You should break in new bath towels. Yes, really.

Plus: How to keep your kitchen cool, do your laundry better, and more. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [8 Things that are better after you break them in]( Some items are notorious for needing to be broken in after you buy them—especially those made of real leather, like brand new Dr. Martens or baseball mitts. But many things you wouldn’t expect—kitchen towels?—also require a break-in period. [Here’s what you need to know about the everyday items you should take for a spin before putting them to serious use](. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [Learn More ›]( [We want to hear from you]( How do you make shopping decisions? Our editors want to learn what’s important to our readers when they shop. Let us know [by taking a short survey](. More this week [How to keep your kitchen cool]( Nothing saps a home of precious AC like a roaring oven. [Beat the heat by leaning on smaller appliances]( an Instant Pot or rice cooker—to keep your kitchen cool. [A one-handed writer’s search for the right keyboard]( Compact mechanical keyboards share common features, but even the best ones don’t always work well [for a writer using a one-handed Dvorak layout](. [How to do your laundry better]( Wirecutter's bedding reporter once ran her dryer for more than 200 hours just to test blankets. [She has seven tips to improve your laundry life.]( [The best 4K monitors]( A 4K monitor is worth the investment if you’re doing professional video or photo editing. After extensive testing, [our new top pick is the Dell P2721Q](. The week's best deals [Aukey Minima 20W PD Charger (PA-Y20S)]( [Deal price: $]( | Street price: $12 Use code MINIMA4U If you’ve ever scrambled out the door with your phone’s battery in the red, you know that power is precious, and the faster you can get it, the better. Aukey’s new 20-watt Minima can charge most phones from empty to around 50% in half an hour. During our tests the iPhone 12 reached about 55% charge in that time and 85% in an hour. [Buy now from Aukey ›]( [ThermoWorks Wand No Touch Forehead Thermometer]( [Deal price: $]( | Street price: $74 The best thermometers are fast and easy to read—so you can quickly figure out what to do if you or a member of your household may be sick. The ThermoWorks Wand features a big, easy-to-read display and can double as a surface or object thermometer. In our testing, it produced consistently reliable readings, either matching temps from other thermometers or coming within two-tenths of a degree. [Buy now from ThermoWorks ›]( [Thermacell MR450 Armored Portable Mosquito Repeller]( [Deal price: $]( | Street price: $32 Use code 25WIRECUTTER Thermacell devices effectively repel mosquitos without making a sticky, smelly mess. The MR450 has a slender, rugged design and starts up with a few clicks of a button. While it’s in use, a little light turns on when the area is sufficiently saturated with repellent. It’s built like an oversize remote control, and during testing we appreciated its easy portability and durability. [Buy now from Amazon ›]( [View email in browser]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for Wirecutter’s Newsletter. Getting too many emails from us? [Unsubscribe here](. 
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