The Best Area Rugs, STEM Toys, and More

The Best Cordless Stick Vacuum, Winter Boots, and more, in this week's edition [View this email in your browser] Shopping for decor online has major advantages — you don’t have to lug things home by yourself, and there's a wide array of affordable options. But it can feel risky to commit to something you have never touched or felt IRL. We’ve got a great [buying guide to affordable rugs] that can help — learn what materials to look for, how to predict pilling, and how to pick the right size for your room at a price you can handle. —Ganda Suthivarakom, executive editor [The Best Area Rugs Under $300] We spent more than 40 hours researching the [best budget area rugs], and found 14 we [highly recommend]. They come in a range of sizes, patterns, and colors, so there’s [something here] for [almost any decorating style]. [The Best Cordless Stick Vacuum] After more than 100 hours of research and testing, we’re sure the [Dyson V6] is [the best cordless vacuum] thanks to cleaning performance no other brand can match. [The Best Winter Boots] Our Alaska testers found the [Columbia Women’s Heavenly Omni-Heat Organza Lace Up] and the [Sorel Men’s Madson Original] to [balance fashion and function.] [Learning Toys and STEM Toys We Love] After testing dozens of [learning toys] and [STEM toys], and visiting a school lab that specializes in their benefits, we’ve found [more than a dozen] we recommend for a range of ages. [The Best Utility Knife] [After 40 hours of research over three years and testing 23 knives], we’ve found the [Milwaukee 48-22-1903 Fastback Flip Utility Knife with Blade Storage] stands above the rest. [The Best Deals We Can Find] Because we think we can make a small difference by being picky, here are [some great deals] on solid pieces of gear. Updates and Other New Stuff [In this weekend’s edition of Inner Vision] we share an efficient 30-second gift-wrapping technique that will save equal amounts of time and tape, spotlight the do’s and don’ts of camera memory card care for optimal performance and longevity, and celebrate discovering how to use all 28,500 RPMs of our blender to concoct hot cocoa bliss. Conair announced that it is [recalling some Cuisinart food processor blades] from certain models. We’ve confirmed with our representative at Cuisinart that none of the picks we currently link to are affected. For more on how to check if your food processor is subject to the recall, see the update box in our piece. [[Best Food Processor]] [Like us on Facebook ] [Follow us on Twitter] [Follow us on Pinterest] [Follow us on Instagram] [Subscribe to our YouTube channel] Getting this email for the first time? Subscribe to receive it weekly [here]. Copyright © 2016 The Sweethome (part of The New York Times Company), All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you signed up for Sweethome's weekly newsletter. Wait, you don't remember? Our mailing address is: The Sweethome (part of The New York Times Company) 142 Henry Street, 1W New York, NY 10002 [Add us to your address book] [unsubscribe from this list] | [update subscription preferences]