Buy It Later is a cool Firefox extension that monitors specific products for you for price drops or for them to come back in stock. [BuyLater via Lifehacker]
Consumer Reports cut through the greasy claims of competing dishwasher detergents to find out which one is best suited for Ric Romero's "dirty dish-duty." The winner? Much like the Special Olympics, everyone won. Each detergent works fine if you scrub long enough. Efficiency comes with a price, and Dawn direct foam was the costliest and speediest of the twelve brands tested, followed closely by Ajax Lemon Dish Liquid.
To test, Consumer Reports takes glasses coated with a mixture of flour, egg yolk, sugar, and evaporated milk then puts it in an oven for ten minutes in order to simulate baked-on food. After the glass cools, testers place it in a scrubbing machine with warm water and one teaspoon of detergent. A counter then tallies the number of scrubs it takes to remove the food. Steel panels are dipped in beef fat and left to dry to test for grease removal.Tangy!
Which dishwashing detergent works best? [ABC 7]
PREVIOUSLY: Inside The Consumer Reports Testing Facility
sounds like an interesting idea...
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A test of 47 "natural" and "green" labeled soaps, shampoos and other consumer products show that they contain 1,4-dioxan, which has been shown to cause cancer in lab rats. [LAT]
WHO: US Airways and the TSA
WHAT: A gun carried by a US Airways pilot accidentally discharged during a flight from Denver to Charlotte on Saturday, according to airline and federal officials. No one was injured, and the aircraft was not in any danger during the flight, officials said. The pilot had been approved by the TSA to carry the weapon.
WHERE:Pilot's gun goes off on US Airways flight [Charlotte Observer]
THE QUOTE:In a statement, the TSA said that the agency and "Federal Air Marshals Service take this matter seriously and it is receiving immediate attention."
"Taking it seriously" is a phrase companies use over and over again in public statements whenever they have bad PR. Our series of posts on occurrences of the phrase is our attempt to question how seriously companies are really taking these matters if every time they trot out this phrase by rote. To see more examples of how companies are "taking it seriously" click here.
(Photo:Flying Photog)
The FDA is detaining shipments of "cantaloupe from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer, because, based on current information, fruit from this company appears to be associated with a Salmonella Litchfield outbreak in the United States and Canada."
The FDA says it has received reports of 50 illnesses in 16 states and nine illnesses in Canada linked to the consumption of cantaloupes, and has issued some instructions to keep you salmonella free:
The FDA recommends that consumers take the following steps to reduce the risk of contracting Salmonella or other foodborne illnesses from cantaloupes:* Purchase cantaloupes that are not bruised or damaged. If buying fresh-cut cantaloupe, be sure it is refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
* After purchase, refrigerate cantaloupes promptly.
* Wash hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling fresh cantaloupes.
* Scrub whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating. Don't use soap or detergents.
* Use clean cutting surfaces and utensils when cutting cantaloupes. Wash cutting boards, countertops, dishes, and utensils with hot water and soap between the preparation of raw meat, poultry, or seafood and the preparation of cantaloupe.
* If there happens to be a bruised or damaged area on a cantaloupe, cut away those parts before eating it.
* Leftover cut cantaloupe should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.
* Use a cooler with ice or use ice gel packs when transporting or storing cantaloupes outdoors.
FDA Warns of Salmonella Risk with Cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano [FDA]
(Photo:Coelacanth Books)
Microfiber towels are listed in Cool Tools as great for drying and travel and camping, but have you used them for everyday cleaning, dusting and wiping? I buy my 16x16-inch towels in bulk. They are basically the same thing as the previously-reviewed MysticMad cleaning towels, but mine are are a heck of lot cheaper. I've bought the "high end" ones and low end ones and have noticed virtually no difference in cleaning and polishing power. I've washed my current kitchen cleaner over 50 times with no loss in cleaning power (the packaging says good for over 100 washes). Dampen with water and you can clean the kitchen top to bottom without leaving a streak. It removes grease, grime, and the odd stuff on the stove top. Around the house it cleans glass without leaving a streak, removes the haze from inside of your auto windshield, cleans the car interior and removes all the muck the kids have built up on the plastic, doors and even car seats. Around the desk it cleans up coffee spills and rings. I've also used mine for cleaning monitor screens, brass, cameras (I collect Minolta 16 mm and Minox cameras), jewels, coins, glass objet d'art, lexan screens, fine wood carvings, some photos, and find no scratches or wearing away of labels, paint, or important stuff -- and I've looked hard with my loupes. Cleaning wood work is easy and quick, as well. And in the wood shop it does wonders in getting dust off surfaces before staining or painting. A bonus for ribs lovers -- it's better than any napkin or moist towelette.
-- Patrick J. Meyer
Microfiber Cleaning Towels in Bulk
(12 towels -- 16 x 16 inch)
$14
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Clean-Rite
Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:
