Welcome to SELF’s inaugural Wholesome Dwelling Awards!
At SELF, we consider {that a} wholesome life encompasses greater than what you’ve acquired happening from head to toe—feeling good additionally consists of dwelling in a supportive group; taking part in fulfilling occasions and actions; and taking good care of the house the place you relaxation, retreat, and play.
The latter grew to become all of the extra obvious throughout the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people all of a sudden discovered ourselves spending approach extra time at dwelling. In a matter of days, our collective priorities shifted to making sure our dwelling areas have been clear and wholesome. Whereas a lot of this entailed stockpiling disinfectant and bathroom paper, it additionally opened our eyes to new habits and merchandise that assist maintain us secure. (Who knew we’d come to really feel so strongly about air purifiers?!) Now greater than ever, dwelling care isn’t just “good to have”—it’s a necessity. And the extra we talked about this on our workforce’s Slack and coated it often on our web site, the extra we realized there was room for us to dig somewhat deeper. Thus, the seed for the Wholesome Dwelling Awards was planted.
Earlier than you store the winners, right here’s a fast look into our course of: First, we opened submissions to manufacturers, publishing entry pointers on self.com—you’ll be able to verify them out right here. We acquired 170 merchandise for consideration and known as in 87 of them for SELF staffers to check. We additionally consulted with a gaggle of specialists—some weighed in on product submissions whereas others acted as sources in our analysis, informing our requirements and pointers.
After two months of testing, we learn by way of every product overview, in the end figuring out 35 winners that cowl each nook of your property. Beneath, you’ll be able to take a more in-depth have a look at our methodology (together with how we picked the most effective air purifiers particularly) and meet the workforce of specialists who suggested on the undertaking. We hope the Wholesome Dwelling Awards assist you to maintain home with somewhat extra pleasure and an entire lot extra ease. Blissful spring cleansing!
Soar forward:
How we have a look at labels and take into consideration searching for cleansing merchandise
We tapped specialists Jennifer Quinlan, PhD, professor and government director of the Built-in Meals Safety Analysis Middle at Prairie View A&M College, and Nathan Promote, senior director of sustainability on the American Cleansing Institute (ACI), for his or her insights on decoding product labels and determining which cleansing gadgets may be greatest for any given particular person and their dwelling. There are tons of merchandise on the market—and whereas lots of them appear interesting, thanks to modern elements like important oils or guarantees of being “all pure,” they is probably not the best choice primarily based in your private wants. (Are you cleansing up a variety of child poop and cat vomit? Does anybody in your family have delicate pores and skin or bronchial asthma?)
Phrases like “pure,” “clear,” and “inexperienced” are unregulated and, subsequently, nearly meaningless until the manufacturers that use them particularly outline these phrases for his or her shoppers. “If a product says it’s ‘100% sustainable’ or one thing like that…there ought to be info behind it,” Promote says. “I noticed a declare not too long ago that stated one product’s packaging absolutely degrades in a landfill. Nothing actually degrades in a landfill, so to even make that declare is fairly foolish.” For those who’re procuring with sure values in thoughts—say, you favor gadgets not examined on animals or wish to assist carbon-neutral manufacturers—you’re higher off counting on legit product certification labels. You’ve probably seen many of those—like Honest Commerce Licensed, Leaping Bunny, or USDA Natural—earlier than. You may try the ACI’s breakdown of frequent certification labels and what they imply right here.