I can really relate to your engine noises bit. I'm sure I carb heat more than I need to, just in case! Then I worry I'm doing it too much…
It doesn't matter if you do use carb heat more often than you need to. Much better than not using it enough! Flying a C150 that's extremely prone to carb icing, I've sometimes been using full carb heat all the time, and it's done no harm. Look back at my fairly recent thread on this topic if you like.