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Ask Wirecutter: How Do I Improve the Lighting in My Dingy Bathroom?

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Welcome to Ask Wirecutter, where deputy editor Annemarie Conte helps you figure out how to make the most of your stuff in real life. If you have a shopping conundrum for our advice columnist, submit it using this form or via Annemarie's Instagram , where she occasionally posts question prompts for you. Dear Wirecutter, The lighting in my windowless bathroom is a mishmash of bulbs that came with my apartment when I moved in. They’re either too dim or too bright, and together they create a dingy yellow and clinical blue ambiance. Whether I’m getting ready in the morning or relaxing in the bath in the evening, I want my bathroom to feel warm and inviting, but also fresh and clean. In the few instances I’ve attempted to research lighting, I get overwhelmed with all the choices: bulb types, wattage, color ranges, durability, for overhead or vanity lighting, etc. Can you please help me? M.C. Dear M.C., I don’t blame you for being overwhelmed. When I asked our experts — who are h...

Which iPhone Should I Get?

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If you have an iPhone that you’re happy with, keep it. We don’t think you should upgrade just because Apple has released new phones. But if your current phone is running too slowly or is damaged, or if you’re simply ready for an upgrade and you want a new phone now, we recommend the Apple iPhone 17 . It offers an almost Pro-like iPhone experience, with a bigger display and a higher refresh rate, excellent cameras, lengthy battery life, and a powerful processor. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/wHZzloU via IFTTT

Stop Using So Much Dish Soap (And Other Portion Size Advice)

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A capful of laundry detergent. A squeeze of dish soap. A dollop of sunscreen. It’s easy to portion out these measurements almost mindlessly, rarely stopping to wonder if it’s the right amount of these everyday essentials. Although many times this may not be a big deal, in some scenarios using too much or too little of a product can yield lousy results. That’s why we dove into the deep end of various Wirecutter guides to find out which of our guesstimates were wildly off the mark. Here are the suggested “serving” sizes of common household supplies that surprised us the most. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/QSOGZ8g via IFTTT

Pokémon Pokopia Is the Video Game Equivalent of a Weighted Blanket

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The news. A ceaseless gray winter. Even more news. An ongoing parade of small personal disasters. An unrelenting amount of news. Life has been coming from all sides, and I can feel the burnout creeping in. But the perfect antidote arrived in the form of Pokémon Pokopia , a new cozy town-builder-meets-mystery game for the Nintendo Switch 2 that has helped to soothe my strung-out brain and get me back on track. For months I’ve been craving a break from the mounting frustrations of everyday life, and it’s fitting that the answer came to me in the form of a video game where all the humans have gone missing. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/oTOiy8u via IFTTT

How to Make Your Old Computer Feel New Again

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If you’ve had your computer for more than a few years, it might not feel as responsive as it did the day you bought it. Perhaps it’s slow to boot up, or apps take longer to launch and seem sluggish to use. But you might not need to buy a brand-new PC. In fact, to fix this problem you might not even need to spend any money at all. First, try these steps to clean up your old computer, and it may feel brand-new once again. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/QyigZWB via IFTTT

The Best Media Streaming Devices

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Who needs a separate streaming media player these days? You already have plenty of ways to get apps such as Netflix or Disney+ on your TV. Pretty much all modern TVs are smart TVs with streaming services baked right in. Sources like Blu-ray players , game consoles , and cable boxes also have built-in apps. If you’re a casual streamer who subscribes to only one or two services, you probably don’t need a media streaming device. But if streaming is your primary way of connecting to the home-entertainment world, you should get a dedicated media streaming device that’s more powerful, more customizable, and more diverse in its offerings. We recommend the Google TV Streamer (4K) because its modern interface, advanced search functionality, and ease of use set it squarely ahead of the competition. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/wpSdLeU via IFTTT

This Tiny Laundry Tweak Helps Keep Towels Mildew-Free

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Something I’ve had to come to terms with when it comes to living with other people: Not everyone shares the same standards for cleanliness as you do. And no amount of needling and nagging will change that. Even my husband, Jeffery — whom I consider to be tidier and even more fastidious with organization than I am — has his undesirable habits. But the thing we argue about the most? His bath towels always seem to get that unmistakable mildew smell faster than mine. It’s a maddening issue because we haven’t been able to figure out exactly why  his towels get funkier faster. We’ve run this through every possible scenario we can think of: Does he not drip-dry as much as I do before getting out of the shower? Does water cling more tightly to bodies that have more hair? Does our bathroom have such poor circulation that our towels don’t get dry enough? Or is my sense of smell so disturbingly keen that I’ll never make peace with the odors in our house? While the last bit is probably tr...