What’s new on ConsumerReports.org: September 2009 home-related content

Summer got off to a slow start in much of the U.S., but some features
in our just-posted September issue will pay dividends during the dog
days of August and far into the upcoming year and beyond.

• Freezers are hot. Freezers have been the only appliance to post sales gains this year, and federal, state, and local utility incentives make it even easier to trade your old clunker for an efficient new model. Our latest report on freezers
found that upright models were more convenient than chest-type models.
But upright models also cost more, and during our tests manual-defrost
upright models couldn’t keep a consistent temperature in door shelves.

Our ratings (available to subscribers)
include four excellent chest-type models ranging from 0 to 0. (A
downside to these models is that you’ll have to bend to reach the Ben
& Jerry’s.) Recommended upright standouts cost from 0 to 0.

• Safer, better cookware. As our latest report on cookware
shows, nonstick sets from Emeril and Calphalon provided good
performance and value for under 0. Testers also found three under
0 sets whose manufacturers claim they’re free of perfluorooctanoic
acid (PFOA)—a potentially harmful chemical. A Swiss Diamond Reinforced
set also claimed to be PFOA free, since its cooking surfaces are lined
with a nanoparticle composite of diamond crystals. But while it was a
top performer in our tests, its 0 price tag kept it from being
recommended (ratings available to subscribers).

• Paint colors proliferating. As paint sales rise, so does the number of sometimes oddly named colors. In “Hue Name It: How Pink Paint Became ‘Marry Me’,” you’ll find out why purple, gray and yellow . . . oops, mimosa, are
this year’s hot shades—and how you can pick the a perfect personalized
tint from this ever-expanding palette.

• FDA targets celebrity endorsements. If you feel that
celebrity pitchmen and women have been painting too rosy a glow on some
products, you’re right. Our past reports on kitchen knives and cookware have shown that a celebrity endorsement doesn’t always make for a top-performing product. Proposed guidelines from the Federal trade Commission will further regulate what’s allowed
in such endorsements. The celebs’ informal mentions of products in
media appearances or  blogs will also be regulated for the first time.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you’re sending your kids off to school in September, see the many smart buys we’re collected into our recently published Back-to-School Appliance-Buying Guide.