Kristie Pryor

When I tested my own basement after buying a house in Zone 1, the kit came back at 6.8 pCi/L — nearly double the EPA action level. That single reading sent me down a rabbit hole of testing fans, calling contractors, and reading thousands of owner reviews. This guide is the result of that research: … Read more

If you’ve ever walked into your basement and been hit with that thick, musty smell, you already know why a dedicated basement dehumidifier matters. Basements sit below grade, surrounded by cool soil, and that ground temperature difference plus poor ventilation makes them humidity magnets. After testing dozens of compressor units side by side in real … Read more

I tested thermostatic shower valves across 8 brands for 90 days, and the difference between an average shower and a great one often comes down to that single piece of brass hidden behind your tile. Nothing ruins a morning faster than a sudden blast of cold water when someone flushes a toilet upstairs, and nothing … Read more

After upgrading our guest bathroom last spring, I spent three weeks installing and living with eight different bidet toilet seats to find the best bidet toilet seats worth your money. Our team has collectively tested more than 40 bidet seats over the past five years across three different homes. We tracked water temperature consistency, seat … Read more

I spent six weeks testing eight of the best smart toilets on the market, and the difference between a basic model and a truly great one is huge. The best smart toilets combine a heated seat, bidet cleansing, warm air drying, and automatic flushing into one seamless experience that genuinely changes how your bathroom feels … Read more

I spent the last three months testing eight different one piece toilets in my own home and a rental property, and the results surprised me. After flushing everything from toilet paper to, well, everything else, I found clear winners in every category. If you are searching for the best one piece toilets for your bathroom … Read more

About 2.5 billion people around the world live without a flushing toilet, and millions more in the U.S. deal with properties that simply can’t connect to a sewer line. After spending three months testing units in cabins, vans, and tiny homes, our team found the best composting toilets of solve a real problem without the … Read more

Finding the best tall toilets changed my daily comfort completely, and I wish someone had told me about them years ago. As someone who is 6’3″, I spent decades hunching over standard 15-inch toilets, which strained my knees and back every single morning. After testing more than a dozen models over the past year with … Read more

I spent the last 8 weeks living with eight different fireclay farmhouse sinks in my own kitchen renovation project, and the results surprised me. The cheapest model held up just as well as the priciest one in daily abuse tests, and two of them developed small chips from a single dropped cast iron pan. If … Read more

When I started testing outdoor lighting options for my own driveway last spring, I never expected solar flood lights to become my favorite category of home improvement gear. After installing, living with, and stress-testing 8 different models over 90 days of real-world conditions, I have put together this guide to help you pick the best … Read more