Tag Archives: household

I bought a new-build home this year. It seemed like every property that I had looked at in my budget had a massive (and massively expensive) repair issue. Sometimes it was as simple as outdated electrical wiring or older pipes, but one seller was upfront that the entire property floods …

As we’re currently seeing with AI, when a new technology becomes buzzy, companies will do almost anything to cram that tech into their products. Trends fade, however, and corporate priorities shift—resulting in bricked gadgets and buyer’s remorse. That’s what's happening to some who bought Oral-B toothbrushes with Amazon Alexa built …

Cleaning your floors is a vile, tedious chore, which ultimately has less to do with the task itself, and more to do with the general sense that the tools available for the job are inadequate. I have two kids, a big dog, and a big house. Most cleaning tools are …

As the nights draw in and fall gives way to winter, it’s worth thinking about how smart home devices can protect your household. Whether you are worried about porch pirates snagging holiday packages or burglars breaking in when you are away visiting relatives, there are some simple ways to make …

The house in New Jersey came with a menagerie of control panels. Pallid little rectangles with fuzzy LCD screens, of varying brands and designs. Some were decades old, and there were six of them in total, dotted around various rooms. Joe Truncale, a customer engineer at Google, remembers trying to …

If you're shopping for indoor or outdoor security cameras, video doorbells, or a mix of all three to cover your property, finding a system you can trust is tougher than it should be. Between security scandals, shoddy software, expensive subscriptions, and laggy feeds, you'll struggle to find a bulletproof security …

My progress toward a truly “smart” home has been painfully slow. I’m sick of unreliable voice commands, flaky smart switches, and poorly designed apps. Where’s the seamless experience that was promised? As my wife often points out, if it’s not easier than flicking the regular old switch or drawing the …

For the past month or so, my electric toothbrush has been charging wirelessly, but not the way you think. My toothbrush charger is not plugged into an outlet. There are no wires or cables. The charging cradle can sit anywhere on the bathroom counter and continue to charge my toothbrush. …

Buying a mattress online offers lots of convenience, but the purchase is only half the battle. I’ve been testing mattresses as a part of my job for nearly four years, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the process. Here’s the best advice I have to give for setting …

Sweet dreams start with soft sheets. Or, at the very least, great sheets mean I sleep better, whether my dreams are peaceful or a hallucination of failed superpowers and the internet. There's a lot to navigate when buying sheets for your bed, from understanding percale and sateen to thread counts. …