Smarter: Cleaning Tools CR’s Experts Swear By
This week I’m asking CR’s writers what are the cleaning tools that have made the biggest difference in their lives. Anything that can help me like cleaning a litttttle bit more is appreciated. Also in this issue: Car dealership extras you should just say no to, and our response to a reader’s question about whether they should take silver supplements.
THE BIG STORY
A carpet layered with hair and dirt. A humidifier with its crevices collecting gunk. None of these are sights people like to see, but they are what can happen when you leave corners of your home uncleaned for too long.
Cleaning can be a chore. I clean daily, but I don’t love doing it. The reasons are: 1) Hello? It’s gross. 2) If you don’t have the right tools, you’re prolonging the gross process without making an actual impact on the thing you’re trying to clean.
With the right tools though, cleaning is less painful. It can be faster and more efficient, and dare I say it—don’t make me say it—enjoyable?
That’s what I had in mind when I asked CR’s writers who work with cleaning products constantly, both at work and at home, to name their favorite tool they use in their daily cleaning. Here’s what they said.
SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS
Phones are often seen as an enemy to getting better sleep because of all the distractions they provide, but here are a few settings on your phone that can actually help you sleep, rather than hinder it.
🔵 Blue light filter. It can reduce the sleep-disturbing blue light coming from your phone and shift the display to a warmer color temperature.
💤 Sleep mode. Sleep Focus (on iOS) or Sleep Mode (on Android) will notify you when it’s time to get to bed and silence your phone so that there are no middle-of-the-night notifications.
👂 White noise maker. iPhones have a built-in white noise app that offers sounds like ocean, rain, or stream. And if you have an Android phone, you can check out The Sleep Foundation’s review of third-party white noise apps.
Read more on how to turn on all these settings and more on your phone.
Or check out our guide to getting better sleep and unlock digital members-only benefits to access exclusive savings and sleep product ratings.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Illustration: Joe Darrow Illustration: Joe Darrow
When you buy a new car, the dealership might try to convince you to pay for these pricey add-ons. Here are ones you should say no to outright.
⛔ VIN Etching
The engraving of the car’s VIN, or vehicle identification number, into the windows. It’s supposed to deter car theft and assist in car recovery if stolen.
Why you don’t need it: It’s unnecessary because all new cars already have VINs stamped in multiple places inside the vehicle.
🙅♀️ Rustproofing
It costs around $800 based on experiences of CR’s car shoppers and is sold as a way to prevent underbody rust.
Why you don’t need it: The frames of new cars are designed to last a decade or longer, so this extra protection isn’t necessary.
What about extended warranty coverage? Is it necessary? Here’s what we say.
QUIZ
Around how many people get injured every year when dressers or other clothes storage units tip over and fall on them?
A. 700
B. 1,000
C. 5,000
D. 7,000
(The answer’s at the end of the newsletter.)
ASK AN EXPERT
Question from reader Lonnie Phifer:
People keep telling me to take silver as a supplement. They say it instantly makes them feel better and prevents them from getting sick. Is any of this true?
Answer:
The short answer is no, you shouldn’t orally take colloidal silver, often sold as a silver supplement. The Food and Drug Administration warned the public as far back as 1999 that colloidal silver had not been proven safe or effective for treating any disease or condition.
Colloidal silver can also lead to side effects such as argyria, a bluish-gray discoloration of the skin, and the poor absorption of some drugs, including certain antibiotics and thyroxine, which is used to treat thyroid deficiency.
THE GOOD STUFF
One thing you should be doing is cleaning your garbage disposal weekly if you use it every day. Another tip from us? Don’t use garbage disposal cleaners, lye, or chemical drain cleaners to do the job.
Why? Because many of these don’t do much to clean residue, and some contain corrosive chemicals that can damage the disposal’s metal components.
MUST-READS OF THE WEEK
🚘 How to Keep Your Car From Getting Stolen
A visible steering wheel lock, for example, can work well as a deterrent.
📱 Is It Worth It to Replace a Cracked Phone Screen?
A painful question I recently had to ask myself after my phone did a death drop.
🩸 Best Home Blood Pressure Monitors of 2023
Almost 46 percent of U.S. adults could benefit from blood pressure monitoring outside the doctor’s office, according to a 2019 study.
🍟 Best Kitchen Appliances of 2023 (available for CR members)
These are the best fridges, dishwashers, ranges, and more rated by us.
QUIZ ANSWER
The answer is C. More than 5,000 people (!) are injured in the U.S. every year when dressers or other clothing storage units tip over and fall on them. To prevent this from happening, we recommend anchoring your heavy furniture as well as your TVs.
You’ll need furniture restraints, also called anchoring kits, which are usually two brackets tethered by a strap or cable. One bracket will be screwed directly into your furniture, while the other fastens into a stud in the wall.
You can follow our instructions on how to anchor your furniture here:
Or read our advice on how to anchor furniture on drywall, a plaster wall, or a masonry wall.
"I don’t want no scrub."
Thanks for reading Smarter! If you want more tips that will make you a little bit smarter, sign up to have the newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every week.
