Here are the best appliances to get that 'fresh home feeling'
As the director of the Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, Carolyn Forte knows a thing or two about keeping a clean home. Not only does she oversee testing and research for cleaning appliances and products, she also shares tips and tricks in a monthly cleaning advice column called, "Ask the GH Cleaning Lab.” During these unprecedented times, a clean home can really make a difference on the health and well-being of you and your family. From vacuums and robot mops to air purifiers it can be difficult to know which products to choose, but in the video above, the “Queen of Clean” shares her top picks for cleaning appliances that are sure to deliver that fresh-home-feeling for years to come.
Video Transcript
CAROLYN FORTE: As the director of the Home Appliances and Cleaning Products lab at "Good Housekeeping" magazine, there's a thing or two I know about keeping a home fresh and clean. During these unprecedented times, keeping a clean home can have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing. But with so many cleaning appliances on the market to choose from, it can be difficult to know which ones to select. From vacuum cleaners to fabric steamers, here my top picks to get that fresh home clean feel.
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Now, the first product I recommend is a good upright vacuum. We like the Kenmore Elite upright. The vacuum has great tools, it has great suction, and it's certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation. It's got a HEPA filter, and it's going to pick up the finest and most microscopic particles.
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We recommend the Hoover ONEPWR cordless handheld. What we like about the Hoover system is that this one battery can be used in a variety of different appliances. It's really versatile. You can go anywhere with it. You can take it out to clean the car if you want to, with no need to be tied to an outlet. And it's small enough that you can stash it away even in a closet.
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One of the newest cleaning appliances that we've tested lately are the robot mops. And the one we like? The iRobot Braava jet. And it not only wet mops, but it dry mops, too. It can be used on all types of hard floors, so whether it's tile, or vinyl, or even sealed wood. On one charge, it'll do most average sized rooms. But the really cool part is, when the battery runs down, it goes back to its charging dock, recharges itself, comes out again, and picks up where it left off.
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One mop that we particularly like is the one from Bissell [DING] the Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop. It comes with a microfiber head, so you can just take that off and wash it so it's reusable. But one of the nice things about this Bissell Steam Mop is that you've got adjustable steam. You can put it on heavy duty steam for really tough soils with durable floors, and lighter steam for more delicate floors. So it will take care of those as well.
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One of the things that you might want to consider for keeping the air in your home clean is an air purifier. [DING] And one that we really like is the Blueair 211+. It's got multi-layer filters-- an outer filter that's easy to clean, and the inner filter has carbon in it. So not only does it help remove pollen, and dust, and smoke, but it removes odors from the air as well.
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Now that we're all home so much more, we're doing a lot more laundry. And if ironing is not your thing, a garment steamer could be the answer that you're looking for. And one we especially like, and that carries our "Good Housekeeping" seal, is the Extreme Steam Turbo Steamer. They are really super powerful when it comes to producing steam.
They don't spit. They don't splutter. They don't leave water spots in your clothes, which is really important and part of the testing that we do at "Good Housekeeping." You can do the bed skirt. You can bring it-- it's so portable and lightweight that you can really take it all over the house.
So that's a wrap I hope these suggestions and recommendations help you keep your home fresh and clean.
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