2026: The Year You Start Sleeping Well

Innerspring mattresses are made up of coils topped with fabric or foam (or both). Hybrid mattresses (a mix of innerspring and foam) have thicker layers of foam on top of the springs. On a standard innerspring you’ll feel like you’re floating on top, rather than melting into the mattress. Foam mattresses are made from synthetic…

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Best Patio Coolers

Patio coolers are larger-capacity coolers on wheels that can be kept outside throughout the summer season. CR has reviewed small coolers and wine fridges and regularly tests full-sized refrigerators, so we decided to evaluate outdoor cooler carts, too. After setting up three patio coolers in our lab, recording the temperature inside each cooler for 26…

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How to Winterize Your Lawn Mower

2. Address the Power Source For a Gas-Powered Mower: Remove or Stabilize the FuelSimply leaving fuel in the tank all winter can wreak havoc on your mower’s engine. Water from condensation can combine with ethanol in the gas, causing clogs, corrosion, and other problems throughout the fuel system. Come springtime, you could be in for…

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Do You Really Need a Slushie Machine at Home?

To find out whether you should invest in a dedicated frozen drink machine, we tested three from Ninja, Margaritaville, and GreenPan, and compared them to one of CR’s top-rated blenders, the Vitamix Ascent X2. We made soda slushies, frozen margaritas, chocolate milkshakes, and piña colada mocktails and hosted a taste test in the lab to…

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Surfshark Promo Codes: 87% Off | March 2026

Surfshark is one of our favorite VPNs to get around geographical restrictions on content (aka access Netflix) and protect your web traffic while using an open Wi-Fi hotspot. Surfshark is secure, and it provides great value for the money if you pay for two years upfront. We also like that Surfshark’s plans are simple: A…

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What the New Child Car Seat Regulations Mean for Parents

“213a is major progress for child passenger safety in the U.S.,” Thomas says, noting that similar side-impact protections already exist in European car seats because of car seat regulations in the European Union.  Under the new regulations, manufacturers are required to test car seats for children up to 40 pounds for side-impact protection using an…

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