Inside Consumer Reports Test Labs: Putting exterior siding through its paces

In years past, many homeowners decided against using vinyl siding for aesthetic reasons. One of the common knocks against this material had to do with the wavy, so-called oil-canning look that resulted from nails that were pounded in too tightly.

But with the waviness problem more or less eliminated—installers learned from their peers' mistakes, and many siding products are now more rigid—and thanks in part to its relatively low price and resistance to water and insects, vinyl now dominates the exterior-siding market.

Whether you use vinyl, plastic, or any other material, like those covered in our June 2009 report on siding and roofing, attractive siding can help boost the curb appeal of your home, important if you're selling your home.

"You have only one chance to make that first good impression," says Judy Moore, a regional vice president for the National Association of Realtors. "Exterior siding, roofing, the front door—all these things are crucial. The outside is a signal as to what the buyer can expect inside."

As you'll see in the video above, we tested both traditional vinyl siding and plastic shingles/shakes, which offer even more of a woodlike look with as little maintenance as vinyl. We also tested fiber-cement products, which cost about the same as vinyl and most resemble wood, even down to the need for periodical refinishing.

Our testers accelerated weathering tests to assess resistance to typical weathering cycles siding would encounter at your home, including heat, sunlight, and rain. They also measured how well the siding products withstood impacts in cold and warm temperatures. While the siding that scored the highest tended to be the thickest and priciest, we found exceptions. Our top picks in vinyl also included the Heartland Siding's HeartTech, which sells for a relatively low $75 per 100 square feet.—Ed Perratore | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Siding and roofing are among the five home repairs you shouldn't ignore. Read our full report on these building products and check out the ratings of siding and roofing (available to subscribers) to find the best materials for your home.

World Health Organization lowers recommended action level for radon; goal is to reduce lung-cancer risk

Based on recently completed research, the World Health Organization is recommending that homeowners take action to remediate the radon level in their home if it exceeds 100 becquerels (Bq), which corresponds to 2.7 picocuries per liter (pCi/L).That's lower than the 4.0 pCi/L current action level in this country as recommended by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.

The WHO also says that if this level can't be reached because of country-specific conditions, the action level should not exceed 300 Bq, or about 8 pCi/L. 

The WHO research, based on four years of work by 100 scientists from 30 countries, appears in the "WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon" (PDF).

The EPA has just learned of the WHO's recommendation, according to Tom Kelly, acting director of the EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air. The EPA regularly reexamines its recommendations on radon and will take the WHO's advice into account but is not changing the level now. "The WHO does not say 2.7 is a safe level; there is no safe level. The EPA has said that homeowners should consider mitigation at levels of 2.0 pCi/L," says Kelly. "At levels of 4.0 pCi/L, homeowner should be very concerned. What's most important is that homeowners have their homes tested and that our message on radon is simple, clear, memorable, and actionable."
 
Radon, a radioactive gas, results from the natural decay of uranium that's present in most soils and can enter the home through cracks and holes in the foundation. Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers. The WHO states that as many as 14 percent of lung-cancer cases in many countries, including the United States, are caused by exposure to radon. Smokers who live in a home with radon face an even higher lung-cancer risk.
 
Detecting radon is relatively simple and fixing the problem isn't difficult. However, as we found in our latest report on radon test kits, some kits underreported radon levels by almost 40 percent, so choosing the right one is crucial. Check out our ratings of radon test kits to find the most accurate, reliable models.

Long-term kits are more accurate because radon levels can vary from day to day. You should place the test kit(s) on the lowest occupied level of your home away from windows or vents.—Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Remember, radon levels can vary from one house to another in a neighborhood, so even if all surrounding homes are free of radon, you should have yours tested, especially important if you've done major structural renovations. To find a remediation contractor, contact your state radon office. Remediation will cost $800 to $2,500, depending on the radon-reduction system used and the characteristics of your home.

Inside Consumer Reports Test Labs: Checking out the latest toilets

Choosing a new toilet is a lot more complicated then it used to be. First, you have to choose between a gravity-flush and a pressure-assisted model. The latter generally use less water, but you might have to contend with a loud whoosh when you flush. Also, these toilets require water pressure of at least 25 pounds per square inch to work well.

While most of the 25 models tested for our latest report on toilets (story and ratings available to subscribers) use no more than the federally mandated 1.6 gallons of water per flush (gpf), more toilets use even less, including dual-flush models that have one flush mode for liquid waste and another for solid waste. (Read our Buzzword on greenflushing.)

Testers used blue dye to simulate liquid waste and a mix of 160 plastic balls, two latex cylinders, and seven sponges weighted with screws to mimic solid waste. Thirty-one gallons of blue dye and 1,125 flushes later, they found that not all models could flush with success. The 1.28-gpf Toto UltraMax II needed two flushes to clear all the dye. And some dual-flush toilets that tout their water-saving ability didn't do a great job either. On the solid-waste front, one model from Kohler clogged 25 percent of the time, and one from Briggs clogged half the time. But we did find two good sub-$300 performers from Gerber and Kohler. Do the job yourself, as detailed in this Weekend Project, and you might save enough to buy a top model in our ratings (available to subscribers).—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Read about the latest water-saving showerheads. Our recent tests of toilet paper found two brands that could save you up to $130 a year.

SiteSeeing: Howcast.com serves up DIYers delight of how-to videos

Howcast.com presents a wide-ranging array of 100,000 instructional videos provided by aspiring home-improvement experts, whose enthusiasm sometimes outpaces their subject knowledge and video skills; established home-improvement experts seeking a wider audience; and major retailers and service providers.

You might be intrigued by how-tos on surviving a bear attack and kissing like Angelina Jolie might be of interest, but if you're a dedicated DIYer looking for some home-related advice, check out the site's Home Improvement & Gardening Videos category. (We have not tested how-tos on the site so we can't speak to their safety or effectiveness.)

Instructions for installing toilets—see our latest report on and ratings of toilets (available to subscribers)—and freezing foods are well detailed, as is an article on troubleshooting a garage-door opener. Content partners such as Home Depot and Ace Hardware provide videos on using interior paints, and ServiceMagic.com offers pieces on painting siding and repairing drywall. (See our latest report on interior paint.)

Some videos can be enervating more than engaging. One piece on stripping paint starts out as exciting as, well, watching paint dry. It's only after six minutes that the producer reveals his secret: heating paint-encrusted hardware overnight in a pot full of soap and water.

Among the other nifty features in the videos are clickable bookmarks, which let you mouse over a point and jump to the step in a process and extensive guides to storyboarding a video and merging them with text instructions, something done well by Instructables.com, a similar how-to site we've profiled.

The site's contributors also do a good job combining their videos into playlists, such as the Get Your Grill On special, and wikis that meld text and video instructions, including advice for boosting home security and painting kitchen cabinets.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: We've added our own appliance and home-and-garden videos, blogs, and articles to our remodeled Kitchen-Planning Guide.

Booze and mowers/tractors don't mix

A 57-year-old New Hampshire man got into some serious legal trouble after being arrested and charged with driving a neighbor's lawn tractor while under the influence of alcohol.

"Believe it or not, if you are operating a riding lawn mower, it is considered a motor vehicle under state statute," said Wells Police Lt. Gerald Congdon in this story on Seacoastonline.com.

Michael Goode, who was arrested on two Class C felony charges, isn't the only one who drinks when he mows. In a 2008 poll of 1,005 adult homeowners conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, 12 percent of respondents admitted to drinking beer while mowing. An even higher number acknowledged two other dangerous mowing practices—skipping hearing protection and listening to music. (Watch the video for the story of one family's long comeback from a tragic mower-related injury.)

Sometimes riding mowers can prove unsafe when there's apparently no alcohol involved. Our latest coverage of mowers and tractors (story and ratings available to subscribers) included a report that showed that zero-radius-turn tractors could lose control when descending hills.

Our examination of data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission revealed that voluntary standards for rollover protection (and accessories like seat belts and roll bars) aren't preventing a rise in lawn tractor rollovers. And while robotic mowers might leave you more time to tipple, our tests found them to be not particularly effective and, in one case, downright dangerous.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Weekend Project: Mower maintenance details seven often-overlooked but essential steps that will make for safer mowing and help your mower or tractor last longer. And read about AutoROPS, which is designed to prevent tractor and riding-mower rollovers.

Is now the right time to buy new appliances? Sears offers buyer-protection program

Using lowest-price guarantees and haggling are just some of the money-saving tactics almost 25,000 Consumer Reports subscribers used during their most recent experiences buying small and major appliances, according to our new report on buying appliances.

Read the full story from the August 2009 issue, which includes ratings of 16 national and regional appliance retailers based on price, selection, service, product quality, staff knowledge and shopping and checkout ease (ratings available to subscribers).

Sears is rolling out its brand-new Sears Buyer Protection Program, its own take on similar efforts from programs from carmakers to lure customers. Effective today, if you use your Citibank-issued Sears card to buy major appliances that cost more than $399, Sears will cover the purchase if you lose your job. The program, which runs through August 1, 2009, will cover the cost of delivery, installation, and service agreements, if you bought those with the appliance(s), says Sears.

According to Sears, if you lose your full-time job 60 days after you buy your qualifying appliance(s) and up to a year from that date, the company will credit a twelfth of the total purchase price to your Sears account each month until you have a new job or the appliance is paid off. (You have to fill out the requisite paperwork, of course.) If you remain unemployed a year after you bought the merchandise, you'll receive a credit to your Sears account for any money remaining on the purchase, claims the retailer. As with any similar offer, you'll need to read all the details about the program.

Constantly changing terms and escalating rates can make using a credit or charge card a risky proposition. Paying cash will help you avoid some of those problems, and, as our survey respondents noted, could get you a discount at independent stores since they won't have to pay credit-card fees.

Our readers they said they prefer in-store to online shopping. Our experts also suggest that you:
• Use a service like PriceGrabber.com to find the lowest price on an item.
• Check the appliance manufacturer's site for rebates and other incentives.
• Look for federal, state, and utility incentives for energy-efficient appliances.
• Decide whether it makes sense to have the item shipped to your home or to pick it up at a retailer's location nearest you.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Before you buy, find out whether it makes sense to repair your dishwasher, range, refrigerator, vacuum, or washer. If you need a new machine, use our newly updated Kitchen-Planning Guide to save thousands on your next kitchen project. And check out the latest deals on appliances at Home Depot, Lowe's, and Best Buy.

August 2009 Report on Dishwasher Detergents: Do greener cleaners get the job done?

Phosphates help dishwasher detergents clean better, but they also boost algae growth in freshwater, threatening fish and plant life. Bans on dishwasher detergents with all but trace amounts of phosphates, like the one in effect in Spokane, Washington, are designed to help the environment.

But many of the eco-friendly dishwasher detergents we recently tested are not great cleaners. Read our latest report on dishwasher detergents (available to subscribers) to find out which of the liquid, packet, powder, and tablet products scored the best in our tough tests, and watch our video on how we test dishwasher detergents (right).

To get the cleanest dishes, scrape off heavy soil before you load them into your dishwasher. Skip the prerinsing, which wastes energy and water. Then:
• Load large items at the sides and back so they don't block water and detergent.
• Face the dirtier side of dishes toward the center of the machine.
• Keep dishes and utensils from nesting.
• Place glasses upside down on prongs so that they don't fill with water. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you're in the market for a new dishwasher, read our latest report and check out our free buyer's guide.

Greenpeace develops mobile app for green paper products

Most Americans tend to show a preference for softer toilet papers. But that fondness for soft paper can have devastating impact on ancient forests, water sources, and wildlife worldwide, according to Greenpeace, which recommends that you buy the greenest paper products available, as covered in "Greenpeace Flushes Toilet Papers That Don't Meet Its Green Criteria."

Now the environmental-advocacy group has developed an application for the iPhone/iPod Touch, Android phones, and phones with Web capability that will allow you to get the information on more than 100 products in its "Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide" no matter where you are.

Greenpeace hopes that when you're staring at shelves filled with toilet papers, paper towels, napkins, and tissues you'll use the app and skip your usual papers—Americans are pretty loyal to their chosen brands of toilet paper—and buy green products. Greenpeace recommends only papers that are made of 100 percent recycled content and at least 50 percent postconsumer material and bleached without chlorine compounds.

Our recent tests of green toilet papers revealed that eco-friendly products have improved in recent years and come down in price. We also found that green papers disintegrated quickly, important to avoid damaging your plumbing or a septic system, but they proved only mediocre in softness and strength. At 8 cents per 100 sheets, Marcal Small Steps was one of the least expensive tested, recycled or not.

For details on 13 other toilet papers and three wipes, read our May 2009 report (available to subscribers).—Kimberly Janeway | e-mail | Twitter

BBC takes a peek inside the Microsoft Home concept space

The Microsoft Home, located in the company's the company’s Executive Briefing Center In Redmond, Washington, is designed to show you how technology will influence your home and your life on a day-to-day basis.

The BBC recently visited the facility and got a tour from Janet Galore, senior program manager of Microsoft's Strategic Prototyping group, gave the BBC a look around some of the prototype features. Watch the video (right) to see how your home might look over the next five to 10 years. e-mail | Twitter

Essential information: If you're more concerned about taking care of your home of the present, use our Home Improvement Guide interactive to find information on key products and services.

ShamWow fails to wow in Consumer Reports tests

If you've been blanketed by ads touting the ShamWow cloth and its ability to soak up copious spills, you're probably wondering how well this chamois-sponge-towel hybrid performs.

So we laid out $27.90 including handling and shipping for a set of four 19.5x23.5-inch and four 15x15-inch ShamWows. One of the key tests was to see how many times its weight in water the ShamWow can hold; pitchman Vince on the ShamWow Web site says the cloth can hold 12 times its weight in liquid, though we've also seen this product advertised with claims of 10 and 20 times its weight.

Bob Karpel, a program leader in our Technical department, put the figure at 10 times its weight. (Watch the video, right.) That's not bad, but it's comparable to the performance of the average kitchen sponge, which costs less than the ShamWow.

If you have fumble-fingered kids or are a gearhead, you'll be happy to know that the ShamWow did hold slightly more spilled milk and used motor oil than sponges and cloths. But a pass from a damp ShamWow left a trail of droplets on the surface being cleaned, which required a cleanup pass from another cloth or a sponge.

The ShamWow does shine in some situations, such as when you're drying your just bathed pet—a sponge just won't cut it then and you might not want to use a good towel. e-mail | Twitter

Essential Information: Visit our cleaning-supplies page to find information on other cleaning supplies, and watch our videos on removing stains from carpets and getting tarnish off of silver.