If you have ever felt like the technology today has lost its sense of humor, Apple just snuck a nostalgic surprise into its latest software update that might change your mind.

Tucked deep inside the iOS 27 Settings menu is a direct callback to one of the most beloved mascots from the early Macintosh era: Clarus the Dogcow. The hidden surprise is tied to iOS 27’s new Liquid Glass customization features, but finding it requires a bit of digging.

Here is what the Easter egg is, why it matters to long-time Apple fans, and how to trigger it on your iPhone.

How to unlock the iOS 27 Dogcow Easter egg

To reveal the hidden mascot, open your iPhone's Settings app, tap Appearance, and select Liquid Glass.

This menu features a new slider that lets you adjust the transparency level of the UI, ranging from fully clear to deeply tinted. To show you how the glass effect looks in real-time, Apple built a mock website preview directly inside the settings.

If you scroll all the way to the bottom and keep pulling upward on the screen, a high-resolution photo of a Clarus the Dogcow figurine sitting near the Apple Park pond will pop up with text reading "Moof!" — the iconic noise it makes.

Mac users can also spot the exact same easter egg inside the Appearance menu on macOS Golden Gate.

Who is Clarus the Dogcow?

For anyone who didn't grow up using 1980s or 90s Apple hardware, the hybrid animal has a surprisingly rich place in tech lore.

Clarus the Dogcow was originally created by legendary Apple designer Susan Kare as a simple glyph for the Cairo font on the original 1984 Macintosh. It eventually became the official test image in the Classic Mac OS Page Setup dialog.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27: 7 features you need to try first after updating
• I tried the new iOS 27 Safari features — here's 3 settings worth using
• iOS 27 Photos features that transform your pictures — here's how to use them

At last, an AI-powered version of Apple's Siri voice assistant is available for the Apple Watch thanks to the public release of watchOS 27, the newest Apple Watch software.

In my experience so far, Siri AI is more natural in its tone, making conversing less awkward. More importantly, the feature is much better at answering complex, context-based questions with a reasonable degree of reliability.

Here's how to load Siri AI on your Apple Watch and add a dedicated Siri AI widget to your watch face in seven easy steps. Plus, a list of eligible models.

How to enable Siri AI on your Apple Watch

1. Make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are compatible with Siri AI
2. Update your phone to iOS 27; update your Apple Watch to watchOS 27
3. Turn on Siri in your phone’s settings and join the Siri beta waitlist
4. Turn on Siri in your Apple Watch’s settings
5. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Display and Brightness > Face Gallery
6. Tap “New Watch Faces” and/or search for the “Siri Modular” face
7. Customize the Siri Modular face to your liking and tap “Add to Watch” when finished

Read on to see full illustrated instructions for each step.

And there you have it. Siri AI is now enabled on your Apple Watch, and the Siri AI assistant app is now fixed on your watch face for easy access. Of course, you can also open Siri by double-tapping the Digital Crown or using a gesture control like wrist raise.

Siri AI is still in beta, so your experience with the AI assistant might not be as smooth as the final product. Moreover, getting off the Siri AI beta waitlist can take anywhere from a few minutes or hours to several days. So, be patient.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 first impressions: 5 reasons to buy and 2 reasons to skip Apple’s new rugged model
• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4

When bath towels start feeling less like plush and more like sandpaper, most people reach for extra fabric softener. Unfortunately, that is the exact reason your towels lost their softness in the first place.

Commercial fabric softeners and liquid detergents leave behind a waxy coating on cotton loops. Over time, this chemical coating combines with hard water minerals, flattening the fabric pile and trapping body oils and odors inside the weave. The result is a scratchy towel that barely absorbs water.

To strip away years of buildup and bring back natural fluffiness, you only need two cheap pantry staples: distilled white vinegar and baking soda.

The science behind the strip wash

Over time, laundry detergents and fabric softeners leave behind a stubborn, water-repellent film.

Softeners work by coating fabrics in a waxy layer to make them feel slick. However, when this residue mixes with hard water minerals, it creates a chemical barrier that glues down cotton fibers and destroys your towels' absorbency.

Distilled white vinegar is the ultimate antidote. Because it contains about 5% acetic acid, it safely lowers the pH of the wash water to dissolve alkaline mineral buildup and break down waxy residues.

Following up with baking soda tackles the rest by neutralizing the acids responsible for deep-seated mildew odors. Stripping away this layer allows the cotton to "bloom" freely, instantly restoring your towels to their original texture.

How to make stiff towels soft again

Do not mix the vinegar and baking soda together in the same cycle, as they will neutralize each other before doing their job. Follow this two-step wash process instead.

Load your stiff towels into the washing machine without any laundry detergent, pods, or commercial softeners.

Pour one cup of distilled white vinegar into the detergent dispenser, then run a standard wash cycle using hot water.

Leave the towels in the machine after the first cycle finishes. Add half a cup of baking soda directly to the drum, then run a second hot wash cycle without detergent.

Once the cycle is finished, dry the towels on medium heat. To help fluff the cotton fibers during the drying stage, toss two wool dryer balls or clean tennis balls into the dryer drum. Avoid high heat settings, which can singe and harden delicate cotton ends.

If you don't have a clothes dryer, line-dry the towels if weather permits, shaking each towel out firmly beforehand to open up the weave.

How to keep your towels soft long-term

Once your towels are restored, you can prevent stiffness from returning by tweaking your laundry routine.

First, cut your standard laundry detergent dose in half for towel loads. Excess detergent rarely rinses out fully, leading to rapid buildup.

Second, banish liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets entirely when washing towels. Use half a cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment during normal washes instead.

Third, and this is one I've been guilty of in the past, never overload your washing machine. Towels need plenty of water and space to tumble so soap residue can rinse out completely.

More from Tom's Guide

• Your 'lost' socks are hiding in this washing machine spot — here's where to look
• I removed stubborn water stains from my glass shower door — without using vinegar
• I brought my yellowed pillowcases back to bright white using a simple 2-ingredient soak

After installing iOS 27, you might see a notice near the top of your main Settings screen that reads “Optimizing Search and Siri.”

This message is completely normal, but because Apple rebuilt its core Search interface for iOS 27 to deliver faster and more accurate results, your iPhone has to re-catalog every file, photo, message, and app stored on your device.

Here is what the process actually does, how long it takes, and what you can do to get your device back to full speed.

What does 'Optimizing Search and Siri' actually mean?

Data indexing is the background process of organizing your phone’s information into a searchable map. Think of it like a book index: it doesn't hold the content itself, but it knows exactly where every word and file lives.

Apple’s Spotlight search reindexes your device whenever you set up a new iPhone, alter large blocks of data, or install a major operating system update.

Because a major iOS update often implements a brand-new search infrastructure, the system cannot simply update your existing index. It must crawl through your entire storage drive from scratch.

All indexing occurs entirely on your device — none of this data is uploaded to Apple or shared with other hardware.

How long does indexing take?

Indexing typically takes anywhere from two hours to several days, depending on two key factors:

Storage volume: An iPhone with 500GB of photos, messages, and files will take significantly longer to index than a lightly used 128GB model.

Device usage: If you actively stream video or play high-demand games while the system works, background indexing slows down to preserve device performance.

You can continue using your phone as normal during this period. However, until the banner in Settings disappears, your Spotlight search results might be temporarily incomplete or slow to populate.

3 steps to speed up the process

If you want indexing to finish as quickly as possible, follow Apple’s recommended setup:

• Plug your iPhone into a charger. The operating system allocates maximum processing power to background tasks when connected to external power.
• Connect to Wi-Fi. A stable Wi-Fi network allows cloud-synced app data to re-index without throttling.
• Leave the device locked. Lock your screen and set the phone aside. Indexing processes fastest when the display is off and no foreground apps are competing for chip performance.

What to do if Spotlight Search is still broken

If the "Optimizing Search and Siri" banner disappears from Settings but your Spotlight search results remain inaccurate or blank, you may need to reset your app permissions.

To verify app access: open Settings, tap Search, scroll to the bottom of the menu to review app access. Then tap any problematic app and toggle its search permissions off, then back on.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27: 7 features you need to try first after updating
• Apple just added new photo editing tools in iOS 27 — and they're absolute game-changers
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use

As headlights are constantly subjected to the elements, it’s no surprise that the casing can become milky or yellow over time.

Naturally, this discoloration impairs your visibility while driving, preventing you from seeing the required 100 meters ahead of you on the road. Additionally, headlight bulbs can dim over time and eventually require replacement.

Read on to learn how to diagnose the root cause of the problem, along with a few simple ways to fix it using common household products.

Why headlights become cloudy

Headlight casings take the brunt of outdoor weather, making them particularly vulnerable to oxidation.

Casings are factory-coated in a clear protective layer to prevent the acrylic from oxidizing, but over time that layer wears off and UV rays cause the plastic to turn yellow.

At the same time, road debris scratches the protective outer shell while dirt builds up and dims the light output.

In other cases, the watertight seals around the housing degrade over time, allowing water vapor to gather inside the casing and scatter the light beam from within.

Locating the problem

The issue is either on the exterior or interior of the casing. If it's on the inside, cleaning the outside of the lens won’t remedy the problem.

To check, run a fingernail across the headlight lens. If the surface feels grainy or catches your nail, the oxidation is on the outside of the casing, and you can use one of the simple cleaning methods below to clear it up.

However, if the lens feels completely smooth but still looks cloudy, the problem is trapped moisture inside the unit or heat damage from blown bulbs. In this case, exterior cleaning won't improve visibility, and the headlight assembly will need to be unsealed, resealed, or replaced entirely.

The toothpaste cleaning method

Begin by washing the lenses with ordinary dishwashing soap and warm water to clear away lingering dirt and grime. Once dry, apply painter’s tape around the edges of the headlight assembly so you don’t accidentally scratch your vehicle's paint.

Apply a toothpaste containing baking soda to the lens. The baking soda is essential because it provides a gentle, abrasive grit.

Using an old toothbrush, scrub the lenses in firm circular motions until the toothpaste begins to discolor. Let the paste sit and dry for a few minutes, then gently wash the casings clean using warm water and a soft cloth.

Now that you’ve scrubbed away the oxidation, the raw polycarbonate plastic is completely exposed to ultraviolet rays. Without protection, the casing will turn yellow again within a month.

Immediately after drying the headlight casings, apply an automotive UV sealant (such as Meguiar’s Keep Clear Headlight Coating). This protective layer locks in the clear finish, ensuring great visibility on the road for much longer.

More from Tom's Guide

• 7 car cleaning tips to make yours look brand new
• You’re only using 1/3 of your garage door remote — here’s what the extras buttons do
• 5 easy ways to make your car's AC stay cooler for longer

Apple's big week of operating system updates is finally here with the new iPadOS 27. This year's update isn't groundbreaking; instead, it focuses on Apple Intelligence, which should make for a more personal, customized experience.

As with iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate, the main attraction is the reinvented Siri, which finally lives up to its potential. Siri AI, as it’s now called, is context-aware and understands what’s on your screen. Because it’s built into the OS, it can directly control and manage apps. It also adds new child safety features, improved readability for Liquid Glass, new photo-editing tools, and more.

Here’s how to download iPadOS 27.

How to download iPadOS 27

As always, before you install a major update like iPadOS 27, back up your iPad in case anything goes wrong and you need to return to iPadOS 26.

Not every iPad will be compatible with the new operating system, but if your tablet is, the upgrade is free.

Here is the full list of iPads that are compatible with iPadOS 27:

• iPad Pro (M4 and later)
• iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (4th generation and later)
• iPad Pro 11‑inch (2nd generation and later)
• iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and later)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M2, M3, and M4)
• iPad Air 11-inch (4th generation and later)
• iPad (A16)
• iPad (9th generation and later)
• iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPad mini (6th generation)

More from Tom's Guide

• I just downloaded macOS 27 public beta — skip Siri AI and try these 5 hidden features instead
• Haptic vs. Mechanical trackpads: I put them both through a gauntlet, and one almost made me throw my laptop into the sun
• Exclusive: I asked Lenovo’s GM to predict the future of monitors, and it's the end of our chaotic, cable-cluttered desks and monitors that fry your retinas

It's mid-September, which means Apple is now releasing its 2026 operating systems, including the full version of macOS Golden Gate.

If you're interested in Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI, you should try Golden Gate. There aren't many new features, but it improves Liquid Glass readability, offers easier customization, and delivers smoother performance for a better overall experience on the best MacBooks.

The AI features, marking the end of Apple's Intel era, are powered by Google Gemini and designed to work within Apple's ecosystem.

To make the update process as painless as possible, I've put together this quick, easy guide on how to download macOS Tahoe, with photos to walk you through it.

Supported Macs

As with most macOS releases, Golden Gate is a free upgrade for all supported Macs. Not every device that ran macOS Tahoe can run Golden Gate.

Here's the full list of Macs that can install and run macOS Golden Gate:

• MacBook Neo (2026)
• MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
• Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
• Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)

Important before you update: back up your Mac! Apple has the built-in Time Machine feature, or you could use a reputable third-party service like Backblaze — our guide to the best cloud storage solutions offers even more recommendations for you.

How to download macOS Golden Gate

Apple makes downloading its macOS updates fairly straightforward.

That’s all that’s required to download macOS Golden Gate.

Your Mac will restart once the download finishes. After that, you can start trying out all the new features. Depending on your connection speed, the download might take a few minutes, so be patient.

More from Tom's Guide

• 7 Apple products expected to be announced in October — touchscreen MacBook Ultra, HomePad and more
• iOS 27: 7 features you need to try first after updating
• iPhone Duo hands-on: Apple nailed it — and just put everyone else on notice

Apple’s latest iPhone software is available now, delivering updated Apple Intelligence features and a significantly more capable assistant in Siri AI. You can install iOS 27 today, provided you have a supported iPhone.

Keep in mind that only select models support the full suite of Siri AI capabilities, as newer devices have the processing power required to run these intensive tools. Even without the complete AI feature set, upgrading to iOS 27 still brings welcome improvements, including smoother animations, generative AI photo editing with Reframe, the option to create custom passes in Wallet, and more.

Once that's complete, you can try out some of the most exciting new iOS 27 features — including the redesigned CarPlay experience I tested, which lets you access Siri AI while driving. Additionally, there are options to adjust transparency levels with Liquid Glass, as well as a dedicated Siri AI app where you can view all your previous inquiries.

More from Tom's Guide

• I've been testing Siri AI in iOS 27 for 3 weeks: 7 things to try first (and the feature that won me over)
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• iOS 27’s safety filter was ruining my FaceTime calls — here’s how I turned it off

Every major iOS release comes with dozens of new settings and menu adjustments, but you do not need to spend hours searching submenus to make the most of iOS 27.

From instant on-screen Siri actions to automated tab grouping and custom AirPods EQ, taking two minutes to enable a few key settings makes an immediate difference. If you just finished updating, here are the seven iOS 27 features you should try first.

More from Tom's Guide

• I've been testing Siri AI in iOS 27 for 3 weeks: 7 things to try first (and the feature that won me over)
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• iOS 27’s safety filter was ruining my FaceTime calls — here’s how I turned it off

Watching your once snow-white pillow develop a multitude of yellow pillow stains is pretty gross – and your bedtime routine and laundry habits are high on the list of culprits for why pillows turn yellow.

From sleeping with wet hair to skipping regular bedding washes, there are five common habits that cause moisture and oils to seep into your pillow where they then oxidize and turn yellow.

The good news? Making a few simple changes to your routine will stop this discolouration from happening in the first place and keep your pillow brilliant white for longer.

Top 5 reasons why your pillows turn yellow

• 1. Sweat and natural body oils – breaks down pillow fibers overnight.
• 2. Going to bed with wet hair – trapped dampness causes bacterial growth and yellowing.
• 3. Skincare and makeup – transfers directly to the pillow, causing yellowing (retinol is notorious for this).
• 4. Not washing your pillow and pillowcases enough – stains set deeper and look more yellow.
• 5. Not replacing your pillows often enough – over time, pillows naturally decay and yellow.

1. Sweat and natural body oils

The two main culprits behind yellow pillow stains are moisture and oil, which we pump out hour by hour when sleeping.

Dr Shamsa Kanwal, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at MyPsoriasisTeam explains it further: "Sweat, natural skin oils, saliva, dead skin cells, and moisture from wet hair gradually soak through the pillowcase and into the pillow, creating that familiar yellow discoloration over time."

All of this oxidizes when exposed to air. And when sweat and sebum react with oxygen, yellow pillow stains form — and overheating while sleeping can make the stains worse.

2. Going to bed with wet hair

I've all been guilty of this one, especially at the end of a long day when I'm tried and desperate to hop into bed.

But going to be with wet or damp hair not only makes your pillow feel soggy, it can also cause excess moisture from your hair to seep through your pillowcase and oxidize just like sweat and saliva does.

The result? Yellow staining on your pillow. If you keep doing this, your pillow will become yellowed regardless of whether you use a pillow protector.

3. Skincare and makeup

From skin-smoothing retinol to plumping overnight lip masks, beauty sleep products are a dream for our skin but a nightmare for our pillows.

Applying these skincare products right before bed means that the products' moisture and oils are still sitting on your skin, ready to transfer down into your pillow.

Same goes for sleeping with your make-up on.

The result? Yep, you guessed it: yellow stains. "Products that have not fully absorbed before bed can transfer onto the pillowcase and eventually seep into the pillow," says Dr Kanwal.

"Rich moisturizers, facial oils, leave-in conditioners, and other oily or pigmented products are more likely to leave residue, especially when combined with sweat and body oils."

4. Not washing your pillow and pillowcases enough

Skipping laundry day can mean that moisture and oils that have accumulated and oxidized on your pillow have a chance to really dig in to the fabric, causing deep staining that's harder to remove.

One survey found that 24% of adults admit to only washing their pillowcases every three to four weeks. While another found that only 15% of people wash their pillows on a regular basis.

To keep your pillow clean, fresh and free of yellow stains, you should aim to wash your pillowcase once a week and wash your pillow monthly.

5. Not replacing your pillows often enough

If you've noticed that your yellowest pillow is also flat and unsupportive, it's no coincidence – yellow stains are one of the key signs that your pillow needs replacing.

The average lifespan of a pillow is up to two years, but one survey found that only 18% of 2,200 respondents knew this.

Meanwhile, the same study found that the average person keeps their pillow for around 14 months after the recommended time to replace it.

5 ways to stop your pillow turning yellow in the first place

• 1. Wash your pillow every 3 months – regular deep washes prevent sweat and oils from seeping deep down into the fill.
• 2. Use a pillow protector – this fabric barrier stops the majority of moisture and skincare from transferring to your actual pillow
• 3. Apply skincare routine an hour before bed – gives your products time to seep in, so your skin is dry when you lie down on your pillow.
• 4. Use breathable pillowcases – encourages better airflow and less nighttime sweating (a major cause of yellowing).
• 5. Replace your pillow every two years – ensures you're never sleeping on a decaying pillow that's yellow from natural old age.

1. Wash your pillow every 3 months

The first way to prevent your pillows from turning yellow? Start washing them more.

"I would wash pillowcases at least once a week, and more often if you sweat heavily, have oily or acne-prone skin, or use a lot of hair and skincare products," advise Dr Kanwal.

"Many washable pillows can be cleaned every 3 to 6 months, but always follow the care label because foam, latex, feather, and synthetic pillows need different cleaning methods," she adds.

For advice on how to clean your pillow, visit our guide on how to wash a pillow.

2. Use a pillow protector

Along with washing your pillowcases regularly, you can also try adding an extra layer of pillow protection.

"Using a washable pillow protector also helps keep sweat and product residue from reaching the pillow itself," explains Dr Kanwal.

While you can get pillow protectors that act as a pillow encasement, you can also get a waterproof pillow protector for more safeguarding.

3. Apply skincare routine an hour before bed

If skincare is a crucial step in your night-time routine, make sure that you've taken off your make-up and applied any lotions at least an hour before bedtime.

Dr Kanwal says that making skincare the first step of your evening regimen gives the products enough time to be absorbed by your skin and less likely to be absorbed by your pillowcase.

4. Use breathable pillowcases

Sweat is a big cause of yellowed pillows, so the more things you can do to sleep cool and dry the better.

This can mean switching your current pillow with a pillow featuring cooling tech like GlacioTex, or making sure that the fabric of your pillowcase is breathable.

Ditching heat-trapping synthetic bedding material like polyester or satin for naturally cooling, moisture-wicking materials like cotton, bamboo, linen, silk, or Tencel can help limit night sweats and overheating, meaning less discoloration from moisture build-up.

5. Replace your pillow every two years

As surprising as it sounds, I can understand why some people may want to hold onto their ageing yellow-stained pillow. It's comfortable, it's familiar, and if it ain't broke, why fix it?

However, even if you're happy to camouflage the yellow stains with a pillowcase, the truth is that an old pillow that's over two years old and covered in yellow stains needs to be replaced.

Trust me, it's much easier to invest in one of the best pillows every two years than to struggle with allergies, neck pain, and tension headaches from an old, unsupportive yellowed pillow.

Top 3 products to prevent yellow pillow stains

There is nothing quite as disappointing as unloading a fresh batch of dishware only to find your clear drinking glasses covered in a dull, milky white haze.

For months, I assumed my dishwasher was simply getting old, or that I was buying cheap detergent. I kept re-washing cloudy glasses by hand, which completely defeated the point of having a dishwasher in the first place.

Once I realized what was happening, I stopped scrubbing each glass individually and tried a quick, zero-scrub dishwasher reset trick using a single kitchen staple.

Within one short cycle, the hazy film completely dissolved, leaving every glass sparkling and crystal clear. Here is why your dishwasher leaves that frustrating film, and the easy fix that clears it.

Why your dishwasher leaves a cloudy film on glasses

Cloudy glassware is caused by one of two things, but only one of them is reversible:

• Hard water mineral buildup (Reversible): Calcium and magnesium in hard water combine with detergent fats during the wash cycle. If your dishwasher lacks enough rinse aid, these minerals get baked onto the glass surface during the drying phase, creating a chalky white coating.
  
  Glass etching (Permanent): If you have soft water, use too much detergent, or run water that is extremely hot, the chemical combination can physically eat away at the glass surface over time. Etching cannot be washed off, but mineral film can be dissolved instantly with a mild acid.

The quick fix to restore cloudy glasses

To clear existing mineral buildup from your glasses and flush out your machine at the same time, all you need is plain white vinegar or citric acid powder.

Before running a full load, place a single drop of white vinegar on one cloudy glass and rub it with your finger. If the spot clears up, it is hard water buildup and this fix will work 100% of the time. If it stays cloudy, the glass is permanently etched.

Arrange all your hazy glassware on the top rack of your empty dishwasher. Do not add any standard dishwasher detergent or pod to the dispenser for this cycle.

Fill a dishwasher-safe bowl or measuring cup with 2 cups of plain white vinegar and place it upright on the top rack among the glasses. Then run a normal hot-water wash cycle.

As the machine sprays, the vinegar will slowly overflow from the bowl, distributing mild acid throughout the entire cycle to dissolve the mineral film without manual scrubbing.

To prevent the film from ever returning, immediately check your dishwasher's rinse aid compartment.

Fill it completely with liquid rinse aid (like Finish Jet-Dry). Rinse aid breaks the surface tension of the water, allowing it to slide off the glass before minerals can dry and stick.

More from Tom's Guide

• I stopped vacuuming my rugs wrong — here’s the simple overlap technique that doubled my dust pickup
• How to clean old baking sheets to look brand new — without hours of scrubbing
• I restored my yellowed whites to brilliant white using one overlooked laundry step

I'm a big fan of fall. Crispy weather, comfy clothing and cozy nights in. But, I tell you what I'm not a big fan of – spiders. Unfortunately, when we reach the end of summer and beginning of fall, it also becomes mating season for spiders.

Male spiders are desperately on the hunt and that brings them out of their usual hidey-holes looking for a mate. It turns out if you're seeing more spiders right now, they've probably been living in your house all year long.

Plus, if you're leaving lights on and windows open, the bugs will fly in and the spiders will surely follow their prey. Either way, it makes my skin crawl and I'd like to avoid any crawling altogether. Fortunately, I found a spider-repelling hack just in time – and it uses just three affordable items.

How does it work?

TikTok user, @haz_colourfulhome, shared a simple hack on her social media that has kept her home spider-free for years. All you need, she says, is epsom salt, little net bags and some essential oil(s).

For the essential oil, Harriet recommends lemon, mint, eucalyptus and lavender, but you could also use peppermint oil, other citrus oils such as orange and lime, or tea tree. These are all smells that spiders hate, but you can pick ones that you love.

To follow this hack, carry out these five simple steps:

• Pour the epsom salt into each bag, around half full
• Fasten it securely
• Dab the essential oil onto the epsom salt over the bag
• Be as generous as you want with the oil
• Repeat the process as many times as you need

One important caveat for this hack is that the essential oil will make the bag quite greasy. So, you should avoid placing it directly on any wood surfaces or any surfaces you'd like not to be affected. Alternatively, you can place it on a little dish on top of the delicate surfaces.

She adds, it's completely up to personal choice how many you decide to place around your home, but she has them in lots of corners, by the front door and any hidden places around her home: "I am just that petrified I just think more is more in this case."

Here's what happened when I tried it

While there's a citrus peel spider hack that I've been trying out, I feel like you can't overdo trying to stop the spiders taking over your home. It also doesn't hurt that it smells lovely, too. So, I grabbed some epsom salts, little net bags and essential oil ready to try out this hack.

And it was actually surprisingly simple. I should've known really considering Harriet managed to keep up an entire narrative during her TikTok video while completing the hack, but I was still worried the oil would get everywhere.

I'm happy to report though that the epsom salts and net bag seemed to soak up the oil quite well. It was still greasy, as Harriet warned, but not enough that I felt it would leave a stain or a mark.

It took me around 5 minutes to make a handful of bags and then I placed them around my home. The smell was subtle, but just enough to add a nice scent to the rooms. Unfortunately, I hadn't put into consideration my kids who decided it was game to find all the net bags and collect them all up again.

After I explained what they were for though, they were in full support of keeping the spider count down in our house. Now, I've not seen any spiders yet, but I fear it might be a little too soon to tell. Either way, it took me minimal effort, it was incredibly affordable and the net bags can be reused year after year.

More from Tom's Guide

• It’s peak spider season — here’s what to look out for and how to keep them at bay this fall
• I banished spiders with this $3 cleaning hack — and it actually worked
• 5 spider-repelling hacks that actually work — and you probably have everything you need at home

The 2026 US Open men's final sees American Ben Shelton going for glory to become the first male Flushing Meadows champion in 23 years. Standing in his way? The imposing frame of no. 1 seed and French Open champion Alexander Zverev.

Here's how you can watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for FREE.

For Sascha Zvererv, it's been the year that he finally dropped the tag of the ATP Tour's nearly man and bagged a Slam. And now, following that long awaited victory at Roland-Garros, it feels like there's nothing stopping him eating up more majors. Having reached the Wimbledon final the very next month, he's done the same in New York City, breezing through the last four rounds in straight sets. After some late night five-setters at the start of the week, he should now have plenty in the tank for Sunday's match.

When Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick won this title in 2002 and 2003 respectively, you would have been hard pressed to find a pundit predicting that the U.S. would have to wait more than two decades for another champion. That means the pressure is on Box Office Ben to right that wrong. It's the 23-year-old Atlanta native's first Grand Slam final, having vanquished countryman Frances Tiafoe in the semis.

Will the zealous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd carry their man to a famous championship win on Sunday? See how to watch Zverev vs Shelton in the US Open 2026 men's final from anywhere — starting with those free streaming options.

Watch Zverev vs Shelton FREE live stream

In Australia, you can watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams for FREE on 9Now.

What if you're usually based in Australia but aren't at home during the 2026 US Open men's final? The 9Now won't work – unless you use a good VPN (we use Nord). We'll show you how to do that below...

Watch Zverev vs Shelton from anywhere

Away from home and blocked from watching Alexander Zvererv vs Ben Shelton?

You can still tune in to the men's US Open final live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. Ideal for fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you want to watch your free 9Now stream, you can choose 'Australia' from the server list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 9Now or your preferred streamer and watch Zverev vs Shelton live.

How to watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams in the U.S.

To watch Ben Shelton take on Alex Zverev in the 2026 US Open men's final in the U.S. you'll need access to ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes or the online ESPN Unlimited service.

If you don't have a cable package or coverage through an antenna, you can get ABC or ESPN channels through an OTT cable TV alternative.

Our pick is Sling TV, which includes ESPN channels with its Orange plan. You can get access for as little as $4.99/day or $19.99/month with the Sling Essential plan, which carries ABC (in selected cities), ESPN and ESPN2.

Alternatively, there's the network's streaming service ESPN Unlimited, which costs from $31.99/month and has carried extensive coverage around the courts at Flushing Meadows.

How to watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams in Canada

Tennis fans in Canada can watch Zverev vs Shelton on TSN2 (in English) or RDS (in French), as part of a cable TV package.

If you don't have cable, then you could watch US Open men's final online on TSN Plus instead, which lets you get access to TSN channels from CA$24.99/month.

If you're outside Canada but have a subscription, you can watch live streams using a VPN such as NordVPN.

How to watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams in the U.K.

Sky Sports is the official broadcaster of the US Open, including the Zverev vs Shelton final, in the U.K.

If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £22/month to add those channels. Or it's from £35/month for new subscribers to Sky TV.

If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider a Now Sports Membership. This gives you flexible 24-hour access for £14.99 or £34.99/month.

Outside the U.K.? You can still follow US Open live streams on Sky Go by using a VPN service such as NordVPN.

How to watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams in Australia

It's great news for Aussies, who can watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams for FREE on 9Gem.

That coverage will be live streamed online via the free on-demand service 9Now, too.

It's also possible to watch on Stan Sport, costing from AU$29.99/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as NordVPN, to watch all the action on 9Now or Stan, as if you were back home.

How to watch Zverev vs Shelton live streams in New Zealand

Kiwis can watch the Zverev vs Shelton 2026 men's final live streams on ESPN via a Disney+ subscription.

Disney+ subscriptions begin at NZ$9.99 a month for the ad-supported tier, but this also gets you everything else on ESPN (like basketball, ice hockey and more), as well as Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel.

Not in New Zealand right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as

NordVPN will let you to log into your Disney+ account as if you're not in New Zealand this Sunday.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch Premier League 2026/27
• How to watch tennis online with Sling
• The best streaming VPNs

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

No matter how thoroughly you wash your kitchen cutting boards after dinner, certain foods seem to leave permanent marks behind.

My wooden and plastic boards were covered in unsightly yellow turmeric blotches, deep tomato paste stains, and stubborn gray knife scuffs that standard dish soap couldn't touch.

I was genuinely ready to toss two of my oldest wooden boards and treat myself to a replacement. But before giving up, I decided to try a low-cost restoration trick: using coarse salt as a natural abrasive.

Instead of relying on harsh chemical cleaners or bleach, which can warp wood and leave behind toxic residues, coarse salt works alongside natural acids to lift embedded food pigments without scratching the surface.

Why dish soap fails on stained cutting boards

Standard liquid dish soap is formulated to strip surface grease, but it falls short on porous or scarred cutting surfaces. Over time, both wood and plastic boards develop thousands of micro-grooves created by knife blades.

Deeply pigmented organic compounds like lycopene found in tomatoes and carotenoids in carrots seep into these microscopic cuts where sponge fibers cannot physically reach.

Liquid soap works chemically by trapping surface oils, but it lacks the structural grit necessary to scour out trapped material from deep crevices.

It also strips away the protective mineral oils from wooden boards, drying them out and making them even more vulnerable to deep, permanent staining.

How to remove stains from cutting boards

To execute this hack, all you need is coarse sea salt or Kosher salt, and half a fresh lemon (or a damp microfiber cloth).

More from Tom's Guide

• I restored my graying socks to brilliant white using one overlooked step
• How to clean old baking sheets to look brand new — without hours of scrubbing
• I brought my yellowed pillowcases back to bright white using a simple 2-ingredient soak

The 2026 US Open women’s final has arrived, and it's a dream matchup as top seed and two-time reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka faces Elena Rybakina, the second seed and player who will end the Belarusian’s 99-week reign as world No.1 when the new rankings come out next week.

It promises to be a hugely entertaining final and you won’t to miss any of the action. So find out how you can watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.

Sabalenka arrived in New York with a point to prove. The 2024 and 2025 champion had failed to win a WTA title since completing the Sunshine Double in March and had suffered a quarter-final defeat at Roland Garros and a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon. Back on her favorite surface, the 28-year-old has found her form and has dropped just one set en route to the final, powering past Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals. With 19 wins in a row at the US Open, and now in her fourth consecutive final, confidence should be high.

Rybakina, meanwhile, is enjoying the most consistent season of her career. Having started the year in triumphant fashion by beating Sabalenka to win the Australian Open title, she has now reached five finals and will be crowned world No. 1 for the first time on Monday. The 27-year-old came from a set down to beat Coco Gauff in the last four, gritting it out in much the same way she has all tournament after not yet finding her best tennis. What better time to throw down some first-serve bombs in the final?

Check out all of the TV and streaming details below to find out how to watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina in the US Open 20206 final from anywhere, starting with free options.

How to watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams for FREE in 2026

In Australia, the Sabalenka vs Rybakina match will be available on 9Gem and its respective FREE streaming service 9Now.

What if you're usually based in Australia but aren't at home during the 2026 US Open women's final? Maybe you're on vacation and don't want to spend money on a new TV service in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below...

Watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams from anywhere

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the tennis on your usual subscription?

You can still watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Among the best is Norton VPN — we explain why in our Norton VPN review.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NortonVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're overseas and want to view your usual Australian service, you'd select an Australia-based server from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 9Now or another website and stream the tennis live.

How to watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams in the U.S.

ESPN has exclusive rights to show Sabalenka vs Rybakina in the U.S., with live action on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes.

If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get ABC or ESPN channels through an OTT cable TV alternative.

Our pick is Sling TV, which includes ESPN channels with its Orange plan. You can get access for as little as $4.99/day or $19.99/month with the Sling Essential plan, which carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.

Alternatively, there's the network's rebranded streaming service ESPN Select, which costs from $13.99/month and will carry extensive coverage around the courts at Flushing Meadows.

How to watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams in Canada

Tennis fans in Canada can watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina on TSN (in English) or RDS (in French), as part of a cable TV package.

If you don't have cable, then you could watch US Open final online on TSN Plus instead, which lets you get access to all TSN has to offer from CA$29.99/month.

If you're outside Canada but have a subscription, you can watch live streams using a VPN such as Norton VPN.

How to watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams in the U.K.

Sky Sports is the official broadcaster of the US Open, including Sabalenka vs Rybakina, in the U.K.

If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £22/month to add those channels.

If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider a Now Sports Membership. This gives you flexible 24-hour access for £14.99 or £34.99/month.

Outside the U.K.? You can still follow US Open live streams on Sky Go by using a VPN service such as Norton VPN.

How to watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams in Australia

Aussies can again watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams for FREE on Channel Nine.

That coverage will be live streamed online via the free on-demand service 9Now, too

To watch every single game, set and match, you'll need a subscription to Stan Sport. Base Stan subscriptions cost from $9.99/month, and you'll need to add Stan Sport for a further $20/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as Norton VPN, to watch all the action on 9Now and Stan, as if you were back home.

How to watch Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams in New Zealand

Kiwis can watch the Sabalenka vs Rybakina live streams on ESPN via a Disney+ subscription.

Disney+ subscriptions began at NZ$9.99 a month for the ad-supported tier, but this also gets you everything else on ESPN (like basketball, ice hockey and more), as well as Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel.

Not in New Zealand right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as Norton VPN, to log into your Disney+ account as if you were back home.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch Premier League 2026/27
• How to watch tennis online with Sling
• How to watch Premier League 2026/27 with Sling TV

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The hottest summer on record has turned my pristine white sheets into a yellowed mess. Even increasing my laundry schedule hasn't been able to banish yellow marks from my white duvet cover.

My first instinct was to grab the chlorine bleach. This strong chemical would effectively remove yellow sweat stains and turn my white sheets sparkling again. However, chlorine bleach is harsh on fabrics as well as stains, and overuse risks wearing holes in your duvet cover. That's even worse than stains.

The solution is a simple soak using a gentler chemical that helps lift stains without hurting the fabric. It returns your duvet cover to the bright white you enjoyed at the start of the summer.

• Too yellow to save? Check out our guide to the best bed sheets for our top tested picks.

Why you should avoid chlorine bleach in your laundry

Yes, chlorine bleach will strip the stains from your sheets. It contains sodium hypochlorite which causes a process known as oxidation. This changes the chemical composition of the stain to make it easier to wash away. It's an effective, albeit harsh, method.

But the stain isn't the only thing chlorine bleach removes. It breaks down dyes (so shouldn't be used on colored fabrics) and over time it can weaken fibers. If you regularly use chlorine bleach in your laundry routine, you might find your bedding begins to deteriorate, leading to holes.

Chlorine beach is also harsh against the skin. We advise always wearing gloves when handling chlorine bleach. And work in a well-ventilated area, as it can irritate the airways as well.

• Read more: 5 habits turning your pillows yellow — and how to keep them brilliant white for longer

How to remove yellow sweat stains without chlorine bleach

While oxygen bleach is gentler on the skin than chlorine bleach, we still recommend using gloves while handling it, particularly if you have sensitive skin. We also advice using it in a well ventilated area.

Clean yellow bed sheets with an oxygen bleach soak

When yellow stains are ruining your once-pristine bed sheets, use an oxygen bleach soak. While chlorine bleach relies on sodium hypochlorite to break down stains, oxygen bleach releases oxygen molecules to lift and remove unwanted marks.

It's a gentler oxidation process that leaves your sheets sparkling white without the wear and tear.

To begin, mix a scoop of oxygen bleach into a bath of lukewarm water (Avoid hot water — we'll explain why below). Supercharge your soak with a squirt of dish soap, to help lift any grease stains.

Immerse the duvet cover in the water and mix well. Leave to soak for up to six hours, stirring occasionally.

At the end of the soak, use a soft brush to scrub at any particularly stubborn yellow stains. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and squeeze out excess water.

Finish with a warm cycle in your washing machine

While hot water is best for removing stains caused by dirt or grease, when it comes to yellow sweat stains, it's best to use a cooler wash cycle.

Heat can cause the proteins in sweat to become set in the fabric, making those yellow stains even harder to remove. Cold (or lukewarm) water helps flush out the stain, for sparkling white sheets.

Once you've finished your initial, cooler, wash cycle, inspect your sheets and duvet cover for lingering marks. If you're happy with the white finish, follow-up with a hot cycle. Hot water (140°F / 60°C) is best for removing dust mites and allergens, but always check the care label for the right temperature.

White sheets are a hotel staple for good reason; they look crisp and inviting. And with this wash routine, you can enjoy those sparkling whites for longer.

Discovering unexpected holes peppered across your lawn or garden beds can spark an immediate urge to reach for a shovel or garden hose. Before you attempt to fill them in, it helps to know what creature actually dug them — and what might be resting inside.

While homeowners might assume snakes dig tunnels across the yard, most snakes lack the physical equipment to burrow through dirt. Instead, they operate as opportunistic squatters, moving directly into underground tunnels left behind by rodents, voles, and chipmunks.

These cool subterranean spaces offer ideal shelter from heat and a hunting ground for prey. Knowing how to identify an active snake hideout can help you keep your family, pets, and property safe without unnecessarily disturbing local wildlife.

How to identify a snake hole in your yard

Because snakes do not excavate their own homes, you will not find a standard shape or uniform size. However, several distinct physical indicators can help you determine whether a snake is utilizing an existing burrow.

• Size and structure: Look for openings between 1 and 3 inches in diameter, though larger snakes can squeeze into bigger gaps. Pay close attention to crevices near rock walls, house foundations, and dense shrubbery.
  
• Lack of excavated dirt: Unlike active mammals that push fresh, loose dirt around their entrance holes while digging, a snake moving into a hole leaves no fresh soil piles.
  
• Nearby physical evidence: Check the surrounding grass and dirt for shed snake skins, smooth tail tracks in soft soil, or a complete absence of recent animal gnaw marks near the entrance.
  
• The "vacant" look: If a hole looks old or abandoned by the original rodent digger, it becomes a prime candidate for a snake seeking temperature control or shelter.

What to do if you find a snake hole

If you suspect a hole in your yard is currently harboring a snake, taking the wrong action can quickly turn a peaceful coexistence into a safety hazard.

More from Tom's Guide

• I brought my brown lawn back to life using these 5 recovery steps
• Spotted lanternfly season is at its peak — 3 free DIY ways to stop them today
• I tested 3 different DIY fruit fly traps — this 3-ingredient build worked best

Smart TVs have evolved from simple living room displays into active data-gathering hubs. Between targeted banner ads, voice-assistant listening, and automatic content recognition, today's TVs track far more than just what movie you are watching.

According to a recent technical investigation by Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs (and reported by Ars Technica), certain LG Smart TVs running webOS are capable of scanning local Wi-Fi networks (LAN) to identify secondary devices like smartphones and smartwatches connected to the same household network.

In a statement to Tom’s Guide, LG pushed back against the report's conclusions. Regarding local network scanning, LG explained that its TVs "feature the ability to scan for and connect to nearby devices on the same network," calling it "a standard function commonly provided by smart TVs and smart home devices.

You, however, don't have to tolerate any potential snooping in your living room. By adjusting a few buried default settings, you can lock down your television's privacy in under five minutes.

Here is how LG's background scanning works, and the exact steps to turn it off.

How smart TVs track your home network

Most users assume that agreeing to a TV's privacy policy simply allows the built-in apps to stream video. In reality, modern webOS systems utilize several overlapping background services designed to monetize user data.

Local network scanning: Using built-in discovery protocols, the TV scans your Wi-Fi network to identify other connected smart devices, helping advertisers build a broader profile of your household.

Automatic content recognition (ACR): Feature settings like "Live Plus" analyze on-screen pixels and audio cues to identify every show, movie, or ad you watch — even from external devices like cable boxes or gaming consoles.

Always-on microphones: Voice recognition services and "Always Ready" modes keep the TV's internal or remote listening for wake words, logging audio requests to cloud servers.

How to turn off tracking and network scanning on LG Smart TVs

You can block background network scanning, targeted ads, and active listening by navigating to a few key areas in your LG webOS settings menu.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to extend your TV's lifespan — 5 simple habits that make it last longer
• 7 tips and tricks to make your LG TV even better
• This smart TV setting is ruining your picture quality — turn it off now

I used to think keeping my area rugs clean was just a matter of running my vacuum back and forth as fast as possible before moving on to the next room. My rugs looked fine, but whenever I shook them out, a tiny cloud of dust would still puff up.

It wasn't until a professional carpet cleaner dropped a casual tip that I realized my technique was completely flawed. By pushing the vacuum in random, fast passes, I was leaving over half of the trapped dust, pet dander, and grit buried deep inside the fibers.

Once I changed my approach to a cross hatch, or overlap technique, the amount of hidden dirt pulling into the vacuum canister was equal parts satisfying and alarming.

Here is the common vacuuming mistake you're probably making — and the simple method that gets your rugs truly clean.

Why fast vacuuming leaves dirt behind

Most people vacuum by pushing the machine forward and pulling it straight back over the exact same path before moving over to the next section.

Rug fibers, however, naturally bend in one direction, so vacuuming in only one orientation bends the carpet pile over the dirt, sealing fine particles into the base rather than pulling them up.

Without a calculated overlap, the outer edges of the vacuum head miss a 1 to 2-inch strip between every pass, leaving hidden channels of dust untouched.

Also, moving the vacuum head too quickly across the floor doesn't give the brush roll enough time to agitate the fibers and dislodge heavy, deep-set dander buried there.

More from Tom's Guide

• I restored my yellowed whites to brilliant white using one overlooked laundry step
• How to clean mold from your shower permanently — without using household bleach
• I tried this genius dryer sheet trick on my baseboards, and it got rid of all the dust in 30 seconds

I woke up yesterday morning, grabbed my iPhone off charge, and immediately felt a wave of annoyance. I had a full day ahead, but my phone screen was sitting at a frustratingly specific 80% charge.

At first, I assumed my charging cable was loose, or on its last legs. But after purchasing a replacement and experiencing the same issue, I realized it wasn't a hardware failure — my phone was doing this on purpose.

It turns out iOS includes a battery setting designed to protect your device’s long-term health. While preventing chemical wear on lithium-ion batteries is great in theory, it’s a nightmare when you actually need full charge to get through the day.

Fortunately, if your iPhone is holding back on battery life, there is a quick fix to get back to 100%.

More from Tom's Guide

• Creating calendar events in iOS 27 just got ridiculously easy, and I’m never going back
• iOS 27 finally gives you total control over your iPhone lock screen — here's what to change first
• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use

There is nothing quite as frustrating as pulling a freshly washed load of white laundry out of the machine only to realize it looks noticeably duller and more yellow than when it went in.

For years, my go-to for dingy towels, discolored shirts, or yellowed sheets was to simply pour a generous splash of liquid chlorine bleach straight into the dispenser. But no matter how much product I used, the results were lackluster.

It turns out my laundry routine itself was the root cause of the problem. Once I realized my mistake, I stopped dumping chemical cleaners into the wash blindly and adopted one simple step before running the cycle.

Here is why your laundry is turning yellow, and the exact fix that restored my whites to brilliant condition.

Why your whites turn yellow in the wash

Yellowing isn’t just surface dirt, it is usually the result of chemical damage or hidden, deeply trapped organic oils.

Standard chlorine bleach is extremely harsh. Overusing it, pouring it directly onto clothes, or using it in cold water strips away the factory-applied optical brighteners that make whites look bright. Once this coating is gone, the raw, off-yellow core of the natural fibers underneath is exposed.

At the same time, invisible sebum, sweat, and dead skin cells get trapped deep inside fabric weaves. If you wash in water that is too cold or skip a proper pre-soak, standard detergent fails to break down these waterproof oils.

Over time, the high heat from your dryer literally bakes these residual oils into the material, causing stubborn, yellow oxidation stains.

The single step to fix yellowed whites

If you want to master how to restore dingy whites without damaging fabrics, the secret is using a color-safe oxygen bleach soak to gently lift organic buildup and protein stains before the main washing cycle begins.

Are you team oxygen bleach, or do you have a secret household trick for keeping whites brilliant without harsh chemicals? I want to know! Share your favorite laundry hacks in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• I brought my yellowed pillowcases back to bright white using a simple 2-ingredient soak
• How to clean mold from your shower permanently — without using household bleach
• I restored my graying socks to brilliant white using one overlooked step

Baking sheets are the unsung workhorses of the kitchen, but over time, high heat and cooking oils turn pristine metal into a mottled, brown mess.

While some people assume those dark, burnt-on stains are permanent, or reach for harsh, toxic oven sprays, you do not need industrial chemicals to restore your pans.

The secret lies in using mild abrasives paired with a chemical reaction to break down polymerized fat without destroying the underlying metal.

Here's three simple cleaning methods that strip away years of built-up grease with the least amount of elbow grease.

Why dish soap fails on polymerized fat

That tough, brown layer on your sheet pans is not just dry oil, it is polymerized fat. When cooking oils are repeatedly exposed to high oven heat, their chemical bonds break down and cross-link into a tough, plastic-like varnish that fuses directly to the metal surface.

Standard liquid dish soap is formulated to trap fresh, liquid surface fats, but it completely slides off this hard, cured barrier.

While abrasive metal scrubbers might scrape off small patches, they also create micro-scratches in your pans that make future grease stick even faster.

To break the bond permanently, you need an oxidizing or alkaline reaction to dissolve the polymerized layer from the inside out.

How to remove burnt-on grease from baking sheets

What is the hardest thing to clean in your home? Drop your biggest household pain point in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to clean mold from your shower permanently — without using household bleach
• I tested 3 different DIY fruit fly traps — this 3-ingredient build worked best
• I tried this genius dryer sheet trick on my baseboards, and it got rid of all the dust in 30 seconds

Fruit flies seem to materialize out of thin air the second you bring home fresh produce or leave a single item on the counter for more than ten minutes. While the internet is flooded with fancy sticky pads and expensive plug-in UV traps, you do not need to spend twenty dollars to clear out your kitchen.

I spent the last week testing three of the most popular DIY traps using basic household ingredients to see which one actually catches pests instead of just cluttering your countertops.

Best for immediate swarms: Apple cider vinegar

The most widely recommended method combines warm apple cider vinegar with a few drops of liquid dish soap in a small bowl, covered tightly with plastic wrap and poked with tiny fork holes.

The theory is that the sharp, fermented smell of the cider lures the flies through the plastic, while the dish soap breaks the liquid's surface tension so they sink immediately.

In testing, this setup worked extraordinarily well. The combination of sweet fermentation and the dish soap trap meant that once flies went in, none managed to float or crawl back out.

It takes under thirty seconds to assemble, uses items sitting in your pantry right now, and proved to be the undisputed overall winner of the test.

Best when you have no vinegar: Fruit scrap funnel

If you do not have apple cider vinegar on hand, a simple zero-cost alternative uses leftover kitchen scraps.

Mash a piece of overripe fruit, like a bruised banana, strawberry, or soft peach directly into the bottom of a glass jar, then add a few tablespoons of water and just a single drop of liquid dish soap.

Be careful not to add too much soap, as fruit flies will easily detect the strong chemical scent and stay away entirely.

Then roll a sheet of paper (or any flexible material you have lying around, like an old piece of mail, notebook paper, or aluminum foil) into a cone, placing the narrow opening down into the jar without touching the fruit mixture.

The flies easily navigate down the wide funnel toward the sweet scent, but their clumsy flight patterns make it nearly impossible for them to find the tiny opening to fly back out.

While this trap successfully lures in plenty of pests, it requires precise folding to ensure no gaps are left around the rim.

Best for minimal effort: Leftover alcohol trap

The ultimate lazy solution relies on leaving an inch of stale beer or bottom-of-the-bottle red wine in a shallow glass with a drop of dish soap. Because yeast and sugars are massive fruit fly magnets, this method requires almost zero prep work beyond simply not rinsing out your drink glass.

While it did catch a handful of flies overnight, it proved noticeably less potent than the apple cider vinegar setup. The lower acidity level means the scent does not project as strongly across a room, making it more of a passive secondary trap than an active infestation solver.

It works in a pinch if you already have an open bottle sitting around, but it will not clear a heavy swarm as fast as a dedicated vinegar mixture.

More from Tom's Guide

• I've got a fly infestation — here's the hack I found to tackle the problem for good
• How to keep flies away from your houseplants for good — try these 7 expert tips
• How to get rid of drain flies — follow these steps

Google Messages waited far too long to join the personalization party. iMessage and apps like Whatsapp have long offered custom background, while Android's primary texting app kept users locked into plain designs.

That changed recently with the arrival of dedicated chat themes. You can now abandon the default look, swap out boring backdrops for vibrant wallpapers, and give every group chat or contact its own distinct personality.

Interestingly, these changes are only visible to you, so you can go as bold as you like without affecting anyone else's view.

What you need to change your background

Custom themes are built into recent versions of Google Messages, so if your app updated recently, you may already have the feature waiting for you.

However, if you open a chat and do not see the theme settings yet, you simply need to update the app through the Google Play Store.

Open the store, tap your profile icon in the top-right corner, select Manage apps & device, and install any pending updates for Google Messages. Chat themes are available on both standard releases and beta builds.

You also need to make sure Rich Communication Services are active, as custom themes rely on RCS technology. Open Google Messages, tap your profile icon, navigate to Messages settings, and select RCS chats to confirm that the feature is toggled on.

Find the chat theme menu

Opening the theme customization menu takes only three quick taps from inside any conversation thread.

First, open Google Messages and select the specific text thread you want to design. Next, tap the three vertical dots located in the top-right corner of the screen and select Chat theme from the dropdown list to open the visual design editor.

Pick your chat colors and backgrounds

The first customization option is chat colors. By default, your color matches your system accent color, but you can choose from eight additional styles. Each color option changes your conversation background, chat bubbles, and interface elements like the voice recorder button.

Wallpapers offer even more personalization. Google provides pre-selected images organized by category — Animals, Architecture, Landscapes, Space, and others. If these don't appeal to you, tap Choose a photo to select any image from your phone or Google Photos.

What feature are you waiting for next? Now that Google has finally delivered custom chat themes, what should the next feature drop be? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• 83% of phone storage issues come down to just two culprits — here’s how to fix bot
• I discovered a hidden Android feature that shows which apps are watching me, and what it revealed was startling. Here's how to take back control of your phone
• The most common charging habit is actually killing your phone — here's the fix

Between the summer heatwave and a strictly enforced watering restrictions, my yard didn't stand a chance. By late August, it looked like a doormat. Straw-like and baked dry — it was tempting to accept defeat and leave it till next year.

Then I caught myself and remembered: a brown lawn is usually just dormant and playing defense. As cool weather and seasonal rain roll in, fall offers the ultimate window for a full comeback. If you follow the right recovery plan.

If you want to transform your drought-damaged lawn into a lush, resilient yard before winter hits, here's what you need to do.

1. Aerate compacted soil

Heat and foot traffic compact soil throughout summer, restricting air and water movement to the root zone. Aeration removes small plugs of soil, opening pathways for water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach the roots.

Fall aeration is particularly effective because the lawn recovers during its peak growing season. You can rent an aerator, hire a professional, or use a manual aerator or garden fork for smaller lawns.

Aerate when soil is moist but not waterlogged. This ensures the plugs pull cleanly without clogging. Leave the soil plugs on the lawn to break down naturally.

Aeration combined with deep watering dramatically improves recovery because water and nutrients now reach the roots more effectively.

2. Overseed bare patches and thin areas

Heat stress creates bare spots where grass dies back completely. Fall is ideal for overseeding because cooler temperatures and increased rainfall help new seeds germinate.

Start by lightly raking dead material out of bare patches. This removes the thatch layer and allows seeds to contact the soil.

Scatter new grass seed over thinned areas and keep the soil consistently moist until the grass establishes. The key here is consistency. Uneven watering disrupts germination, so check daily and water lightly if rain doesn't fall.

New grass filling in before winter means you'll have a fuller lawn by spring instead of waiting until next summer to see improvement.

3. Water deeply rather than frequently

A struggling lawn needs deep watering, not daily sprinkles. Short, frequent waterings encourage shallow roots that can't access moisture deep in the soil when drought returns

Deep watering forces roots to grow deeper, creating a stronger root system that supports the grass through stress.

Water once every few days, applying enough to soak six inches down. Early morning or late evening watering minimizes evaporation and reduces scorching risk.

You'll know you're watering deeply enough when moisture penetrates the soil without pooling on the surface.

4. Apply lawn fertilizer as growth resumes

Heat and drought deplete soil nutrients, leaving your grass unable to grow vigorously. Once temperatures cool and the grass begins active growth again, a quality slow-release fertilizer supports recovery.

Timing matters. Apply fertilizer only when the soil is moist and the grass is actively growing, not when conditions are still dry.

Follow application instructions carefully, as over-fertilizing can damage recovering grass. Slow-release formulas feed gradually, supporting consistent growth without shocking stressed plants.

The fertilizer replenishes nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that heat stress depletes. Combined with improved watering and aeration, fertilizer helps your lawn shift from survival mode to genuine recovery and growth.

5. Strengthen roots with liquid seaweed

Liquid seaweed conditions soil while encouraging deeper root growth and improving nutrient uptake. Regular applications help grass recover faster from heat stress and build resilience against future droughts.

Seaweed provides trace minerals alongside growth-promoting compounds that strengthen the grass from the root level up.

Apply it every three to four weeks during the growing season. Healthier roots mean the grass retains moisture better, stays greener during dry periods, and recovers more quickly when conditions improve.

While this isn't a quick fix, this recovery plan builds long-term lawn health — laying the quiet groundwork now so come next spring, you'll have a lush lawn instead of staring at a sea of straw.

More from Tom's Guide

• Those pretty purple flowers are secretly destroying your lawn — here's why wild violets outsmart every weed killer and what actually works
• 11 secrets to a lawn that’s greener than your neighbor's
• My lawn was completely fried after the heatwave — to save it I had to stop making these 3 mistakes

This year has seen an uptick in popularity for smart glasses—according to IDC, the global smart glasses market has grown year over year in Q1 2026 by 167%, reaching approximately 2.25 million units shipped in a single quarter.

That stat comes as no surprise, thanks to the growing popularity of certain models of smart glasses, such as the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2), Meta Oakley HSTN, Rokid AI Glasses, and the many, many more options.But with that surge in purchases and recognizability comes several cases of their video-filming feature being used to violate someone’s privacy.

A story from Ars Technica has made the rounds regarding smart glasses being used to secretly film people in bathrooms, record someone changing in/out of their clothes and capture footage of a couple’s most intimate moments. Futurism even reported that young boys are getting their hands on smart glasses and using them to harass & bully the young girls in their middle & high schools. Public perception of smart glasses has reached an all-time low, especially with Meta trying to wipe away the title of “pervert glasses” for its product by instituting safer privacy settings.

Even so, people are looking for ways to avoid being filmed by people with smart glasses. And they’re finding the sort of methods that aren’t costly at all. Here’s a list of the apps and gadgets that people are using to be aware of smart glasses in their vicinity and protect themselves from being filmed by them.

The apps and gadgets that make users aware of smart glasses in their presence

There are four apps I came across on the App Store: Antizuck Smart Glasses Scanner, Nearby Glasses (Original), Zuckoff and NoGlasshole: Glasses Detector. The Nearby Glasses app is also available on Android devices.

All of them have one thing in common: they’re used to make users cognizant of the presence of smart glasses in their vicinity by scanning for the Bluetooth signals they give off when powered on. Plus, these apps let users know when a recording-capable device is nearby. Smart glasses aren’t just detected by their Bluetooth activity—they can also be detected through their Wi-Fi signal and easily visible LED indicator lights on the front frame that blink or glow when the camera is recording video or taking pictures. It’s worth noting that some smart glasses modifiers are finding ways to make them harder to spot (such as disabling their LED indicators).

The Zuckoff app is a prime example of an app that makes the practice of steering clear of people using smart glasses to film you without consent so much easier. “Camera glasses announce themselves over Bluetooth,” the app’s official site explains. “Zuckoff listens for those announcements and tells you when Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, Snap Spectacles or similar hardware turns up nearby. It also logs every other Bluetooth device it hears along the way. No account, no server, no analytics.

The app’s site also offered an explainer as to what the app can’t do, however: “Glasses advertise loudest while powering on, pairing or leaving the case. Once paired to their owner's phone they can go quiet, so silence is not proof that nobody is recording, and a detection is not proof that anyone is. Signal strength gives a rough distance and no direction at all.”

There are also relatively inexpensive counter-surveillance tools sold on Amazon that people can use to detect smart glasses. Those gadgets include RF Signal Detectors and Optical Lens Finders. RF Signal Detectors measure radio frequency bursts when smart glasses stream audio or video over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but only trigger when smart glasses are actively transmitting data, not while they’re offline or idle. It’s worth noting that a Bluetooth scan only reveals that smart glasses are powered on and in your area—it cannot confirm whether the camera is actively recording, but at least you’ll know one’s nearby.

As for Optical Lens Finders, these devices emit flashing red LEDs—the reflection off the tiny smart glasses’ camera lens in the frame shines back through a viewfinder. Keep in mind that they require a manual line-of-sight visual sweep by the user. This guide on how to tell if someone is wearing smart glasses also includes a bunch of telltale signs that will make you more likely to spot them in public.

The takeaway

Smart glasses certainly have beneficial uses, such as listening to hands-free media, relying on AI-powered voice assistants to handle everyday tasks, utilizing augmented reality displays for walking/cycling directions and using them as virtual monitors to watch movies in the privacy of your own home. Their filming and photo-taking capabilities are also impressive, but judging by the privacy-breaching ways they’re used nowadays, those features are untrustworthy for many.

With apps and gadgets being relied upon to go on the hunt for smart glasses, people are finding unique ways to stay out of their camera frame and keep their privacy intact.

More from Tom’s Guide

• Humanoid robot fights back after man pushes it in store — is this the beginning of the uprising?
• 'I find it very uncomfortable talking to people with a camera and a light': OpenAI's Sam Altman weighs in on smart glasses and privacy
• 'This isn’t a Turing test scenario — I’m not trying to convince you of anything': AI agents are now emailing researchers to talk about their consciousness

The Formula 1 2026 season heads to Monza this weekend for the Italian Grand Prix with home hero Kimi Antonelli leading the Drivers' Championship by 59 points.

The good news – if you live in the U.S. – is that you can watch the Italian Grand Prix on Apple TV with a FREE 7-day trial.

Read on to learn how to stream Italian Grand Prix on Apple TV in the U.S. If you're a new or returning subscriber.

How to watch Italian Grand Prix on Apple TV

How to watch Italian Grand Prix on Apple TV from anywhere

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch F1 2026 online
• Paramount+ full review
• How to watch Premier League

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Somewhere in the r/gadgets thread about Dyson's new toothbrush, past the surveillance gags and the sticker shock, one commenter asked the only question that really matters: why do I need a camera in my mouth?

I've asked myself the same thing since the CameraJet landed, because my first instinct was to file it with every gadget that solves a problem nobody had. Then I read how it actually works, and found myself reluctantly impressed.

Dyson does have a reason for the camera, it isn't just a gimmick bolted on to justify the price. Whether that reason is worth $499 / AU$799 is the question I keep snagging on.

The engineering is quite astonishing

Here is what it does, in plain terms. Most of us clean the surfaces of our teeth reasonably well and the gaps between them badly, and the gaps are exactly where plaque takes hold. So Dyson put a small camera in the brush head that scans for those gaps 28 times a second.

The moment it spots one, it fires a jet of mouthrinse straight in, a system Dyson has branded, inevitably, Gap Optical Targeting. From spotting the gap to hitting it takes about a tenth of a second, over and over as you go — so in effect the brush flosses for you, spot by spot, while you are still brushing.

The clever part is making that work at all. The brush head is moving nearly a thousand times a second, so to get a clear picture of a target that never sits still, the camera flashes its own light in careful time with that motion. The jet has to land in exactly the right place at exactly the right instant.

And the mouthrinse, fed from what Dyson calls an "anti-gravity" tank, has to keep flowing whether you are holding the brush upright or tipped sideways to reach the back teeth.

Dyson says it spent six years, filed 38 patents and put more than 600 engineers on the problem, training the system on nearly half a million images of real teeth. Whatever else you make of it, that is a serious answer to a slightly ridiculous question.

So the engineering isn't the problem. The price on the other hand...

$499 is Airwrap money

The CameraJet costs $499 / AU$799. That is the same $499 Dyson charges for its Airwrap, the cult hair tool people save up for and unwrap on Christmas morning. It is a startling figure to attach to something that lives next to the sink and periodically gets dropped on tile.

And here is the part Dyson would rather you didn't dwell on: the core job is already solved, cheaply. Take the Suri, for example, an electric toothbrush consistently rated as cleaning every bit as well as premium Oral-B and Sonicare models — costs about $90, and lasts forty days on a single charge.

There are excellent brushes from the big names for less still. The unglamorous truth of oral care is that a good $90 brush and an actual piece of floss will clean your teeth about as well as anything on the market, and dentists have been saying so forever.

What does $499 buy that $90 doesn't?

Which reframes the question. It isn't whether the CameraJet is clever, it plainly is, but what problem $499 solves that $90 doesn't. Dyson's honest answer is behavior.

Nine in ten people don't floss as often as they should, and the average brush lasts 45 seconds, well short of the recommended two minutes. If a camera that flosses for you, automatically, finally gets people cleaning between their teeth twice a day, that is a real health outcome, and no $90 brush delivers it. That is the bet.

But it is a bet, and an expensive one. It asks you to spend Airwrap money on the hope that automation will fix a habit — and to keep paying afterwards, for proprietary brush heads and, eventually, Dyson's own paste and rinse.

As another commenter in that thread put it, at this price "it better replace your dentist." For the slice of buyers who genuinely won't floss any other way, the math might just work.

For everyone else, the sum is harder: a spectacular, beautifully engineered way to do something a cheaper brush and a length of string can do already. I can't wait to find out.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested the Dyson Airwrap i.d. Curly + Coily on my hair — the hype is completely justified
• Best electric toothbrush in 2026
• The best electric toothbrush I’ve ever used isn’t Oral-B or Philips — it’s the silicone-based Foreo Issa 3

The US Open has arrived, and for the next two weeks, all eyes will be on Flushing Meadows. As well as featuring the world’s best players, the US Open 2026 will have the largest prize pot in the sport’s history, with $108 million on offer across all events.

You can watch US Open 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.

Elena Rybakina capped a memorable season by lifting her third Grand Slam title courtesy of a 6-4 5-7 6-2 victory over Aryna Sabalenka. The Kazakh player started the year by beating the Belarusian to win the Australian Open title and has now added the US Open crown by defeating the same player.

Rybakina will also he crowned the new world No. 1 on Monday when the updated rankings are released.

Today in New York, Ben Shelton will have the chance to become the first American male to lift the US Open since Andy Roddick triumphed in 2003. The 23-year-old overcame compatriot Frances Tiafoe in four sets on Friday and will play Alexander Zverev in the final.

The top seed is playing in his third Grand Slam final in a row as he bids to win his second major of the year. Zverev secured his place in the showpiece event courtesy of a comfortable straight-set win over the unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov.

How to watch US Open live streams for FREE in 2026

In Australia, the US Open will be available on 9Gem and its respective FREE streaming service 9Now. Not every match will be broadcast for free, but each day's key games will be available to watch.

What if you're usually based in Australia but aren't at home during the 2026 US Open? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on a new TV service in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below...

Watch US Open 2026 live streams from anywhere

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the tennis on your usual subscription?

You can still watch US Open live streams thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN — we explain why in our NordVPN review.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're overseas and want to view your usual Australian service, you'd select an Australia-based server from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 9Now or another website and stream the tennis live.

How to watch US Open 2026 live streams in the U.S.

ESPN has exclusive rights to show the US Open in the U.S., with live action streaming every day across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get ESPN channels through an OTT cable TV alternative.

Our pick is Sling TV, which includes ESPN channels with its Orange plan. You can get access for as little as $4.99/day or $19.99/month with the Sling Essential plan, which carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.

Alternatively, there's the network's rebranded streaming service ESPN Select, which costs from $13.99/month and will carry extensive coverage around the courts at Flushing Meadows.

How to watch US Open 2026 live streams in Canada

Tennis fans in Canada can get all the US Open action on TSN (in English) or RDS (in French), as part of a cable TV package.

If you don't have cable, then you could watch US Open online on TSN Plus instead, which lets you get access to all TSN has to offer from CA$29.99/month.

If you're outside Canada but have a subscription, you can watch live streams using a VPN such as NordVPN.

How to watch US Open 2026 live streams in the U.K.

Sky Sports is the official broadcaster of the US Open tennis in the U.K.

If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £22/month to add those channels.

If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider a Now Sports Membership. This gives you flexible 24-hour access for £14.99 or £34.99/month.

Outside the U.K.? You can still follow US Open live streams on Sky Go by using a VPN service such as NordVPN.

How to watch US Open 2026 live streams in Australia

Aussies can again watch 2026 US Open live streams for FREE on Channel Nine.

The free-to-view 9Gem channel will be devoted to all the Flushing Meadows goings-on throughout the tournament. That coverage will be live streamed online via the free on-demand service 9Now, too

To watch every single game, set and match, you'll need a subscription to Stan Sport. Base Stan subscriptions cost from $9.99/month, and you'll need to add Stan Sport for a further $20/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as NordVPN, to watch all the action on 9Now and Stan, as if you were back home.

How to watch US Open 2026 live streams in New Zealand

Kiwis can watch the 2026 US Open live streams for on ESPN via a Disney+ subscription.

Every match over the two-week tournament will be available, starting in the early hours of the morning in New Zealand.

Disney+ subscriptions began at NZ$9.99 a month for the ad-supported tier, but this also gets you everything else on ESPN (like basketball, ice hockey and more), as well as Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel.

Not in New Zealand right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as NordVPN, to log into your Disney+ account as if you were back home.

US Open 2026: Preview

Following the Mixed Doubles tournament, the 2026 US Open gets going properly on Sunday when the singles action gets underway. In the men’s competition, Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion but there are question marks over his fitness after being out for four months with a wrist injury.

Despite the long absence, the Spaniard remains one of the favorites, especially after it was confirmed that world No. 1 Jannik Sinner would miss the tournament. With the Italian missing, it is French Open champion Alexander Zverev who will be the top seed in New York.

The German is aiming to reach his third straight Grand Slam final but will expect plenty of competition from the likes of five-time champion Novak Djokovic, Italian ace Flovaio Cobolli, rising star Rafael Jódar and home hopes Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz.

On the women’s side of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion and top seed. However, the Belarusian has struggled of late. Since winning the Miami Open in March, she has lost five out of seven matches that have gone to three sets and was beaten in straight sets by 20-year-old Sára Bejlek at the recent Cincinnati Open.

Elena Rybakina could replace Sabalenka at the top of the rankings with a strong showing in New York but her participation is in doubt after sustaining an injury in Ohio. However, there are plenty of other contenders for the title.

Coco Gauff enters on the back of winning the Cincinnati Open title; Iga Świątek has shown signs of returning to top form; Marta Kostyuk is one of the world’s most in-form players; while young American Iva Jovic and the increasingly popular Filipino Alex Eala have both stormed up the rankings.

Check out all of the TV and streaming details below to find out how to watch US Open 2026 tennis from anywhere, starting with free options.

2026 US Open schedule and seeds

US Open schedule 2026

US Open 2025 takes place from Sunday, Aug. 30 to Sunday, Sep. 13

August 30-September 1:
Men's & women's singles 1st round

September 2-3:
Men's & women's singles 2nd round

September 4-5:
Men's & women's singles 3rd round

September 6-7:
Men's & women's singles round of 16

September 8-9:
Men's & women's singles quarter-finals

September 10:
Women's singles semi-finals

September 11:
Men's singles semi-finals

September 12:
Women's singles final

September 13:
Men's singles final

US Open seeds 2026

Men

1. Alexander Zverev (GER)
2. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
3. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
4. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
5. Flavio Cobolli (ITA)
6. Alex de Minaur (AUS)
7. Daniil Medvedev
8. Ben Shelton (USA)
9. Taylor Fritz (USA)
10. Arthur Fils (FRA)
11. Frances Tiafoe (USA)
12. Rafael Jodar (ESP)
13. Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
14. Learner Tien (USA)
15. Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
16. Brandon Nakashima (USA)
17. Jakub Mensik (CZE)
18. Jiri Lehecka (CZE)
19. Casper Ruud (NOR)
20. Tommy Paul (USA)
21. Luciano Darderi (ITA)
22. Valentin Vacherot (MON)
23. Andrey Rublev
24. Fran Cerundolo (ARG)
25. Joao Fonseca (BRA)
26. Alejandro Tabilo (CHI)
27. Arthur Rinderknech (FRA)
28. Ugo Humbert (FRA)
29. Tomas Martín Etcheverry (ARG)
30. Alexander Blockx (BEL)
31. Zizou Bergs (BEL)
32. Cam Norrie (GBR)

Women

1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
3. Jessica Pegula (USA)
4. Coco Gauff (USA)
5. Mirra Andreeva
6. Linda Noskova (CZE)
7. Karolina Muchova (CZE)
8. Iga Swiatek (POL)
9. Elina Svitolina (UKR)
10. Amanda Anisimova (USA)
11. Marta Kostyuk (UKR)
12. Belinda Bencic (SUI)
13. Naomi Osaka (JPN)
14. Iva Jovic (USA)
15. Diana Shnaider
16. Sorana Cirstea (ROU)
17. Alexandra Eala (PHI)
18. Ekaterina Alexandrova
19. Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
20. Maja Chwalinska (POL)
21. Anna Kalinskaya
22. Madison Keys (USA)
23. Elise Mertens (BEL)
24. Anastasia Potapova
25. Emma Navarro (USA)
26. Marie Bouzkova (CZE)
27. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
28. Sara Bejlek (CZE)
29. Ann Li (USA)
30. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
31. Leylah Fernandez (CAN)
32. Maria Sakkari (GRE)

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch Premier League 2026/27
• How to watch tennis online with Sling
• How to watch Premier League 2026/27 with Sling TV

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Mostly, I try to avoid AI. It's not a moral stance, I just like the challenge of solving problems on my own, and staying hands-on. For me, the fun is in the friction of figuring it out myself.

Most of the time, that hands-on approach works fine. But every so often, stubbornness stops being a virtue and becomes a bottleneck.

I don't turn to AI to optimize my life or try out the latest tech. I turn to it when I’ve hit a wall, the obvious solutions have failed, and I need a way out immediately.

These are the five specific moments my self-reliance hit its limit — and the exact prompts that helped.

More from Tom's Guide

• If you're copy-pasting from AI, you aren't learning. Try these "active" shifts instead
• I've been testing Siri AI in iOS 27 for 3 weeks: 7 things to try first (and the feature that won me over)
• How to get started with vibe coding — 5 simple tips for beginners

I used to find that even with weekly washes, my dazzling white bed sheets quickly faded to gray. Months of detergent build-up to remove yellow bedding stains left a film on my bedding, a problem worsened in hard water areas, as mineral deposits add another layer of dullness.

My first instinct was bleach and a hot wash. However, while chlorine bleach can strip away soap residue, chlorine reacts with mineral build-up to lock in hard-water film. Despite the heavy washing, my gray sheets were even duller.

But I've found a fix. This simple two-step pre-wash soak starts with oxygen bleach and dish soap to lift leftover detergent, and finishes white vinegar to cut through gray film. My sheets are back to their sparkling white best — here's how.

• Read more: 5 habits turning your pillows yellow — and how to keep them brilliant white for longer

The 2-step pre-wash laundry soak

These ingredients are safe to use on most fabrics. However, oxygen bleach should be kept away from silk, wool and leather (plus anything with wooden buttons), while vinegar shouldn't be used on delicate materials such as silk and rayon.

Our first hero ingredient is oxygen bleach. This mild bleach contains either sodium percarbonate, hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate, which form bubbles when mixed with water. These oxygen bubbles help gently lift away stains and gray film, without damaging the fabrics.

Adding a squirt of dish soap helps boost the stain removal. Dish soap is good at breaking down oils and grease (hence why you use it on your dirty dishes.) In this pre-soak, it helps lift the oily film left behind by your detergent.

Step two involves white vinegar. This kitchen staple is a cleaning must-have, used for everything from freshening up toilets to washing pillows. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which cuts through the gray grease of soap residue. It also breaks down mineral deposits, like the calcium left from hard water.

How to use this pre-wash soak

In my experience, the bright white results last for several months but if you're in a hard water area, your sheets may need regular soaks to stay sparkling. However, this soak shouldn't be completed more than every two weeks, as acidic vinegar can break down fabrics. Depending on the severity of your stains, the soak can take upwards of 6 hours. But only around 20 minutes of hands-on washing is required. Here's how to do it:

• Fill a basin or bathtub with warm water
• Add roughly half a cup of oxygen bleach and mix well (check packet instructions for exact measurements)
• Submerge the sheets completely and leave to soak for up to 6 hours
• Drain the water and rinse the sheets to remove any leftover oxygen bleach
• In a basin of warm water, add a cup of distilled white vinegar and stir
• Submerge the sheets and leave to soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour
• Rinse and finish with your usual washing cycle

The final step: Machine wash your bed sheets

Once your pre-wash soak is completed, the final step is to machine wash your bed sheets. We recommend opting for a hot wash, as hotter water is better at lifting soils and stains, ensuring even brighter whites. However, always follow the care instructions to avoid damaging your bedding.

How to choose bed sheets that won’t turn grey

It is possible to choose sheets that stay sparkling for longer. First, opt for natural fibers. Materials like 100% long-staple cotton or linen take longer to develop a gray detergent film than synthetic fabrics such as polyester and microfiber. It's a case of oleophilic versus hydrophilic: synthetic fibers attract and absorb oil, most natural fibers absorb water.

Weave is also important. A loose, open weave like percale allows laundry detergent to wash through easily. Tight weaves, like sateen, hold onto soap residue. This build-up will quickly lead to graying.

While eventually all bedding starts to dull, sheets made from natural fibers with open weaves take longer to develop a gray finish. That bright white will stay intact for years to come.

My white sneakers had turned yellow. Years of wear and accumulated grime from a recent festival had turned them from crisp white to a dingy pale yellow. I considered replacing them, but these were my favorite pair: comfortable and perfectly broken in.

Before giving up, I decided to try one last thing. I discovered a surprisingly simple method that most people overlook: a cleaning solution that addresses the specific causes of yellowing without harsh chemicals.

Within an hour, my sneakers looked brand new again. The transformation was dramatic enough that I started using this method on every pair of white sneakers I own. Here's exactly what I did.

The stain removal method that actually works

The solution involves mixing baking soda with hydrogen peroxide to create a paste. This combination is powerful enough to lift oxidation and embedded stains without household bleach's harshness.

This baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste is formulated specifically for canvas and mesh. If you are cleaning leather, swap the peroxide for plain water to protect the finish. You'll find full details on treating specific materials further down.

Apply the paste directly to yellowed areas and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. The longer you wait, the more effective it becomes. Use a soft brush to gently work the paste into the fabric, moving in circular motions.

Then simply rinse thoroughly with clean water and repeat if stubborn yellowing remains.

After first application I found the difference noticeable, but a second round really handled any remaining stubborn discoloration.

Let your freshly whitened and brightened sneakers air dry completely before wearing.

Handling different sneaker materials

Canvas sneakers respond beautifully to the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide method, but mesh and leather need slight adjustments.

For mesh sneakers, use the same paste but apply it more gently since mesh can snag easily. Work in one direction rather than circular motions.

Leather sneakers prefer a different approach. Make a paste with baking soda and water instead, skipping the hydrogen peroxide. Apply it gently and wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Test any cleaning solution on a hidden area first to ensure it doesn't damage your specific sneaker material. The key is adapting the method to what your sneakers are made from.

Don't forget the soles and laces

Yellowing isn't just about the main sneaker body. The rubber soles and laces matter too. Start with a Magic Eraser on the soles, which works remarkably well on stubborn yellowing without damaging rubber.

For laces, remove them and soak them in the same baking soda and hydrogen peroxide solution for 15-20 minutes, then rinse and air dry. Dirty laces make clean sneakers look worse, so this step is worth the effort.

The soles are often overlooked, but they're visible when you wear the sneakers and contribute to the overall appearance. Cleaning them completes the restoration and makes the entire sneaker look brand new.

More from Tom's Guide

• I restored my graying socks to brilliant white using one overlooked step
• I brought my yellowed pillowcases back to bright white using a simple 2-ingredient soak
• I tried deep-cleaning my white baseboards with vinegar — and brought back their bright white finish

I love sinking into a fresh, bright white pillow, so imagine my horror when I discovered one of my pillows had yellowed and was covered in stains. A build-up of body oils, sweat, cosmetic products and more – or natural old age of the pillow – seeping into the fabric and oxidizing over time can cause pillows to turn yellow.

I tried a range of cleaning methods to see if any of them could restore my pillow to bright white again, and while some did lift a few stains here and there, only one ingredient worked all over... a $1 staple you'll find in most medicine cabinets.

Here's how I used this unassuming stain remover to restore my pillow to bright white – and why it works when other methods fail.

• Pro tip: To test if your pillow has lost its support and need a new one, try this 30-second pillow test.

The $1 ingredient that restored my yellowing pillow to bright white

Antiseptic 3% hydrogen peroxide is a medicine cabinet staple, but it's also excellent for removing yellow stains from pillows.

After being told by textile and cleaning specialists about its stain-busting properties, I decided to give it a try on my yellowing pillow.

To use hydrogen peroxide as a safe cleaner, always use a 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide, avoid mixing it with other chemicals, and protect hands with gloves. As hydrogen peroxide has a mild bleaching effect, avoid using on dark-colored fabrics and delicate materials such as silk, wool and cashmere.

Turns out, there's good reason why 3% hydrogen peroxide has a reputation as a wonder ingredient. It restored my pillows to mint condition, and it required low effort and an even lower cost.

Here's how I used it to lift deep-set stains from my yellowing pillow...

How I used hydrogen peroxide to remove yellow pillow stains

To get rid of deep-set, yellowish stains, I placed my pillow in an empty bathtub. I then filled a clean spray bottle with 3% hydrogen peroxide and spritzed it all over the pillow and then let it sit for 30 minutes.

After the half hour was up, I worked the hydrogen peroxide into the pillow with an old toothbrush. As the electric toothbrush scrubbed away at the pillow, I noticed the stains beginning to fade and flake off.

Following the pillow's cleaning instructions, I placed the hydrogen peroxide-covered pillow into the washing machine for 1 hour. Once the cycle was over, I opened the washing machine to reveal a bright white pillow that's back to its pristine self.

To dry the pillow, I absorbed any excess water with a light-colored towel and then place it in the dryer with three tennis balls for extra fluffiness (yes, the hack works).

Here's a very satisfying before and after shot of the formerly grubby pillow:

The kit you'll need

The pillow cleaning methods I don't recommend

The safest pillow cleaning method is following the care label to the letter, which usually involves an appropriate laundry detergent and water setting.

However, ingredients like 3% hydrogen peroxide are perfect if your pillow stains are too stubborn for laundry detergent.

That said, for the sake of science I tried the weirdest pillow cleaning ingredients that have been doing the rounds on social media. Unfortunately, the majority of them are best avoided...

For example, CleanTok heralds vodka as a stain remover. I was not impressed by the results. I also tested shaving foam after seeing so many videos hyping its stain-removing powers, only to be left disappointed by my still yellow pillows.

And while some hacks sort of worked, they came with a disclaimer. Like the viral lemon slice soak — research shows that citrus acid degrades fabric. Another popular cleaning staple, baking soda, should not be used on your memory foam pillows

My advice? If you want to keep the best pillows in top condition, follow the care label to the letter.

It is easy to view a three-button garage door remote as an over-engineered clicker with two buttons too many. Consequently, millions of homeowners leave them entirely untouched.

In reality, those extra buttons are unassigned channels waiting to streamline your home access.

Rather than juggling individual remotes for secondary doors, driveway gates, or compatible outdoor lighting systems, a single setup process allows you to consolidate multiple entry points into one pocket-sized device.

Understanding what those extra buttons can do

Think of a three-button garage remote as a master key for your property's access points.

The most immediate upgrade is managing multiple bays: if you have two or three separate doors, assigning one to each button stops you from swapping remotes or blindly mashing buttons on the driveway. But its utility extends past the garage.

Systems from brands like LiftMaster and Chamberlain are built with cross-device compatibility in mind. With the right receiver, those extra buttons can operate automated driveway gates, trigger security lighting, or sync with smart home lighting modules.

Because each button transmits on an independent signal, you have complete control over how your setup functions.

Program your remote in minutes

Pairing your devices is straightforward, though exact steps vary slightly by manufacturer. Start by climbing up to your main garage motor unit and locating the "Learn" button — it is typically situated on the back or side panel near the hanging antenna wire.

Pressing this Learn button places the unit in pairing mode. Immediately press the unassigned button on your remote. The motor unit will flash its lights or beep to confirm the sync.

Note that while this method works for standard openers, older models may require matching internal manual switches, and smart setups are paired through a mobile app instead.

Repeat this process for any secondary doors or compatible receivers. For specific multi-brand setups, consult your opener's manual or reach out to customer support to confirm your frequency compatibility.

Make your garage remote work harder for you

Instead of letting two-thirds of your clicker sit idle, map out a configuration that streamlines your daily entry.

A practical setup might assign Button 1 to your main garage door, Button 2 to a driveway gate, and Button 3 to your exterior security lights. If you manage a secondary home or vacation property, Button 3 can easily handle that garage door instead.

Taking five minutes to configure those extra channels turns a basic piece of plastic into a consolidated remote that cuts clutter from your visor and key ring.

More from Tom's Guide

• Your garage door is wasting energy and driving up your heating bill — here's how to fix it
• 7 car cleaning tips to make yours look brand new
• Stuck in a dead zone? 3 free Google Maps alternatives that work with zero signal

My suitcase wheels have taken a beating over the years. Airports, cobblestone streets, hotel floors, baggage belts — they grind against rough surfaces constantly.

I watched the wheels deteriorate faster than the rest of my luggage, and I realized I was watching my investment wear out prematurely. Then I discovered a surprisingly simple solution that travelers use: wrapping the wheels with adhesive tape before each trip.

It takes only two minutes and protects one of the most vulnerable parts of your suitcase. The tape creates a barrier between your wheels and all that dirt and debris, making cleanup easier when you get home.

Choose durable tape

Not all tape performs equally on suitcase wheels. Duct tape is your best friend because it resists moisture, handles friction, and stays put during travel. It will leave a sticky residue, though.

Self-fusing silicone tape works too, as it sticks to itself and creates a flexible layer without leaving excessive sticky residue. Painter's tape and electrical tape are also a good choice.

Avoid masking tape, which tears easily when exposed to moisture and rubbing. Skip electrical tape as well; it's often too thin and shifts with temperature changes.

The investment in quality tape is minimal compared to replacing worn-out luggage wheels. Durable tape ensures your protection lasts throughout your entire trip without falling apart mid-journey.

Clean your wheels and apply the tape

Start by cleaning each wheel thoroughly with a damp cloth and letting it dry completely. Any remaining dust or moisture prevents the tape from adhering properly.

Once dry, wrap one or two layers of your chosen tape around just the tread —the part that actually rolls on the ground. This is crucial: keep the axles, sides, and swivel mechanism completely free of tape.

Covering those areas restricts the wheel's movement and defeats the purpose of having luggage that rolls smoothly. Wrap firmly but not so tight that you strain the wheel. The tape should spin freely with the wheel, not bind it.

Remove the tape and inspect when you return

As soon as you arrive home, remove the tape carefully from your wheels. The tape will likely look damaged or dirty, which is exactly what you want. It protected your wheels instead of them taking that abuse directly.

Clean off any adhesive residue with a cloth or gentle rubbing before storing your suitcase. Regular inspection after each trip helps you catch problems early.

This quick post-trip routine keeps your luggage in better condition and lets you plan wheel replacement before it becomes urgent during a future vacation.

More from Tom's Guide

• Study reveals your suitcase is dirtier than a public toilet — here’s how to properly clean it
• Hidden cameras in hotels and Airbnbs are more common than you think — 5 ways to protect your privacy
• 3 Google Maps features that solve the biggest travel headaches

Your mobile carrier collects location data constantly. It's part of how cellular networks operate. But you actually have more control over what gets shared than you might realize.

Apple built simple privacy settings into iOS specifically for this reason. Most people never find them. I discovered this setting and immediately felt more in control of my personal data.

You can restrict your carrier’s location tracking in under a minute without losing calls or texts. Here's how to do the same thing on your iPhone.

More from Tom's Guide

• 83% of phone storage issues come down to just two culprits — here’s how to fix both
• Check your iPhone right now: 3 privacy settings you need to change immediately
• Creating calendar events in iOS 27 just got ridiculously easy, and I’m never going back

Privacy concerns around social media have escalated significantly in recent years, with users increasingly cautious about what they share online.

A new experiment by Compare the Market tested exactly how much information can actually be hidden when you set your Instagram to private. The results are sobering.

A licensed investigator was tasked with locating the home addresses of nine volunteers using only publicly available information.

Despite four of them having private Instagram profiles, the investigator identified the addresses of seven out of nine. The fastest was located in just 15 minutes, with the first lead found in 50 seconds.

What the investigation revealed

Colin Crowden, Intelligence Director at Global Protect and an Open-Source Intelligence expert, conducted the investigation. What he discovered challenges the assumption that private accounts provide adequate protection.

Beyond identifying addresses, the investigation uncovered four complete property plans revealing internal home layouts. In one particularly concerning finding, Crowden established that a volunteer was away on holiday, confirming their property was unoccupied.

The speed at which information was gathered highlights a critical vulnerability. Information shared by friends and family, location tags from previous posts, property details visible in photos, and data from other online sources all contribute to a broader picture.

Crowden explains the issue clearly: "Information that appears harmless in isolation can become much more revealing when viewed alongside other publicly available information. This isn't about any one post creating a security risk; it's about how different pieces of information can build up over time."

Why your private account isn't enough

The experiment demonstrates that privacy settings alone offer incomplete protection. Even if your Instagram is private, tagged photos from friends, public check-ins, or incidental details in backgrounds can expose your location and home information.

The investigation reveals that the combination of data sources, not any single post, creates the vulnerability. Compare the Market's home insurance expert Helen Phipps worked with Crowden to develop concrete recommendations for reducing your digital footprint.

Practical steps to protect yourself

Wait until you're home to post

If possible, wait until you're home before posting holiday photos rather than sharing in real time. This prevents anyone from knowing your property is unoccupied. If you do post while away, avoid revealing exactly where you are or how long you'll be away for.

Review your privacy settings before you travel

Check who can see your posts, stories, and tagged content. Consider setting your accounts to private and reviewing your followers so that holiday updates are only visible to people you trust. This step takes minutes but significantly limits exposure.

Coordinate with friends and family

Your friends and family can inadvertently expose you. Ask them not to share real-time updates if you're traveling together or post photos of your property if they're housesitting.

People often don't realize they're compromising your security by tagging you in posts or sharing location details.

Turn off automatic location tags

Disable geotagging in your social media settings entirely. On Instagram, this requires revoking access directly through your phone’s system settings under Privacy & Security (iOS) or Apps (Android) rather than within the app itself.

Location sharing can unintentionally reveal your whereabouts even when you're not posting in real time. This is one of the easiest settings to overlook but also one of the most revealing.

Audit your digital footprint

Search for yourself online periodically to see what personal details are publicly accessible, and remove anything that compromises your privacy. Pay special attention to old social media posts containing house numbers, street signs, car license plates, or identifiable landmarks.

If you want to take action right now, I have a step-by-step walkthrough covering 5 ways to start removing your personal information from the internet. You should also check out how to blur your home in Google Maps Street View.

Combine digital caution with home security

Beyond digital precautions, pair online caution with classic home security measures. Set light timers to create the appearance someone's home, test all locks, arm your alarm system, and ask a neighbor to collect post and manage bins so the house looks lived-in.

Ensure your home insurance policy covers the duration of your trip and review any conditions that apply while your property is unoccupied.

This investigation raises important questions about privacy in the digital age. Have you changed your social media habits? What's your biggest concern about your digital footprint? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

For a complete breakdown of Compare the Market's methodology and findings, read the full Online Safety Study here.

More from Tom's Guide

• Meta's new AI tool uses your Instagram photos by default — here’s how to opt out
• Inside the dark market stealing real identities online
• Instagram's 'instants' feature is driving users crazy. Here's how to disable it

The floor seam around the porcelain toilet base is ground zero for the most stubborn bathroom smells. Everyday use inevitably leads to fine urine splashes, drips, and condensation running down the sides of the fixture into the tight crevice where the toilet meets the flooring.

Standard mopping often pushes dampness deeper into these unsealed gaps, leaving behind concentrated uric acid crystals and bacteria that release a stale odor every time the room gets humid.

Artificial air fresheners merely mask these trapped odors with perfume without breaking down the floor-level buildup. Applying dry baking soda along the base provides a direct solution, drawing out trapped moisture and chemically neutralizing the odor compounds at the floor line.

The science behind the hack

Unlike scented aerosol sprays that float a temporary perfume over a smelly room, baking soda permanently stops odors through a direct chemical reaction. The primary culprit behind persistent toilet base smells is uric acid, an acidic compound left behind as splashes dry out.

Because baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a mild base, it chemically reacts with acidic odor molecules on contact, neutralizing the uric acid into harmless, odorless salts. Beyond acid neutralization, sodium bicarbonate is amphoteric, meaning it can also neutralize basic odor molecules.

Its fine crystalline structure also acts as a natural desiccant, drawing trapped humidity out of floor seams and grout lines so odor-causing bacteria can no longer thrive.

Have a tip for stubborn bathroom smells? Drop your favorite hack in the comments below!

More from Tom's Guide

• My toilet seat kept sliding everywhere — here’s the quick fix that locked it in place
• How to get rid of drain flies — follow these 7 steps
• 'I can't remember the last time I cleaned this' — 5 hidden dirt zones in your house and how to clean them

Automated license plate readers (ALPR) manufactured by Flock Safety operate across tens of thousands of locations in nearly every U.S. state.

Mounted near intersections, neighborhood entrances, and main highways, these motion-activated systems capture high-resolution snapshots of passing traffic. The software logs license plate numbers, vehicle colors, make, and distinctive visual markers like roof racks or damage.

While law enforcement agencies cite the technology for helping solve active cases, privacy advocates raise concerns over continuous passive surveillance of everyday drivers.

Checking whether your daily commute passes through an active camera zone requires using public transparency tools, crowdsourced databases, and visual hardware checks. Here's where to start.

Curious if you are on the police's radar?

The independent transparency project Have I Been Flocked offers a rare, though limited, public window into automated surveillance by compiling official audit logs obtained through public records requests.

Where data is available, putting your license plate number into the site lets you check if participating law enforcement agencies have queried your specific vehicle.

Keep in mind that coverage is far from comprehensive. It cannot show a real-time feed, nor does it log every time your car passes a camera. Instead, it exposes the historical paper trail left behind only when an officer manually searches your plate within a jurisdiction that has released its audit logs.

The platform also overlays crowdsourced camera maps and regional policy trends, helping to highlight local data retention habits and how agencies share access across city lines.

You don't have to wait for an audit log

While lookup sites rely on public records, community-driven maps offer a clearer picture of physical hardware placements. Volunteer-driven projects like DeFlock map thousands of confirmed automated plate readers across interactive regional layouts.

Inputting your home or work address displays verified device markers, often including field-of-view indicators that reveal which direction a camera faces.

Meanwhile, privacy advocates and projects like FlockHopper use this crowdsourced data to highlight heavy surveillance corridors and potential alternative routes, utility varies widely.

Because these platforms rely strictly on volunteer submissions, map coverage depends entirely on how active the privacy community is in your specific area.

See what your town or city's cameras are doing

Many city governments and police departments pull back the digital curtain by hosting dedicated Flock Safety Transparency Portals on their municipal websites.

By searching your town or city's name alongside "Flock transparency portal," you can unlock a live public dashboard detailing the exact number of active cameras in your area, and the searches undertaken.

These dashboards reveal the core settings of your local surveillance net. They show exactly whether your police department activates real-time hot-list alerts for missing persons and wanted vehicles, or if they restrict the technology strictly to retroactive evidence gathering after a crime has occurred.

While not every town chooses to make their dashboard public, a quick search is the fastest way to see how your community balances public safety with digital privacy.

Spotting a Flock camera in the wild

While you can track placements via public records or crowdsourced maps, keeping your eyes on the road is the best way to spot unlisted or newly installed units.

Flock devices feature a distinct, minimalist design: a compact black rectangular box mounted roughly 8 to 12 feet high on light poles or dedicated metal posts. Each unit typically operates completely off-grid, equipped with a small, angled solar panel positioned directly above the main camera housing.

To spot them, look for lenses pointing sharply downward toward active traffic lanes rather than toward sidewalk pedestrian paths. They are built primarily to hunt for license plates and vehicle characteristics, not foot traffic.

What’s your take on Flock cameras? Do you view them as essential public safety tools or an overreach on driver privacy? Let us know in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• Hidden cameras in hotels and Airbnbs are more common than you think — 5 ways to protect your privacy
• Is your personal information public? The simple step to securing your privacy online
• Your security cameras are in the wrong spots — here's how to fix it

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed there's a lot more flies this year. Or, at least it feels like it when they buzz directly into my home as soon as I seem to open a door or window.

Not only are they seriously annoying, but they're also disease spreaders, can multiple very fast, and some of them even bite (depending on the species).

So, when I realized that the fly situation in my home was getting a little out of hand, I wanted to make sure I did something about it. Fortunately, my social media algorithm must've heard me talking about the flies because it started popping up with solutions.

And there was one TikTok in particular that caught my eye. Here's the hack I've been using to keep flies away from my home – and it's a real treat to hear no more incessant buzzing.

How it works

Influencer @mrsclarehoops has over 250k followers on her TikTok account where she posts a variety of easy, thrifty and helpful crafts and DIY tips and tricks.

And she posted a video titled: "Today yrs old when you found this natural fruit fly repellent," where she holds up a little bundle of helpful, natural and eco-friendly kitchen staples.

Using mint, lavender, and rosemary, she creates a small bouquet to place around the home, especially in areas where you'd find food sources like the kitchen.

Flies hate all three of these items because they produce strong-scented oils and aromas that these particular insects don't like. Even better? It's also a great deterrent for mosquitoes, ants, moths, and spiders!

You may well have these in your home already, but if not, it's a great excuse to go foraging, ask friends or family, or head to the nearest grocery shop.

Other ways to get rid of flies

Using this TikTok hack is certainly not the only thing you can do to get rid of flies in your home though. Most importantly, you'll want to make sure that all your food is covered, your bins and any trash are sealed properly, and cleaning up any crumbs is kept on top of.

If you let organic waste litter your home, flies will come to feed on it. Take away their food, reduce the chance of them coming in looking for it.

Removing all of these things should do the trick, but there's always the little bundles of mint, rosemary and lavender to use as an extra layer of defense. And there's other kitchen staples to deter flies that you can try, too.

If you notice the natural route isn't quite working for you, there's always specific fly sprays and pesticides that you can turn to, if you want.

Ultimately, if you put in preventative measures in the first place, the flies won't come. It's only if you allow them into your home and don't do anything about it that you'll begin to notice them spreading fast. And I for one certainly don't want that.

More from Tom's Guide

• Expert shares clever ice cube hack that could banish flies from your yard this summer
• I finally banished fruit flies for good using this $7 gadget from Amazon
• House flies ruining your summer? Keep them out with these plants

Over time, even the highest-quality white pillowcases inevitably lose their crisp finish. Sweat, body oils, and nightly skincare products slowly oxidize in the fabric, creating stubborn yellow discoloration that normal laundry detergent fails to lift. Running them through a standard wash cycle often bakes these trapped oils deeper into the cotton fibers.

Chlorine bleach can actually make the problem worse by reacting with the proteins in sweat and turning the fabric an even darker yellow. Keeping up with routine bedding care and cleaning is essential, but to bring yellowed cases back to bright white, the secret lies in stripping the embedded oils using a simple two-ingredient pre-soak.

The two-ingredient soak

This soak method is intended primarily for durable fabrics like cotton and polyester blends. Do not use this method on delicate or natural fibers such as silk, bamboo, viscose, modal, or fabrics containing elastane/spandex, as these materials can be weakened, damaged, or shrunk by exposure to these soaking ingredients.

To strip away that embedded oil layer, first fill a basin or clean sink with hot water to help loosen the hardened lipids (fats and body oils). For a quick pre-treatment, add half a cup of baking soda and one cup of distilled white vinegar.

The immediate rush of carbon dioxide gas creates rapid effervescent bubbles that help physically agitate and dislodge surface residue from the fabric fibers. Submerge your pillowcases completely and let them soak for 2 to 4 hours.

If you have stubborn, set-in yellowing and want to maximize the chemical strengths of each ingredient, try a sequential soak. To a basin of hot water, add half a cup of baking soda and stir until dissolved. Its alkaline properties will immediately go to work breaking down the greasy buildup. Let the pillowcases soak for 30 minutes.

Afterward, wring them out and transfer them to your washing machine, adding one cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle to dissolve any remaining detergent residue and completely lift the yellow stains.

Alkaline baking soda breaks down organic grease and body oils, while acidic vinegar dissolves mineral deposits and soap scum. Used in separate steps, they alter the wash water’s pH to chemically release and remove embedded residues from the cotton fabric weave.

The final step

Then simply run a normal cycle using your standard laundry detergent to flush out the loosened oils and chemical residue. For more tips on maintaining your sleep gear, read our comprehensive guides on how to wash a pillow and how to clean a mattress.

If weather permits, skip the dryer and hang your them outdoors on a clothesline. The UV rays from direct sunlight act as a free bleaching agent that naturally brightens white cotton.

Keep in mind that direct sunlight is not a substitute for proper washing. While UV rays help naturally brighten white fabric and kill germs, sunlight alone won't remove body soil.

Once dry, pillowcases emerge remarkably crisp and bright, completely free of dingy yellow patches.

Ready to revive your bedding? Grab some baking soda and vinegar, give your pillowcases a soak, and drop a comment below to let us know how bright they turned out!

More from Tom's Guide

• I restored my graying socks to brilliant white using one overlooked step
• How to keep your sofa spotless this summer — 7 expert hacks for stains and spills
• I tried deep-cleaning my white baseboards with vinegar — and brought back their bright white finish

Watch FREE 2026 Vuelta a España live streams to see the UCI World Tour riders tackle a relentlessly mountainous three weeks, starting in Monaco and finishing in Granada.

This year’s race was hit by a bombshell of epic proportions on Stage 8 as the runaway leader Tadej Pogačar crashed out breaking his collarbone and a vertebrate in his neck. His exit transferred the lead to Spanish star and perennial nearly man Enric Mas who has held an iron grip on it ever since. Showing his best form for years and being energised by the leaders red jersey he now has a 2min 6 sec advantage of the next rider Felix Gall.

Heading into the final week will Mas be able to hold on? Will his buffer over Gall and third placed Primoz Roglic be enough to stop them in the pivotal stage 18 time trial, his least favoured discipline. One bad day for any rider could still turn this race on it’s head and with plenty of pitfalls still ahead the conclusion is far from a certainty.

In the Green jersey competition Wout Van Aert now holds a commanding lead and likewise Santiago Buitrago looks very secure in the blue polka dot jersey but both will be out to defend their leads over this final week.

You’ll find a run down of the whole route in the preview below.

You can watch Vuelta a España 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.

Watch Vuelta a España 2026 live streams for free

FREE Vuelta a España 2026 streaming is available in Australia, Belgium, Spain and The Netherlands.

Abroad? If you're based in any of these countries but aren't at home during the race, don't worry — you can unblock your usual local stream with a VPN. We'll show you how to do that below.

Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 21

The win on stage 20 went to the ever popular veteran Mikel Landa who turned back the clock to take a very emotional victory and send his legions of fans delirious. Behind him Enric Mas did what he had to do, just defended his position and in the end he actually increased his lead over second placed Primoz Roglic.

All Mas has to do now is negotiate today’s largely ceremonial final stage around Granada and he will be crowned champion and a dream will come true for not only him but his Movistar team and the whole of Spanish Cycling.

Vuelta a Espana general classification after stage 20
1. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) 70hrs 56mins 58secs
2. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +2mins 15secs
3. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon CMA CGM) +2mins 44secs
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) +6mins 54secs
5. Sepp Kuss (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) +8mins 45secs
6. Oscar Onley (GB/Netcompany Ineos) +9mins 28secs
7. Jakob Omrzel (Slo/Bahrain Victorious) +10mins 38secs
8. Clement Berthet (Fra/Groupama-FDJ United) +11mins 41secs
9. Cristian Rodriguez (Spa/XDS Astana) +11mins 59secs
10. Harold Tejada (Col/XDS Astana) +14mins 40secs

Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 21 route profile.

Watch Vuelta a España 2026 streams from abroad

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the cycling on your usual subscription service?

You can still watch Vuelta a España 2026 live streams thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software enables your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So, it's ideal for sports fans away on vacation or on business. Our favourite is NordVPN. It's the best in the field:

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Australian service, you'd select Australia from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to SBS On Demand or another streaming service and watch the action.