Smarter: You’re Not Cleaning Your Toilet Brush Often Enough
This week, I’m getting my hands dirty and diving deep into the question a lot of us are afraid to ask: Am I cleaning my toilet brush enough? Also in this issue: a Heinz ketchup bottle that’s a bit too enthusiastic about gore, why you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a pressure washer, and more.
THE BIG STORY
‘Flushed With Success’This is how I clean my toilet with a toilet brush: gingerly, like I’m defusing a bomb.
This is how I put that toilet brush back into its holder: furtively, almost as if I’m doing something wrong. I pop it back in as fast as I can, all the while ignoring the unsightly scene of water dripping from the brush and pooling at the bottom of the holder.
I also try not to think about how often that toilet brush has been deep cleaned because the answer would be virtually never. My idea of “cleaning” the toilet brush is often to halfheartedly swirl it in the water and then pat myself on the back, thinking, “Well, that’s a job kinda sorta done.”
QUIZ
Some new vehicles are now using in-cabin cameras to make sure drivers are paying attention when the automated driving system is on. Among these three, which driver monitoring system do you think performed most poorly in CR’s safety tests?
A. GM’s
B. Ford’s
C. Tesla’s
THE GOOD STUFF
This is why you don’t want to get on the bad side of a pressure washer.
THIS OR THAT
Should you go for a soft-sided or hard-shell luggage when you’re buying a new travel bag? Here are some of the pros and cons of both.
Soft-Sided Luggage
✅ Can compress better in tight spaces, such as the overhead bin on a plane.
✅ Takes up less storage room at home.
👎 Is vulnerable to ripping if the fabric it’s made with is not high-quality.
Hard-Shell Luggage
✅ Is better at protecting breakable items.
✅ Tends to be more secure than soft-sided luggage because it doesn’t rip as easily and usually has integrated locks.
👎 Its rigidity doesn’t really allow you to overpack or squeeze in extra stuff.
Check out the luggage brands we recommend, or if you’re looking for something smaller to travel with (because checked bags are a gigantic pain), here is our evaluation of the best weekender bags.
ESSENTIAL READS OF THE WEEK
😨 Is Our Ground Meat Safe to Eat?
We tested 351 packages of ground meat, and the results we found were alarming.
🔎 What Your Web Browser’s Incognito Mode Really Does
“They aren’t bulletproof.”
🥒 5 Easy Ways to Eat More Plants and Less Meat
Beef, it’s been real.
💵 Our Favorite Early Deals for Amazon’s Prime Day 2022
Prime Day is July 12 and 13, but these items may be worth getting now.
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Once in a while, you might stumble upon a packaging description or ad that makes you go, “Uhhh, someone please explain what this is to me.”
Here’s a classic case in point:
I love tomatoes. I like ketchup. I don’t know if the mental image of tomato blood being squirted on french fries does much for my appetite (even if this 2021 limited-release product from Heinz is Halloween-themed).
The Heinz tomato blood ketchup is not the only unusual item our readers have spotted. Check out the funniest products and signs we’ve rounded up recently, including dubious instructions for fireworks and a super-effective sign that will keep trespassers out.
Seen an ad that has goofed? Spotted a product that makes you blurt out, “Huh”? Please let us know (and include your name and location). Their mistakes—or quirks—are our gain.
QUIZ ANSWER
The answer is C, Tesla. In our evaluation, we found that Tesla’s driver-monitoring system is not as effective as Ford’s BlueCruise and GM’s Super Cruise systems at keeping drivers engaged—even with the most recent over-the-air software updates.
CR’s auto tests show that drivers can still use Tesla’s Autopilot if they are looking away from the road or using their phones.
By comparison, GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise reliably alert the driver and intervene if their cameras determine that the driver isn’t looking toward the road in our tests.
You can watch a video that shows the difference between Tesla and Ford’s systems below.
"Toilets. What a concept!"