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Consumer Reports kitchen guide helps homeowners get the luxury look—for thousands less
[Jun. 8, 2012] Consumer Reports’ latest 26-page kitchen package confirms that consumers don’t need a bottomless budget to get a kitchen that looks and feels expensive, with expert tips, test ratings and brand-reliability results to help homeowners save thousands of dollars.

Consumer Reports: Even slackers can have great lawns
[Apr. 6, 2012] Americans love their lawns but not the work needed to keep them lush. In fact, just 7 percent of adults prefer working on their lawn to other chores and activities, according to a Consumer Reports survey. Sixty-two percent said they’d rather cook, one third said they rather visit their in-laws, while nearly one in five (17%) said they’d rather go to the dentist. A new report in the May 2012 issue of Consumer Reports outlines several ways in which homeowners can reduce up to 60 hours of yard care per year and still have an attractive lawn.

White Cloud flushes the competition in Consumer Reports’ toilet paper ratings
[Apr. 4, 2012] Balancing strength and softness is often the biggest challenge for toilet paper, but White Cloud 3-Ply Ultra Soft and Thick (Walmart) proved that one product can have it all in Consumer Reports’ latest Ratings of toilet paper. Twenty-five varieties of toilet papers were tested for strength, softness, tearing ease and disintegration and products with “green” claims often made trade-offs between these features.

ShopSmart’s simple fall fix-ups
[Sep. 27, 2011] Fall is the best time to get your house in order because come winter, small problems can turn into big-dollar nightmares. The October 2011 issue of ShopSmart magazine, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, highlights key household maintenance tasks for the fall that can save readers more than $20,000 in repairs.

Use a landscape professional. They can obtain the plants, plant them and guarantee them
[Jul. 22, 2011] When looking for crepe mytle plants I recommend you use a professional landscaper. They can obtain the plants, plant them for you and guarantee them. By Tom Glendinning

Consumer Reports finds that pricey dish soaps are not better at cleaning
[Apr. 14, 2011] Store shelves are lined with dozens of dish liquids in a row of rainbow colors and a garden of scents but do the products heavily touted on TV have superior cleaning power? Not necessarily, according to Consumer Reports tests, which found that cheaper dish liquids clean just as well as their costlier counterparts.

Spring cleaning tips on how to get rid of practically anything
[Apr. 1, 2011] Springtime means out with the old and in with the new. But for those living with cluttered garages, basements, and closets, cleaning up can be a hassle. What should people do with their old kid’s clothes, ancient tube TVs and beat up couches? Consumer Reports offers a quick and easy guide on how to get rid of practically anything in its March issue and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.

ShopSmart’s instant clutter busters
[Feb. 3, 2011] Organizing is one of those big, dreaded jobs that’s easy to keep putting off—but it doesn’t have to be daunting if you start small. The March 2011 issue of ShopSmart magazine, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, features a guide to the top smart mini-projects designed to give readers a jump start on organizing their homes.

Consumer Reports finds which mattress brands fared best & where to shop
[Sep. 23, 2009] Buying a bed can be tricky. Different retailers rarely call a model by the same name and sales seem to be perpetual, leaving shoppers in the dark about bottom-line prices. What’s a shopper to do? Consumer Reports asked 17,444 online subscribers who recently bought a mattress if they were satisfied with their purchase and where to shop to get the best deal.

Top Consumer Reports homeowners insurance group ratings
[Aug. 25, 2009] Excellent homeowners insurance coverage can be costly and hard to get according to a Consumer Reports’ survey that asked 10,700 readers about their satisfaction with their homeowners insurance claims service in the last few years.

Over half of homeowners plan remodel projects this year; 65% will do some of the work
[Aug. 3, 2009] Consumer Reports latest poll on home remodeling reveals that over the next 12 months, 54 percent of homeowners are planning a remodeling project and nearly two-thirds (65%) plan to do at least some of the work themselves. The most popular types of work include painting (56%), designing (39%) and flooring (34%).

Consumer Reports highlights best kitchen and bath products
[Jul. 4, 2009] The August issue of Consumer Reports’ features the top kitchen and bath products ranging from refrigerators, cooking appliances, dishwashers, to flooring, countertops, toilets and showerheads. Consumers can find top-performing products that fit within their budget without sacrificing style.

Consumer Reports top laundry detergent picks can save up to $140 per year
[Jun. 4, 2009] Consumer Reports’ latest tests of laundry detergents revealed that using top-rated detergents like Tide 2X Ultra for Cold Water in cold water cycles, can save people up to $140 per year. At 19 cents per average load, it costs roughly $80 per year less than the priciest detergents, and using cold water can trim another $60 in energy costs.

Consumer Reports finds that you can save up to $130 a year by switching toilet paper
[Apr. 26, 2009] Consumers don’t have to pay a lot for strong and soft toilet paper, according to the latest report from Consumer Reports. Store brands like Costco’s Kirkland Signature and Walmart’s White Cloud cost roughly half as much as brand-name toilet paper, and scored very good or better for softness and disintegration in Consumer Reports’ tests.