Good Housekeeping: New Time-Saving Products
Sept. 2, 2004 -- Good Morning America continued its "Beating the Clock" series with time-saving tips from Ellen Levine, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping magazine.
Levine revealed new time-saving products tested by scientists at the Good Housekeeping Institute.
Liz Claiborne Care-Free Bedding
Most people don't wash their comforter or duvet as often as they wash their sheets. Levine says this product gives people an opportunity to not have to worry about stains caused by eating or drinking in bed. They can simply spot clean the bedding as opposed to having to wash the whole thing.
The Good Housekeeping Institute tested the comforter by staining it with red wine, coffee, coke, ink, mustard, spaghetti sauce and butter. Testers found that most stains came out of the bedding, since the coating helped to prevent the stain from penetrating deeply into the fabric. Duvet $59.99-$99.99; Sham/Bedskirt $39.99-$49.99
Swiffer Sweeper Vac
Levine says this product saves time because it allows users to use just one cleaning device for two jobs. The Swiffer part picks up the fine dirt and the vacuum part picks up larger particles.
The Good Housekeeping Institute tested the Swiffer Sweeper Vac with various soils like sugar, oatmeal, kitty litter and breadcrumbs for performance. The soils were vacuumed, and the amount picked up was measured after a certain number of strokes. Testers said the pickup performance was excellent. Now sold at supermarkets, Wal Mart, Target. $29.99.
No-Iron Shirts
The No-Iron shirts eliminate the need to iron dress shirts. With these garments you just wash, dry and wear.
The Good Housekeeping Institute tested the shirts by washing them and tumble drying them up to 50 times. The more expensive (more than $32) shirts revealed the best results. The following brands performed best, according to Good Housekeeping: LL Bean, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Liz Claiborne ($39.50-$65.00).
Cover Girl Continuous Color Nails 3-in-1 Polish
Levine says Cover Girl's Continuous Color Nails 3-in-1 Polish eliminates the need to apply multiple coats of nail polish (base coat, two coats of color and top coat).
The Good Housekeeping Institute tested Cover Girl Continuous Color Nails 3-in-1 Polish ($2.99) versus a traditional multiple-coat polish using a volunteer panel for drying time, appearance and longevity. Testers found the new polish eliminated the need for the traditional base and top coats.
Good Housekeeping's Bonus Tips:
Save time when doing laundry by having three bags to separate laundry in: one for colors, one for whites and one for darks.
Place a lazy Susan in your under-the-sink bathroom cabinet to organize bathroom items like nail polish and small bottles. That way you won't waste time rifling through bathroom cabinet drawers to find what you need.
Put a replacement garbage bag in the bottom of the can for quick changes.
To quickly whiten and remove stains from porcelain sink: fill sink with 1 gallon of water and add 3/4 cup bleach. Let stand 10 minutes, drain and rinse.