How We Pick Products and Services

People testing out products around the home

In This Article

Why You Should Trust Us
What We Do
How We Test Our Products
How We Review Services
How We Find Deals
Review Board and Fact Checking
How We Make Money
Safety
Contact Us
Meet Our Team

At The Spruce, our goal is to provide you with the best products and services to suit your home and needs. That is why our team of editors and experts test and curate over 10,000 products a year to bring you recommendations you can trust. We have over 14 million people visiting our site each year to get the best how-to and shopping advice.

Why You Should Trust Us

At The Spruce, we aspire to provide the highest quality content produced by humans, for humans. It is against our guidelines to publish automatically generated content using AI (artificial intelligence) writing tools such as ChatGPT.

Product and service recommendations from The Spruce are purely editorial and independent. Occasionally, brands and PR agencies will send us items for editorial consideration, but our thoughts and opinions are our own. We never accept a product in exchange for positive coverage. Once we have the items, we treat them just as we do the ones we bought ourselves, and we’ll only recommend them if we think they’re really great.

We feature brands owned or founded by people who identify as Black, Indigenous, other people of color, and other minority groups whenever possible. 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 Plan.

A group of humidifiers in various shapes and sizes — The Spruce / Dera Burreson

What We Do

Need a new washing machine? We’ve got you covered. Our team of seasoned editors and writers reaches out to experts to get advice on what you really need to consider when you’re shopping. We test products (like pillows or patio umbrellas) ourselves in our labs or at home to get hands-on experience.

We also know not everyone’s looking for the same things when shopping (some people might want soft sheets while others prefer crisp) so we like to offer a few recommendations. We always consider value when making recommendations, providing options along various price points that we think are worth their price.

Our jobs require us to spend a lot of time online shopping, and we want to pass along some of that expert knowledge to you. In addition to lists of the best products for your home, we share new launches and can’t-miss sales, and personal stories about items we all love.

How We Test Our Products

We think hands-on experience is critical to helping you make the right decision. Since you can’t test drive 60 different sheet sets before buying them, we do the work for you. We test products in one of our three testing labs around the country and in the homes of our team members and freelance writers to determine whether they live up to their claims—and if they are worth your money. Articles with the Spruce Approved seal of approval have undergone thorough, hands-on vetting to earn a spot on our list.

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How We Test 100s of Products Every Single Month

How We Review Services

Unlike many products, certain services—such as long-distance moving and termite control—are more difficult for our editors and writers to try at home. When this is the case, our in-house research team collects extensive data and, in some instances, conducts consumer surveys to gather as much information as possible on each company being considered for inclusion in one of our buying guides. Some of the ways they obtain data are through customer service calls, online or over-the-phone quotes, and discussions with subject matter experts.

Together with the editorial team, our researchers compile a specific set of criteria to work off of for every category we cover, from home improvement to green energy solutions. Once the data has been filled in, each criteria point is assigned a weight as a means of scoring each company. Our “Best of” lists are then compiled using those scores.

How We Find Deals

In today’s world, it’s hard to know what a true deal is. That’s why we scour the internet to provide you with the biggest deals we see in our research, as well as alert you when some of your favorite brands are having their yearly sales. We get up at the crack of dawn on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Prime Day to make sure you know what to buy on the big sale days.

We also constantly monitor shopping trends so we can tell you where to buy the coolest decorations for your living room or if the newest vacuum on the market is worth upgrading to. We are your go-to source for the latest and greatest out there, from your bedroom to your patio and everything in between.

Person testing Adirondack chair durability by throwing balls at it — The Spruce / Rachel Marek

Review Board and Fact Checking

Our team of seasoned editors fact checks our content to make sure statistics are up to date and we are providing accurate information on the products and services we recommend. For our technical content, a member of our review board (who is vetted in their area of expertise, be it home improvement, cleaning, or gardening) makes sure everything we are writing about is accurate, safe, and helpful. Read more about this program in our Editorial Policy.

It's frustrating to do the research and make your final selection only to find that a product is out of stock. We try to mitigate this by having dedicated editors check availability daily to provide you with the best user experience possible. While our primary focus is on the products, we also evaluate customer service, warranty information, and the delivery experience for hundreds of online merchants to give you a complete picture of the buying experience. We regularly re-test products awarded The Spruce Approved seal and update our findings to ensure you have access to the most up-to-date offerings and information.

Our goal is to help you make an informed buying decision, so you'll know what you're getting before you click the buy button. We spell everything out for you in an easy-to-understand way, sharing in-depth information about why we know these products deserve to carry The Spruce Approved seal.

How We Make Money

We receive an affiliate commission on some, but not all, of the products we recommend—but only if you decide to click through to the retailer's site and make a purchase. We only recommend retailers that we trust and have a proven track record for service and dependability.

Product tester using cordless stick vacuum navigates around furniture — The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong

Safety

Please note that all products, including those we review and recommend, may from time to time be subject to recalls or revised use recommendations. We, therefore, urge you to monitor any official announcements from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that may be related to products you purchase and it is always best to register your purchases with the manufacturer so you can get alerted if a recall is issued.

Contact Us

If you have questions, comments, or opinions you’d like to share with our team of editors, please feel free to email us at thespruceapproved@thespruce.com.

Meet Our Team

Dwyer Frame

SVP of Commerce

Dwyer is the SVP of Commerce at Dotdash Meredith. She joined Dotdash Meredith in September 2017.

Before joining Dotdash Meredith, Dwyer worked as the senior editor at Health, where she covered the latest fitness and wellness trends and products.

Dwyer started her career at Instyle magazine, where she covered celebrity homes, and later worked at All You magazine, where she edited cleaning and home decor content and gift guides. Her work has also been featured on Real Simple, People, Woman's Day, Brit + Co., and more.

Kate Geraghty

Director, Commerce Home Group

Kate Geraghty is the director of commerce for The Spruce and a lifestyle editor with over 10 years of experience. She has been working at Dotdash Meredith since August 2019, during which time she's covered everything from gifts to tools to home decor.

She received her B.A. in English literature from Northwestern University.

Meg Lappe

Senior Commerce Editorial Director

Meg Lappe is the senior editorial director for The Spruce. She has over 10 years of experience writing and editing stories about products. She joined Dotdash Meredith in November 2020 writing and editing product news and sales stories, covering everything from crafts and pets to home decor, bedding, and organizing. She's always looking for products that make it easier to organize a minimalist space as she currently lives in a studio apartment that's less than 400 sq. feet and loves her Murphy bed.

Heather Adams

Senior Commerce Editor

Heather Adams (she/her) is a Senior Commerce Editor at The Spruce with expertise in bedding, bath products, furniture, and home decor. She has over 12 years of experience as a writer and editor, and has personally tested hundreds of home products ranging from soft sheets to fluffy down-alternative comforters, and she can never have too many blankets (or throw pillows!) on her sofa.

Marisa Viglione

Senior Commerce Editor

Marisa is a Senior Commerce Editor for The Spruce, covering appliances, cleaning, organization, and home tech. She joined the company in September 2020. She has contributed 1,500+ articles across The Spruce, Elite Daily, InStyle, and Real Simple, and has tested and led the testing for 100+ products on The Spruce, including vacuums.She has a Bachelor of Journalism and Fine Arts from Quinnipiac University, and has interviewed leaders in finance, sustainability, travel, food, organization, and wellness.

Daniela Galvez

Senior Commerce Editor

Daniela Galvez is the Senior Commerce Editor at The Spruce, covering outdoor, gardening, home improvement, gifts, and holiday content. She joined the company in September 2021. Prior to joining the team, she covered Latinx lifestyle content, home, beauty, fashion, and entertainment topics for multiple digital outlets, including Latina Magazine, Hola! USA, and More.com. She received a B.A. in Communication and Spanish at Rutgers University.

Joe Morales

Senior Commerce Editor

Joe joined The Spruce in September 2022 as a senior commerce editor, focusing on the assignment process and product reviews. Prior to joining the team, he covered men’s lifestyle content, LGBTQ+ lifestyle content, travel, and food and drink topics for several publications, which include Food and Wine, Saveur, Men’s Health, Good Housekeeping, and The Manual.

Michelle Lau

Commerce Editor

Michelle Lau joined Dotdash Meredith as Commerce Editor for The Spruce in October 2022, bringing with her years of experience researching and editing for lifestyle publications. Her work has appeared across national digital outlets, including at The Kitchn and Yummly, as well as for regional magazines, including Sunset and Via. Michelle has a Bachelor of Science degree in magazine journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from San Jose State University. She also has a Master of Arts degree in ethnic studies from San Francisco State University.

Jenica Currie

Commerce Editor

Jenica Currie is a Commerce Editor for The Spruce. She joined the company in October 2020, bringing with her years of experience in content writing and management in the home and travel space.

Previously, she was a producer for Dotdash Meredith for four years on the Quality Team.

She received an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Julia Fields

Associate Commerce Editor

Julia joined Dotdash Meredith as Assistant Editor at The Spruce in October 2021. She studied English and minored in Journalism and Gender and Sexuality Studies at New York University. Julia has writing and editing experience from various internships and school publications on topics including entertainment, lifestyle, toys and gifts, and more.

Emma Phelps

Associate Commerce Editor

Emma joined Dotdash Meredith as an Updates Writer for The Spruce in 2022. She has spoken to experts in laundry care, cleaning and organization, textiles, and home renovation. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Leadership Studies from University of Richmond. Emma has five years of experience working on both sides of publishing from a public relations and journalistic perspective.

Dena Ogden

Associate Editor

Dena Ogden has been writing professionally since 2015, and has published over 200 pieces with numerous digital outlets. Her specialities include lifestyle, commerce, and culture topics. Prior to joining Dotdash Meredith in August 2022, she was a women’s lifestyle commerce writer with Bustle Digital Group. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English & Communication from the University of Washington, and is a proud first-generation college graduate.

Bianca Pineda

Commerce Writer

Bianca Pineda is a Shopping Writer specializing in bedding, bath, and home decor at The Spruce. She has over three years of experience in commerce writing. She consistently researches and tests dozens of home products, including sofas, showerheads, and area rugs. Bianca is constantly on the hunt for the coziest sheet sets, blankets, and comforters on the market, so when she's not writing, you can find her in bed.

Lily Gray

Shopping Editor

Lily Gray is a shopping editor for The Spruce with a focus on creating sale content based on tested selections from The Spruce Approved, so readers can shop the best of the best at a discount. She often covers vacuums, robot pool cleaners, area rugs, garden and lawn tools, and furniture. Previously, she was an associate shopping editor and writer for Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, and Southern Living. She has also written trending shopping news content for The Spruce, PEOPLE, Food & Wine, Shape, AllRecipes, Parents, and Martha Stewart Living.

Carly Totten

Senior Shopping Writer

Carly Totten is a senior shopping writer for The Spruce where she shares innovative home products like bedding, vacuums, storage solutions, and kitchen gadgets. Prior to working at The Spruce, Carly spent 10 years working as a copywriter and event planner in the wedding industry, and she has contributed to Brides as an expert.

Gabriela Izquierdo

Commerce Writer

Gabriela Izquierdo is a home commerce writer for Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, and Southern Living. She was a freelance writer at Mashed.com, freelance writer and social media manager at PaperCity Magazine, and a News Writer at Narcity Media.

Wendy Vazquez

Shopping Writer

Wendy Vazquez is a shopping writer for The Spruce, reporting on news, trends, and deals related to home, kitchen, and lifestyle topics. In order to introduce readers to buzzy and top-notch products, she closely monitors trends and researches new brands and innovations. She is dedicated to helping her readers get the most for their money and make informed buying decisions by providing honest and in-depth reviews and thoroughly investigating products and subject matter.

Lauren Taylor

Shopping Writer

Lauren Taylor is a Shopping Writer for The Spruce. She has been writing shopping content for over two years and focuses on trends, sales, and product launches. She frequently covers cleaning, furniture, and home topics. She also writes about lifestyle and home products for Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, and Southern Living and has freelanced for The Everygirl and Chewy. She previously wrote about shopping and informational topics for The Dodo.

Stephanie Osmanski

Commerce Writer, Home

Steph Osmanski (she/her) writes about health, the planet, and being a woman—and yes, that includes shopping. As a shopping writer at The Spruce, she covers home sales and trends on all tested and approved products. She has worked in digital media for over years as a web editor, social media editor, and freelance editor, with bylines at more than 30+ brands, including Real Simple, Southern Living, and Better Homes & Gardens.

Anna Knief

Associate Director, Home - Research + Testing

Anna Knief is an Associate Director on the Research + Testing team with more than 6 years of editorial experience in eCommerce, covering products in home, food, lifestyle, beauty, and fitness.In 2017, she joined the country's largest print and digital publisher, becoming the managing editor of a centralized commerce team that contributed to brands including Better Homes & Gardens, REAL SIMPLE, FOOD & WINE, Travel + Leisure, SHAPE, and PEOPLE. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in Journalism, Technical Communication, and Performing Arts from Iowa State University. She graduated summa cum laude, with honors.

Katie Bowler

Methodology Writer, Home - Research + Testing

Katie Bowler is a Methodology Writer on the Research + Testing team. She has 3+ years of experience in retail, product development, and product research. In her role, she researches all sorts of home products and interviews experts to write thorough testing methods to see how well products perform when tested in the lab and the real world. Having worked in product development in the past, Katie knows the ins and outs of how products are manufactured that helps her to write thoughtful testing procedures. She has been with The Spruce since 2022.