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17 Best Mattresses Tested and Reviewed By Experts (2023)

17 Best Mattresses Tested and Reviewed By Experts (2023)

There are a few mattresses we tested that don’t stand out as much but are worth mentioning, in case you’re thinking about them.

DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress for $1332: This is another luxury mattress with a thick pillow top that’s very comfortable like the Helix Midnight Luxe and Allswell Supreme.

Awara Hybrid Mattress ($1,399): This is another solid organic pick, also made from organic latex, organic wool, and individually-wrapped springs. WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe found it springy and comfortable, especially for a single sleeper, though it’s a floppier mattress that would benefit from a little more support.

Keetsa All-Foam Tea Leaf Supreme for $1,890: WIRED reviewer Matt Jancer tested the Keetsa for several months. He’s a side sleeper, and though he was never blown away by the mattress’s comfort, he slept fine from start to finish. He didn’t think he would since the mattress is on the soft side. It has three layers of foam and a thin top layer that’s made from recycled materials.

The Purple Mattress for $1,399: Van Camp had many good nights of sleep on the airy, Jell-O-ey, cool feel of Purple’s square grid (it’s like lying on a bunch of waffles made of soft, stretchy silicone). But it just isn’t quite as comfortable as hybrid (coil-and-foam) mattresses. There is a hybrid Purple, but it’s pricey. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but just know that Purple mattresses are also kind of heavy.

Casper Standard Foam Mattress for $1,295: The original Casper mattress popularized the idea of a bed in a box years ago, and it’s still a comfortable all-foam choice at a good price. But the hybrid version with coils is better.

Molecule Hybrid Mattress for $1,899: WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano likes this comfy mattress and has had no problems sleeping on it for months. However, while edge support is fine on three sides, it’s nearly “non-existent” at the bottom of the bed. She nearly fell off while putting on her shoes. You can also feel the coils at the edges of the mattress, though this isn’t a huge issue because it’s undetectable when actually sleeping.

Leesa Original Mattress for $1,299: The standard Leesa is a lot like the Casper, but it feels a dash comfier.

8 Best Robot Vacuums (2023): Mops, Budget Vacs, Great Mapping

8 Best Robot Vacuums (2023): Mops, Budget Vacs, Great Mapping

No other product I’ve tested has advanced as quickly as the humble robot vacuum. Just a few short years ago, they were mostly annoying, overpriced devices that fell off steps and got stuck on rugs. Now you can find robot vacs at every price point with an incredible array of features, including mapping capabilities, self-emptying bins, and even cameras.

Vacuuming an ever-changing household is a complex task, and no robot vacuum is perfect. However, I test them in one of the most challenging environments possible—a carpeted, two-story family home with messy kids and a shedding dog—and personally, I find them indispensable. Whether you’re choking on cat hair, need to lighten your chore load, or just want to spend more time with your family, we have a pick that will help.

Looking for more cleaning solutions? Check out our Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Cordless Vacuums, and Best Air Purifiers guide for more.

Updated August 2023: We added the Eufy X9 Pro, TP-Link Tapo RV 10 Plus, and iRobot Roomba Combo j7+.

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9 Best Carpet Cleaners (2023): Budget, Spot Cleaners, Hard Floors

9 Best Carpet Cleaners (2023): Budget, Spot Cleaners, Hard Floors

There is a lot to think about when shopping for or using a carpet cleaner, such as how much space you’ll need for storage and whether you should rent or buy. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Carpet cleaners are heavy and bulky, especially when filled with water. They can be harder to maneuver than regular upright vacuums. They will also need quite a bit of storage space.

Tackle stain-causing spills immediately. Most households only need to wash carpets once every six months to a year, but spot cleaners are ideal for treating immediate spills, plus they’re easier to store and use.

You likely won’t use a carpet cleaner often, so it’s OK to consider hiring professionals to do your whole home, especially if you have limited storage space. (It also can depend on how dirty and stained your carpets are.) Look at options for renting a machine from local businesses or retail stores like Home Depot. You’ll be able to get the benefits of a commercial-grade cleaner without paying a fortune. 

Clean your carpet before you use a carpet cleaner. This may seem counterintuitive, but you don’t want dirt and hair to form wet clumps that block the cleaner. And if you haven’t washed your carpets in a while (or ever), be prepared for an embarrassing amount of hairy clogs to fill the dirty water tank. 

The carpet shampoo or detergent you use is important. Manufacturers often insist you use their brand, and while other types may work fine, you might void your warranty (although I have no idea how they’d know). Most carpet cleaners come with some detergent, but I had a good experience with Rug Doctor’s Commercial Carpet Cleaner ($20). It works well and does not have a strong scent, and you can buy a large jug for cheap.

Try, try, and try again. It can be disappointing to fire up a carpet cleaner and find that it’s incapable of removing that old red wine stain or ground-in toothpaste. Don’t lose heart. Multiple cleaning sessions can sometimes chip away at established stains, and at least reduce, if not remove, them.

Drying your carpets can take a long time. Most carpet cleaners have different settings, and they will suck up some of the water, but they all leave carpets a bit damp. The deeper cleans tend to leave carpets wet, so think about how you might speed drying time. Use fans, fire up the heating, or do your carpet cleaning in the spring and summer months when you can leave windows open.

Protect your hearing. Of all the ways you can damage your hearing, a carpet cleaner is perhaps the least fun, so protect your ears. Some of these get very loud, so wear earplugs while you work.

Google Makes It Easier to Delete Your Personal Deets

Google Makes It Easier to Delete Your Personal Deets

It’s getting easier to remove your personal details from Google’s search results. Last year, Google rolled out its Results About You tool that lets users monitor what personal details about them pop up in a Google search. The tool makes it easy to request that certain “personal information”—your email address, home address, or phone number—and unwanted explicit images associated with your name are removed from search results.

The new addition to this set of tools is a dashboard that shows you what contact information is showing up in Google searches. The new system can also alert you when new results displaying your personal information are appearing in searches.

You’ll see these personal information removal tools as a logged in Google user. Just click on your user profile photo up in the corner of any Google page, and look for the Results About You option. This takes you to the new dashboard. The dashboard is rolling out to users in the US this week, so if you don’t see it right now, you can also find personal info in search results the old way: by Googling your name. If you see results that show your home address, email, or phone number, you can then click on the three dot menu bar in the top right of that search result. You’ll see an option for “Remove Result.” Select it, and Google will ask you to give it a reason. From the options, select the reasons you want to remove the result: because it contains personal contact info, intends you harm, or is simply outdated info.

If you don’t have a Google account or you just don’t want to log into a Google account, you can fill out this stand-alone removal form to make a request. After submitting a request, Google will send an email where you can track the status of the request, and if you’re logged in, it will show the status of all your requests in the dashboard. Here’s Google’s blog post outlining the new features.

If you’re looking to wipe yourself from Google searches completely, these updated tools won’t do that for you. They’re only designed to make it easy for you to ask that your personal information like your email address, phone number, and street address gets removed from Google search results. Those things may still appear on the web, they will just be harder to find.

This week Google also updated its policies that allow users to request that nonconsensual explicit images of themselves —whether captured without consent or shared without consent—be removed from Google’s searches. One policy update that’s interesting to note: If you consensually shared nudes online, then deleted the original photos—only to see someone else republish them—you can now request that those photos get removed from search results.

Here’s some other news that made the rounds across the internet this week.

Frayed Threads

Threads, Meta’s new-ish Twitter clone, burst into being last month, enticing over 100 million users to sign up in its first week. Since then, Elon Musk’s Twitter has continued its streak of tripping over itself, as it fumbles its way through an X-rated rebranding into some kind of future blend of social-finance-whatever app. Threads’ explosive launch seemed to set it up to supplant Twitter’s reign. Yet despite its rival’s newfound ability to hemorrhage goodwill, Threads has not quite become the Twitter killer many expected.

In a company meeting (as reported by Reuters), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Threads had lost more than half its users in a week since it hit peak hype, and it has dipped lower than that since. Zuckerberg seemed nonplussed by the sharp drop, saying that more users have stuck around than he expected. The content is still a-churnin’ on Threads, though much of it is driven by banal brands and Instagram influencers. In the meantime, Twitter—damn it, X—still soldiers on.

Look Who’s Talking

You didn’t think you’d get through a news roundup these days without there being something about AI, did you?

In other Meta machinations, the Facebook and Instagram company is looking to spruce up its services with AI chatbots. According to the Financial Times, the bots will come in an array of 30 or so different personalities. They’ll lurk there in the sidebars of the social apps, waiting for you to pester them with questions.

A New Wave of Peer-to-Peer Apps Heralds a Farm-to-Table Internet

A New Wave of Peer-to-Peer Apps Heralds a Farm-to-Table Internet

Cloud computing has streamlined our hyper-mobile digital lives. We upload files, images, and globs of data to the cloud. Once all of our stuff is stored there, we can access it from anywhere and edit things collaboratively with our friends and coworkers. It’s convenient and appealing—but only if you don’t mind that all your personal data is stored on servers run by giant companies like Google and Amazon. The local-first computing movement is advocating for a different kind of communal framework, one that’s more private, more secure, and powered by peer-to-peer software that runs just on the machines where the files are being shared. No giant server farms in faraway lands, no faceless corporations using your data to generate ad revenue. Just the good old internet, by the people and for the people.

This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED staff writer Greg Barber joins us to talk all about the local-first computing movement and how its adherents hope to upend our reliance on cloud services using peer-to-peer communication.

Show Notes

Read Greg’s story about local-first computing.

Recommendations

Greg recommends the Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors installation at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Lauren recommends the Barbie movie if you somehow haven’t seen it already. Mike recommends the latest episode of The War on Cars podcast with Bob Sorokanich.

Greg Barber can be found on Twitter @gregoryjbarber. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

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