# What manufacturer's recommendation do you completely ignore? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2025, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818 "2025-06-18T21:05:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/41 "2025-06-19T18:11:54Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > If I tested my smoke alarms weekly my dog would hate me. One time in the previous house I went out to get something from the store and my elderly mother and my dog were in the house. There was a brief power failure and IIRC the battery backup for the burglar alarm was weak and needed to be replaced, and when the power came back on the alarm went nuts and activated a VERY LOUD siren. I think it shut off by itself eventually but when I got home my poor old mother and the poor dog were both freaked out, in approximately equal measure! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/42 "2025-06-19T18:18:48Z")
Perhaps unwisely, I totally ignore maintenance recommendations for the HVAC system. Not sure much is required for the A/C, but there are definitely recommended checkup procedures for the furnace. All I ever do is replace the filter. I do use high quality 3M filters but don’t replace them nearly as often as recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/43 "2025-06-19T18:22:11Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > > > I still stick Q tips in my ear canal. > > If ever a product warning was given with a broad wink from the manufacturer, that’s the one. They know. Ryan George (YouTube Funny Guy) confirms this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BZ7IEWwQ4Cg/maxresdefault.jpg "The Guys Who Invented Q-Tips") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ7IEWwQ4Cg) As for myself, even though I’m totally inside Apple’s walled garden, I not only ignore most of their recommendations, if possible, I turn them off. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/44 "2025-06-19T18:26:52Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > Ryan George (YouTube Funny Guy) confirms this Heh, some good Ryan George there. (I bought my son a “Super easy/Barely an inconvenience” tshirt a couple of Christmases ago, we are fully onboard with the Ryan George program) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/45 "2025-06-19T18:44:24Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Then I thought to myself I have had this powder for a LONG time I wonder what the expiration date is. > > So I looked… > > ANSWER Ha! That stuff is practically brand new! I just checked the expiry date on my container of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder. It’s May, 1999!! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/46 "2025-06-19T20:48:35Z")
Fwiw, old baby powder probably contains talc, and while it’s no more dangerous now than it was then, a lot of talc is contaminated with asbestos, and it’s a really bad idea to breathe the stuff. This site is probably funded by lawyers who make a living pursuing mesothelioma claims, but i browsed it and the info is reasonably good: > **[Talcum Powder & Asbestos: Cancer from Asbestos in Talc | FDA Testing](https://www.asbestos.com/products/talcum-powder/)** > > Talcum powder is the most widely used consumer talc product. Asbestos in talc could increase the risk of mesothelioma. These references are all reasonably unbiased: > **[Asbestos in commercial cosmetic talcum powder as a cause of mesothelioma in...](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4164883/)** > > Cosmetic talcum powder products have been used for decades. The inhalation of talc may cause lung fibrosis in the form of granulomatose nodules called talcosis. Exposure to talc has also been suggested as a causative factor in the development of ... > **[Asbestos Contamination in Talc-Based Cosmetics: An Invisible Cancer Risk](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7691901/)** > > The lack of regulation and adequate testing of talc-containing personal care products in the U.S. has resulted in the contamination of cosmetics with asbestos. As such, the true exposure of consumers to asbestos is poorly characterized and likely ... [https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/johnsonandjohnson-cancer/](https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/johnsonandjohnson-cancer/) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/47 "2025-06-19T21:07:04Z")
Thanks, I was vaguely aware of the talc and asbestos connection and the potential risks of baby powder. J&J seems to have followed the fine traditions of the DuPont chemical company, Monsanto, Philip Morris, and other plagues on health and the environment. Fortunately, the more than 26-year-old expiry date on a small container is indicative of how much of the stuff I use! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/48 "2025-06-19T23:13:05Z")
> [@DaveUnknown](#): > > Lancia, do you have any Lancias? I love the 1300HF and the old Flaminias I don’t. My grandfather had one but I never saw it, by the time I was around he owned a Mercedes 300E. I have a soft spot for quirky poorly engineered deathtraps so would love, _love_ an old Lancia as a project car. Alas, I suspect that’s going to be a lifelong bucket list item. ---
**Author:** ![MeepersC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meepersc/32/12088_2.png) [@MeepersC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeepersC)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/49 "2025-06-19T23:53:22Z")
I have a prescription for monthly contact lenses, but I let my eyes tell me when they need to be changed out. Depending on circumstances, this could be anywhere to every 3 to 6 weeks. I also sleep in my contacts at least once a week just because I’m too tired or lazy to take them out and clean them. I know I’m risking my eye health - but it works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/50 "2025-06-19T23:58:19Z")
I won’t use a soft cloth and a mild detergent to keep the product clean. What the hell is a “mild detergent”? ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/51 "2025-06-19T23:58:44Z")
Good poster name/post combo? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/52 "2025-06-20T00:17:23Z")
What the… I don’t eat rotten food. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/53 "2025-06-20T01:22:38Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I won’t use a soft cloth and a mild detergent to keep the product clean. What the hell is a “mild detergent”? The stuff you might buy to wash dishes by hand is a mild detergent. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/54 "2025-06-20T16:27:34Z")
I would say anything you’d use without needing gloves. So no industrial degreaser or oven cleaner or anything otherwise caustic like that. I’ve always thought of it simply as “dish soap” and similar. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/55 "2025-06-20T19:10:44Z")
Not quite “ignore”, but I always look at recommended amounts of laundry soap through the lens of “this was written and approved by people who wants to sell more soap” and use about half the recommended amount. It seems to work just fine, with fewer incidents of soap residue remaining on dark colors. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/56 "2025-06-21T01:25:38Z")
I remember when toothpaste/toothbrushes used to say on the box “Brush 3 times a day or after every meal” I think now they just recommend twice a day in morning and night. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/57 "2025-06-21T02:02:53Z")
Oh, that’s one where the recommendations are wrong. They were written for old machines that used lots of water. But all the recent machines use tiny amounts of water (insert rant here) and should be run with vastly less soap. The guy who installed my new front loading washing machine said to use a tablespoon of laundry soap. The repairman who came out when i complained it didn’t rinse adequately recommended using a teaspoon of soap. (It still doesn’t rinse adequately. I’ve taken to running it twice, the second time on “heavy load” with hot water and no soap.) ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/58 "2025-06-21T02:30:11Z")
When I replace the water filter in my fridge, I do not make an entire tray of ice and then throw it out. I do not consult my doctor upon starting a new exercise regimen. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/59 "2025-06-21T15:03:23Z")
I just cleaned the toilet bowl. The container of liquid included instructions for how long to leave it in place to clean, disinfect or sanitize the bowl. I ignored the bit about disinfecting or sanitizing the bowl. I don’t care if the product 100% effective at removing germs and such; as soon as the bowl is used _for its intended purpose_, it will no longer be infection-free or sanitized. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818/60 "2025-06-21T17:30:34Z")
**“NEVER use with an extension cord!”** (By _extension_ – hehe – I assume that includes power strips.) How are you supposed to plug in a small kitchen appliance (toaster, coffeepot, Instant Pot) that came with a 1.5-foot cord “for safety” when your outlets are at floor level? This was always a problem for me as I always lived in old houses (last one was 1925, prior one was 1940). Remind me the next time I design and build my kitchen to install outlets at countertop level every two feet. When, you ask, is that going to happen? Um…it ain’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-manufacturers-recommendation-do-you-completely-ignore/1019818.md?page=4)