Around the house

Cleaning, air quality and the things that keep a house comfortable.

• What matters in a robot vacuum for pet hair

  Brush rolls that don't tangle, bins that don't overflow, and why suction numbers in pascals are mostly marketing.

• Smart plugs: what they're good for and what never to plug into one

  Wi-Fi bands, Matter and voice assistants, load ratings, energy monitoring, and the appliances that shouldn't run through a smart plug.

• Memory foam, latex or fiberfill: how to choose a mattress topper

  What a topper can and can't fix, how thickness and foam density matter, sleeping hot, and certifications to look for.

• How to size an air purifier for your room (CADR explained)

  Use CADR, not marketing square footage, to match a purifier to your room. Plus true HEPA, filter costs and the purifiers to avoid.

• How to choose a weighted blanket: weight, size and fill

  The usual weight guideline, why a weighted blanket shouldn't be sized like a comforter, glass beads vs. plastic pellets, and who shouldn't use one.

• How to choose a dehumidifier for a damp basement

  Why a '50-pint' unit today can equal an old '70-pint' one, how to avoid emptying a bucket twice a day, and what cold basements do to dehumidifiers.

• Evaporative, ultrasonic or warm mist: which humidifier should you get?

  How each humidifier type works, the 'white dust' problem, safety around kids, and the cleaning routine that keeps a humidifier from making air worse.

• Cordless stick vacuums: runtime, bins and what to check before you buy

  Why advertised runtime rarely matches real cleaning, swappable batteries, floor heads for carpet and hard floors, and sealed filtration.