Can you overwater a houseplant? Pour the water and see

Most houseplants that die indoors don't die of thirst. They die of too much water, because roots need air as well as water, and a drowning plant looks a lot like a thirsty one.

Pour water into a cross-section of a pot, let the days pass, and drag a finger down through the soil to feel it at any depth. Try a pot with a drainage hole against one without, and a cool room against a warm one. Learn the finger test, why lifting the pot beats a calendar, how to soak and drain, and how to fix a decorative pot without buying anything new.