Standing in front of an open refrigerator, weighing that apple against a Fudgsicle for midnight-snack appeal, you hear your mother’s voice: “Keep that door open much longer and all the food will spoil.” Your father’s “Don’t worry — that’s just the house settling” rings in your grown-up ears when they pick up those bumps and creaks in the night, but frankly you’re still not convinced there aren’t ghosts in the attic.

Fess up: Just because you’re skeptical of some of the household wisdom passed down to you doesn’t mean you don’t still follow it to a tee — or feel a tad nervous when you flagrantly disregard it. Read on for expert advice on which house rules deserve to be heeded and which you can file under Fairy Tales. As for the great fruit-vs.-Fudgsicle debate, you’re on your own.

A fake owl will keep birds from pecking at or pooping on your house.

False. Whether it’s inflatable, hard plastic, or wood, an owl in the window won’t permanently deter birds. “They quickly realize those owls aren’t real,” says Roger Lederer, professor emeritus of biological sciences at California State University, in Chico, and owner of Ornithology.com. A fake owl could discourage birds from trying to kamikaze through the glass, but that’s only because the owl is covering it, Lederer says: “An Elvis doll would probably be just as effective.”

If you water the lawn in the middle of the day, the sun will burn the grass.

False. Burning occurs when water acts as a magnifying glass. On a normal (unboggy) lawn, the summer midday sun will evaporate moisture too quickly for that, says Trey Rogers, professor of turfgrass science at Michigan State University, in East Lansing. What will get singed is your wallet: Up to 60 percent of the water you use will be lost through evaporation. “You’re fighting Mother Nature — the wind and the sun,” says Rogers. The best time to water? Between 5 and 9 a.m. The sun will dry the grass by late morning, reducing the potential for fungal diseases that can develop when water sits too long on grass — which is why watering a lawn at night isn’t a good idea.