There’s no good way to know whether you’ll love a vodka before you try it, since you can’t realistically judge a bottle’s quality based solely on its price, base material, or labeling. And unfortunately, most buzzwords found on labels are purely marketing devices that don’t signify quality. For example, many brands advertise the number of…

Small spaces, like tight hallways or entries, often lack abundant natural light. In such cases, a well-placed mirror can give the illusion of more space while helping to reflect and disperse what light there is. Hang your mirror on a wall across from a light source (like an adjacent window or lamp), and the reflection…

To move beyond basic cranberry-and-sodas, a few essentials can help you with infusion and extractions to create more layered, complex flavors. Many of the recipes in Both Sides of the Glass feature herbs such as mint and basil, which add green and floral notes and a fresh olfactory burst to drinks. Muddling — the process…

This is not a comprehensive list of all the dish racks we’ve tested, just what’s still available. Countertop dish racks Target’s Brightroom Large Steel Dish Drainer is extremely spacious and can hold many styles of dinnerware. However, it doesn’t come with a drainboard, and the Brightroom drainboard we tested alongside it arrived extremely warped (and…

The Beautypeak 64″x 21″ Full Length Mirror Arched comes at a reasonable price but with many quality sacrifices: It’s made from ultra-thin, light glass, resulting in a reflection even more warped than the otherwise similar Mercer 41 Dronfield Metal Arch Mirror we recommend above. Like the Dronfield, it can also stand on its own with…

Your bath linens are begging for a deep clean The borax I use to get the funk out of my bath towels. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter The most likely culprit behind mildewy smells in a bathroom are bath towels, robes, mats, and other linens that develop mildew before they can fully dry. Mildew odor is particularly…

Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter Top pick Unlike nearly all other multi-bit precision screwdrivers, the Megapro 24-in-1 has an ergonomic handle, a spinning cap, and excellent bit storage. Most multi-bit precision screwdrivers are very basic, and although they do the job, they are limited and often awkward to use. The Megapro 24-in-1 Multi-Bit Precision Screwdriver represents a…

In this edition of Clean Everything, our experts share their best tips to beautify unsightly spots around the home. Instead of trying to hide away every single unsightly, utilitarian thing in your home, it’s sometimes worth just investing in an upgrade that looks beautiful left out on its own. Take this non-hideous outlet extender —…

Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter Top pick This crowd-pleasing pillow is made with luxurious memory foam that is responsive and contours to your head. It’s one of the few options you can try in a store, but you can’t return it. The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt ProHi Pillow is the highest-quality one-piece foam pillow we tried. Made with the…

Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter Top pick Offering low operating costs, quick printouts, and useful features, this is the best laser printer you can get for around $180. Who this is for: Anyone who needs a basic monochrome printer for straightforward print jobs. Why we like it: Laser printers are well suited for people who don’t need…