00] but this is about what you see compared to the home center.

[00:25:06] Eric Goranson: So usually in a plumbing retail store or wholesale store that sells to plumbers and the trades, you will have higher grade products than what you see at the home center. So if you grab a home center toilet, And a plumbing store toilet and put 'em next to each other. Here's some of the signs that you might see that warn you that it could be different.

[00:25:29] Eric Goranson: It has the same name, but a different part number. Now I've seen it where it has the same name and the same part number. But the boxes are different. Like one is in a, uh, more cardboard esque box, and the other one is in more of a retail box with pictures and instructions and stuff on the outside, stuff you wouldn't see on a normal plumbing box.

[00:25:52] Eric Goranson: What happens here is, is when they're manufacturing, especially when you're dealing with ceramics, like, uh, porcelain, like a toilet. [00:26:00] They're going down there and going, man, this one's beautiful. This one's beautiful. Ah, that's got a couple little flaws in it. Maybe it's slightly out of round or it's not as perfect, and all that kind of thing.

[00:26:09] Eric Goranson: And you go, eh, that's not, so, that's not a hundred percent, but it's 95% or maybe 90%, maybe even 85%. Those are the B models. Versus the A. The B models will function just beautifully, but it might have a little divot in a weird spot, or it might not be perfect. That goes to the home centers because the home centers negotiate those prices with those major plumbing people to carry in there, and those people want to have, you know, the the Kohlers or the American standards or the.

[00:26:41] Eric Goranson: Elger or what? Whatever brand you're gonna throw out there, they wanna have the lowest cost. Because when you're comparing two brands, they want to have the best value to you. And so many times what you see is that you'll look at it and go, wow, okay. What we see here is we see a B grade in the home [00:27:00] center and an A grade at the plumbing store.

[00:27:04] Eric Goranson: Now the other thing you'll see is in faucets, and I've seen this too, you go buy a a, a faucet. You grab the same name and you go, wow, different packages. Interesting. Maybe a slightly different model number or the same model number. I've seen it both ways. Unbox 'em, you look at it and go, wow, this one has braided hoses that come down outta the bottom of it, out of a kitchen faucet, let's say.

[00:27:27] Eric Goranson: And the other one you go, wow, these are thin plastic. You tear 'em apart and go, wow, this one's much more plastic, much lighter duty. And the other one you go, wow, this one's really thicker, heavier duty metal. That can be in the same faucet, depending on where you got it, it might have the same warranty, but you'll definitely see more of those pieces and parts that are made outta cheaper materials in the home centers.

[00:27:54] Eric Goranson: Because the home center really when it comes down to it, is more of an entry level place to find. [00:28:00] Plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, and all of those things, windows and doors. That's kind of the entry level stuff you see out there because they wanna be price competitive for homeowners, which is okay, but it's not, especially when it gets into tile and things like that.

[00:28:15] Eric Goranson: It's the same rules there as well. Sometimes the B grade will end up on the shelf at the home center and the specialty tile store will have it sitting there on the shelf. And it's gonna be a better product around the house. We'll be right back. We're gonna debate lumber in the home centers to the lumber yards when we return.[00:29:00]

[00:29:06] Eric Goranson: Welcome to The Round the House Show. This is where we hope to get the most outta your home through information and education. Thanks for joining us today. We've been talking about home center myths and myths about your home. Really. We've been talking to home center myths over the last segment here, but really, Myths about things around your home.

[00:29:25] Eric Goranson: And this is one of those things that, uh, a lot of times the home centers are involved for many homeowners. But, uh, this next one here is going to be a big one. We'll probably take a lot of this segment up. There is a grand debate on lumber in the home centers. Compared to lumber at your local lumber yard and how bad it is, oh, it's that Home Depot Lumber, or it's that Lowe's lumber or name out your other chain hardware store.

[00:29:56] Eric Goranson: And you know something, a lot of the lumber. [00:30:00] Is graded and you can start to see what the difference is. So great example. I do a lot of my local business here through Conrad Lumber, which is a little local lumberyard up the street from me. The guys are awesome. They get a lot of my business for exterior wood.

[00:30:14] Eric Goranson: They're kind of an exterior wood lumberyard. But I wanna give you a great example. So I had to go buy some, um, had to go buy some zip system sheathing, the seven sixteenths and the green right for my project that I'm working outside. And I got a, a, a price from the local lumberyard here, which wasn't them, they didn't carry it, but I, I'm full disclosure, I called Par, which is a big area company in my area here.

[00:30:39] Eric Goranson: Nothing wrong with those guys, but the number that I got from them, it was about $10 a sheet more than from my local Lowe's store who had it on the shelf as well. So I saved a boatload by going over to Lowe's and getting it. And that is [00:31:00] interesting because right now the lumber yards are really trying to compete with the, with the home centers because they're trying to get the business of contractors out there.

[00:31:09] Eric Goranson: So here's the issue that we see with lumber. Now. Home centers will sit there and have. You know, maybe a lower grade on the shelf, but look at the grade stamp. Look what you're buying. Understand if it's premium. Is it green? Where it's not kiln drying? What is it? What are you trying to purchase? Look at the stamps.

[00:31:29] Eric Goranson: You get apples to apples. But many times if you had a premium that was sitting there at a home center and premium at a lumberyard, here's the differences. Many lumberyards don't keep that stuff indoors with air conditioning. What's it doing? It is sucking the moisture outta that wood. It is forced drying it in there by just pulling the wa, the water outta that wood because it's summertime.

[00:31:55] Eric Goranson: What happens in the summertime? ACS cranking. I don't know what in your area, but in [00:32:00] my area they put AC units in the home centers. So that wood is indoors. Once it comes in, it's been on the overhead. It's just dry as can be. So then it goes down on the retail shelf. What happens? Every homeowner goes through there and starts pulling through and sorting the lumber like they're looking to build something, you know, just outta the two by four, by eights, what happens?

[00:32:24] Eric Goranson: Everybody goes through it looks like they're trying to build a curio cabinet with it, even though they're framing, they want the cleanest, straightest, low knot, perfect piece. So if you walk in there and half that unit has been gone out. Now here's the other thing. Home centers are really about not throwing stuff away many times.

[00:32:42] Eric Goranson: So what happens is, is that last 32 by fours that were the last horrible 32 by fours got shoved on the other one. So now when you're three quarters way through a unit, you have probably the cu of two units sitting right there. So the first [00:33:00] stuff looks like junk. Now if you go order that stuff online and have it delivered, guess what?

[00:33:04] Eric Goranson: It's probably shown up as junk as somebody's pulling it off that way. But if you're sitting there and you walk in and grab it off a new unit, you're gonna be okay. But many times the reason is the lumberyard has theirs sitting outside and it's acclimated to what's going on there. So you have straighter lumber because it hasn't been, suck the moisture out and then it shows up out at, at your rainy job site and it's all moving around cause it's been all over the place.

[00:33:34] Eric Goranson: So lumber. Many times I have gotten really nice lumber outta the home centers, and that's because I went in there and someone hadn't had a chance to pick through it. I'm grabbing the stuff off a top of a fresh bundle and they finally cleared up the coals and now I had something pretty decent. So that's another one of those things.

[00:33:56] Eric Goranson: That you can be really careful with. But yes, [00:34:00] many times the plywood at the home center, if you look at the grading on it, should be the same. And it might even come from the same place, is what the plywood from your other location is that you're looking at, which is your local lumberyard. So I'm not saying you shouldn't do business with your local lumber yard, quite frankly, I would prefer it.

[00:34:19] Eric Goranson: I like keeping those guys in business. The home centers right now are spending a ton of time trying to get contractor business, which means lower prices, higher quality stuff. But the only difference is, is you've had a bunch of retail people, homeowners going through there and getting their grubby hands on it and high grading the stuff.

[00:34:37] Eric Goranson: And so you get left with a bunch of junk when they haven't had a chance to work with it. So that's the key right there. Now one more here. I wanted to talk about, uh, the myths that you can save some really good money buying. Home improvement products online, and yes, that is somewhat true. I have bought wire online and saved a ton of money [00:35:00] over my home centers because home centers is getting so much ripped off that they've raised those prices.

[00:35:04] Eric Goranson: I have bought plenty of wire off Amazon for projects and it ended up being a really good deal. However, where you run into problems is plumbing. And you've heard me talk about this before and it still happens in this day cuz I was just talking to somebody about it in a plumbing showroom that you go on and buy your favorite Kohler American Standard co.

[00:35:27] Eric Goranson: You know, just name a brand, you know, one of the major, you know Hans Growy, growy name it. You jump online to somebody other than a, a build or a Ferguson or something like that, somebody that's not a brick and mortar retailer. Here's the problem. I could sit there and walk into Home Depot and buy a Kohler faucet off the shelf.

[00:35:50] Eric Goranson: I can jump over to Alibaba and say, Hey, I want a thousand of these made. I send it over there, send me back a sample. It's [00:36:00] approved. And as long as US Customs and Enforcement doesn't grab it, I could have a pallet of those sitting there in a couple months and then my, I can ship those off and they're just like, you know, Louis Vuitton and coach purses that are knocked off every day, that stuff happens all the time.

[00:36:18] Eric Goranson: And where you see it is in faucet valves because you know, if you're designing out a custom shower, you need a bunch of different pieces, maybe a valve extension, you need all these little pieces. And so many times a homeowner will come in and go, Hey, I just ordered this stuff online and I need this piece, but it doesn't fit.

[00:36:32] Eric Goranson: Would you sell me? It's because they have knockoff plumbing fixtures, and that problem still exists today. So make sure you don't have any of those knockoff plumbing fixtures and you're gonna be good to go. So buy from your reputable retailer, you'll be okay. And that's the key right there. So one last one here.

[00:36:53] Eric Goranson: I wanted to talk about that. Uh, front load washing machines are moldy and top load machines are [00:37:00] better. Yes. If you bought a 20 year old front load washing machine that, uh, uses about 15 gallons of water versus your 50 gallon one. That's one thing. Uh, all the new ones that I've seen, there might be one out there that doesn't.

[00:37:15] Eric Goranson: If it's a low end model, they all come with a cleaning system to make sure that the drum cleans and it reminds you when to clean it so you can run cleaners through there, clean those drums, and a front load machine does a better job of cleaning your clothes. It will make your clothes last many times longer.

[00:37:34] Eric Goranson: If you have a black shirt, and you know me, I have plenty of black shirts. I have some that I have washed every week, probably for years, and they still have a lot of color. And how you can tell is run a load of towels through a top load machine with an agitator and run a same one through the front load.

[00:37:53] Eric Goranson: The amount of lint, which is the material that has come off from the harsh beating of that front load [00:38:00] machine, I mean the top load machine versus the front load, you add about four times the amount of lint coming off in that same dryer. So what happens is you're looking at a boatload of lint. That lint is your clothes.

[00:38:11] Eric Goranson: So don't be afraid of the front load washing machine. I have been a user of one for about 20 plus years now, and, uh, I don't regret any minute. I am, I do not like working with the, uh, top load machines. And the other thing is, is you can actually go through and steam clean that, or the, especially ones that have the steam function, it's so much healthier than the top load machines that get that moldy ring of all your oils that settle at the top.

[00:38:41] Eric Goranson: Of where it splashes around and that's on the inside drum. So the only way to get to that is to take it apart and clean it. And you can't really run machines cuz it doesn't splash up high enough. So there's not a really great way to clean those. So again, make sure that you've got that cleaned ready to go, and that way you'll be good to go and [00:39:00] that's gonna get you.

[00:39:01] Eric Goranson: A, uh, water savings and cleaner clothes that last a lot longer. All right, everybody, we got a great interview coming up here. Next we're gonna be talking with spray foam genie about spray foam and about how that works. All that coming up in hour number two of around the house. Thanks for tuning in around the house.

[00:39:19] Eric Goranson: We'll see you in the next episode.