Easy Shop DropConsumer Shopping Reviews

Hoover Corp. could reap a vacuum-sales bonanza after yanking its ads from All My Children and One Life to Live to protest ABC’s cancellation of the storied soaps. After a Hoover executive posted the news on the company’s Facebook page, dozens of fans detailed plans to buy the brand’s vacuums out of gratitude–and Soap Opera Digest has declared this Friday “Buy Hoover Day.” But be warned: Just as the soaps have slipped in the TV ratings, so has Hoover in some Consumer Reports reliability scores.

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Some quintessential American names like GE, Walmart, Oracle and Caterpillar have been adding more jobs abroad while shedding them in the U.S., according this report in today’s Wall Street Journal. But Consumer Reports has found at least a few U.S. and foreign manufacturers that are still building fridges, stoves, and other home appliances right here.

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Warmer weather often means opening windows and airing out the house. It also means less time inside. Alas, both can create good business for burglars, who might watch to see whether you left those windows open when you went out to enjoy the sunshine.

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If you’ve ever hired a professional to paint your home, chances are he or she steered you toward a particular paint brand. Brand loyalty runs deep among contractors, in part because they have long-standing relationships with retailers that can make it difficult to switch, as this Consumer Reports video explains. “But the best paint for the pros is not always the best paint for homeowners,” says John Galeotafiore, associate director of home improvement in our technical division, who oversees paint testing.

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Talk about the munchies. A new study finds that indoor marijuana production in the United States gobbles up $5 billion worth of electricity each year. That’s approximately one percent of the nation’s total power consumption, or enough juice to keep the lava lamps burning in two million homes.

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Among the highest-priced models in Consumer Reports latest review of toilets is Kohler’s $500 Highline Comfort Height K-3493. The toilet didn’t make our recommended list, in part because of its steep price tag. But compared with Kohler’s newest offering, the $6,390 Numi toilet, $500 sounds like money well spent.

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The four-door option used to be reserved for car buyers. But four-door refrigerators are a growing segment of the appliance market, with many manufacturers adding the configuration to their latest product lines. These refrigerators resemble popular French-door models, but with an additional drawer between the double-door refrigerator and single-door bottom freezer. As part of Consumer Reports continuous testing of refrigerators, we recently reviewed a trio of four-door models by Kenmore, LG, and Samsung.

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Cub cadet has recalled 4,300 riding mowers that can develop a fuel leak and pose a fire hazard. The recall includes 10 models of zero-turn-radius mowers sold in February and March for between $3,600 and $7,000.

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Our latest list of Best & Worst Home & Yard Products includes a rogues’ gallery of unimpressive coffeemakers, air purifiers, oven cleaners, and others from our tests. But we’ve also seen some product categories we once maligned turn into winners—and others remain iffy in our tests.

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Homeowners in arid Arizona have resorted to coloring their grass as a cheaper alternative to constant watering or installation of expensive synthetic turf. Lawn painting became a popular alternative when the recession hit, and can also keep homeowners’ associations happy.

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