Home & Lifestyle

Our home goods are the things that surround a meal and the room it is served in: towels and napkins, candles and room scents, hand and dish soap, pillows, doormats, lamps and incense.

How to choose Home & Lifestyle

  • Fiber content. Federal rules require towels, table linens and bedding to list each fiber by percentage of weight. Fibers under 5 percent may appear as other fiber.
  • Flax or cotton. Linen, spun from flax, is stronger than cotton and dries faster, which matters for cloths that are damp all day.
  • Candle wax. Paraffin, soy and beeswax all burn cleanly when the wax is of good quality, so choose by scent and look rather than by wax alone.
  • Soap or detergent. US rules count a cleanser as soap only when it is mostly fatty acid salts and sold only as soap. Most cleansers called soap today are detergents.

About Home & Lifestyle

The home goods here are everyday objects that set a table and keep a kitchen clean, from the cloth by the sink to the candle at dinner. Their materials are old ones. Linen is spun from flax, coir doormats come from coconut husk, and true soap is made from fats or oils and an alkali.

Their care is simple. Federal lead-safety guidance suggests doormats both outside and inside every entry, so less outdoor soil, which can carry lead, is tracked into the house. New towels shed lint, so their first washes go on their own. An LED bulb rated 800 lumens gives the same light as an old 60 watt bulb on about 9 watts.

At a glance

Main types
Towels, napkins, candles, soap, pillows, mats, lamps, incense
Made from
Cotton, linen, coir, candle wax, fats and oils
Label terms
Fiber content, country of origin, care instructions

Home & Lifestyle questions

How far apart should lit candles be?

Keep a lit candle at least 12 inches from curtains, bedding, books and anything else that can burn. When several burn together, leave at least 3 inches between them so they do not melt one another or create drafts that make the flames flare. Never leave a burning candle in an empty room.

Why does a candle smoke when it is first lit?

A candle often flickers or smokes for a moment while the flame settles into a steady teardrop. Smoke after that means the flame is getting too little or too much air or fuel, and the visible wisp is unburned soot. Trim the wick and move the candle out of drafts, and it should settle down.

Sources: Federal Trade Commission; US Environmental Protection Agency; National Candle Association.

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