How We Review & Recommend Products & Services At Real Simple, we’re dedicated to finding smart solutions to everyday problems, including products and services that are designed to make your life easier. Our team of editors are meticulous when it comes to researching, testing, and curating products for our readers, and we always want to recommend products and brands that we truly believe in. Why You Should Trust Us When we recommend a product or service on Real Simple, we are doing so independently and without any outside influence. We occasionally accept products from brands and PR agencies, but all of our opinions on these products are entirely our own. That means we never accept products in exchange for a positive review, and we’re transparent in our articles about which products we received for free. We treat every product the same, whether it’s a gift or something we purchased ourselves, and we’ll only recommend a product if we think it’s worthy of a spot in your home. We know that finding the best products and services can be difficult, but we've made it our mission to provide accurate and unbiased information to help you make the right choice. It is against our editorial policy to accept content written by AI tools such as ChatGPT for publication on Real Simple. Real Simple is for everyone, regardless of race, identity, or ability. We’re dedicated to highlighting brands owned or founded by those who belong to a minority group, including people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or other people of color. We are also committed to hiring a diverse group of contributors and staff members on our team, which is outlined in Our Diversity and Inclusion Pledge. Henry Wortock What We Do Whether you’re looking for a pair of cooling sheets or an effective air purifier, we’ve got you covered. Our editors and writers are devoted to finding the best products and services, which means we dedicate our time to conducting research, interviewing experts, and understanding the market. Our experts include interior designers, retail leaders, and industry insiders—basically the people you can trust to give you the best tips and insights. Whenever we can, we also test products in our labs or at home to thoroughly vet them. We also know that everyone’s preferences are different, so we like to offer a variety of options for every type of person or need. We always consider value when making recommendations, and curate our product selections with a range of budgets in mind. Our top priority is to guide you towards products that are a good value, no matter what your budget is. In short, we consider ourselves experts when it comes to online shopping, and we want to pass along our smartest tips and most useful product and service picks to you. In addition to lists of the best products for your home, we share new products we’re excited about and sales you won’t want to miss, as well as personal testimonials about the products we love and use every day. Rachel Marek How We Test Our Products Because you can’t test out 30 irons before buying The One, we’re dedicated to doing the work for you. We have three testing labs where we test products big and small (like patio umbrellas and food storage containers), and we also conduct at-home tests on products that require testing over weeks or months. Our goal is to determine whether each product lives up to what it claims to do, and ultimately whether it’s worth purchasing. How We Review Services For any service that can’t be tested by a writer or editor, such as piano movers or roach exterminators, we heavily research the topic area and analyze a wide range of data points in order to make company recommendations. All services we consider for a specific category are evaluated using the same set of criteria, like price range, nationwide availability, and customer service accessibility. Every criteria point is assigned a weight as a means to score each company. These numbers are then used to compile our “Best of” lists. We also ask subject matter experts to weigh in with their thoughts, giving readers all the tools they need to make well-informed decisions. How We Find Deals It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of “deals” on the Internet—and it’s especially hard to know what’s actually a good deal. Our editors are always searching for the best deals, and they’re dedicated to cutting through the fluff and sharing which sales are actually worth your attention. We take Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Prime Day seriously, getting up at the crack of dawn to find the biggest discounts and most exciting deals so you don’t have to. We always stay up to date on the latest trends and buzziest brands, so we can tell you exactly where to buy the most stylish decor and whether or not the newest high-tech robot vacuum is worth upgrading to. We take pride in knowing the ins and outs of the entire home goods market, from cute dresses and comfortable shoes to robot vacuums and stain removers. Russell Kilgore How We Make Money If you click on a product we recommend on our site and make a purchase, we may receive an affiliate commission. This is the case for some, but not all, of the product links we feature. We only link to retailers that we trust—ones that are dependable, legitimate, and provide good customer service. Safety As a consumer, it’s important to note that all products, including those we have featured on our site, may be subject to recalls. We encourage you to keep an eye on official announcements from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for the latest information on recalls. We also recommend registering any purchase you make with the manufacturer—if a recall is issued, the manufacturer should alert you. Contact Us If you have questions, comments, or opinions you’d like to share with our team, please feel free to email us at [email protected].