Posts

Worried About Your Gas Stove? Here’s What to Do.

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Worried that using your gas stove is negatively affecting your health? Though experts and pundits continue to debate the fine points, gas stoves have long been shown to release potentially harmful pollutants like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and nitrogen dioxide , a respiratory irritant . New studies have also linked gas stoves to increased rates of childhood asthma and have shown that using a gas stove can produce elevated levels of benzene on a par with those from secondhand tobacco smoke, or more tiny toxic particles than the exhaust of a diesel-powered vehicle. The good news is, you can mitigate risks right now — even if your household includes kids with asthma — by getting more fresh air into your kitchen while you cook. Here are some tips. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/yTXVp1n via IFTTT

Want to Age Well at Home? Take Our Room-by-Room Tour.

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Aging in place — growing old in your own home rather than a nursing home — offers a lot of benefits. You’re in the comfort of familiar surroundings, and you retain independence. And depending on your health and level of home care, it can be less expensive. But it also involves risks. As people age, dexterity and balance typically decrease, social isolation can become a problem, and simple chores and home upkeep may prove more difficult. You can reduce or eliminate many of those risks by reevaluating the things in your home and how you use them. We spoke with a wide range of occupational therapists and other aging specialists — all of whom have conducted aging-in-place home assessments — and got their advice on how to transition your living space so that it’s safe, secure, and ready to foster your independence as you age. The experts we spoke with stressed that adapting your home for aging is a process that you must customize to your own needs — and that it’s best to take a proacti...

A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Better Coffee Beans

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Listen and follow The Wirecutter Show Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio For the perfect cup of coffee, you need good beans. In this bonus episode, we talk with Sum Ngai, co-founder of Coffee Project New York and certified Q-grader (it’s like a sommelier, but for coffee!), to demystify the art of choosing a bean you’ll love. Sum breaks down everything a novice needs to know to shop with confidence, from decoding mysterious tasting notes, to understanding why you should avoid brewing coffee that was roasted too recently. Plus, learn what to expect from coffee grown in different regions and why buying whole beans is the move for a better morning cup. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/pAkB2Wn via IFTTT

The Best Outdoor Patio Heaters

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When it’s a bit too cold to comfortably sit outside, a reliable outdoor patio heater can help you enjoy the great outdoors anyway. For the most substantial warmth, try a propane-powered patio heater like the AZ Patio Heaters HLDS01-xx . from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/y1koVRB via IFTTT

Peel-and-Stick Tiles Never Fooled Me. Then I Tried These Sheets of Lustrous Mother-of-Pearl.

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Last summer, while browsing online to help my sister with a home reno (giving free advice is one peril of being a designer-turned-writer), I stumbled upon a gorgeous photo of mother-of-pearl tiles in an airy, bright bathroom. I was shocked to learn that they were actually peel-and-stick tiles and not the real thing. When I worked in interior design, I sometimes used adhesive peel-and-stick tiles for quick staging jobs, but these looked nothing like the vinyl or gel-resin sheets I was used to. Those peel-and-stick sheets offered a fast, dramatic, reno-free transformation, but up close, no one would be fooled into thinking they were real. But those pretty mother-of-pearl tiles were real — and they were also peel-and-stick. I was curious to see if they indeed looked classy, not cheap, IRL, and if they’d be as easy to install as their vinyl counterparts. After considering dozens of peel-and-stick mother-of-pearl tiles online, I chose to test some sold by Kasaro that are highly rated an...

The Best Fast Chargers for Every Device

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The outdated USB chargers clogging store shelves and online listings won’t charge your latest gear as fast as possible. New fast chargers are safe, affordable, and up to three times faster than the old ones many people have had lying around for years. We’ve tested the best fast chargers and collected our recommendations — no matter what phone, tablet, or computer you use — on this page. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/VOgtn8s via IFTTT

The Best Office Chair

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Many cheap office chairs can make you feel as if you’ve been crammed into a torturous economy seat on a cross-country flight. But quality office chairs give you an upgrade to first class — they’re designed to support your body comfortably for the long haul. We’ve researched dozens of office chairs, interviewed four ergonomics experts, and asked test panelists (with a variety of body types) to sit in deliberation for more than 175 collective hours. Since 2015, we’ve found that the Steelcase Gesture is the best office chair for most people. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/mlHScDZ via IFTTT