If you this clip, you should also watch Theresa in this ShamWow test video.

For the full condom review and ratings, check out this article on ConsumerReportsHealth.org (subscription required).

Which condom, or contraceptive method, do you prefer?

How Consumer Reports Tests Condoms [Consumer Reports]

The survey found that the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan both had higher reliability ratings than the Japanese-made Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, ranking only below the Prius in the family sedan category. The Ford Flex SUV was also highly ranked.

As for the rest of Detroit, fewer than half of GM's models received average reliability scores, although the Chevy Malibu was rated better than average, and the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 were recommended. Chrysler also didn't do so hot, with over a third of their cars being rated much worse than average.

Overall, the least reliable vehicle was the Volkswagen Touareg, which was 27 times more likely to have problems than the most reliable vehicle, the Honda Insight.

More information is available at the Consumer Reports Cars blog.
(Photo: ibeamee)

For example, you don't really need to change your oil every 3,000 miles unless you tend to do a certain kind of driving.

Myth: Engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles.

Reality: Despite what oil companies and quick-lube shops often claim, it's usually not necessary. Stick to the service intervals in your car's owner's manual. Under normal driving conditions, most vehicles are designed to go 7,500 miles or more between oil changes. Changing oil more often doesn't hurt the engine, but it can cost you a lot of extra money. Automakers often recommend 3,000-mile intervals for severe driving conditions, such as constant stop-and-go driving, frequent trailer-towing, mountainous terrain, or dusty conditions.

And a run-down battery doesn't recharge as soon as you might think after a jump-start.

Myth: After a jump-start, your car will soon recharge the battery.

Reality: It could take hours of driving to restore a battery's full charge, especially in the winter. That's because power accessories, such as heated seats, draw so much electricity that in some cars the alternator has little left over to recharge a run-down battery. A "load test" at a service station can determine whether the battery can still hold a charge. If so, some hours on a battery charger might be needed to revive the battery to its full potential.

For all of the myths and their subsequent busting, steer yourself over to Consumer Reports Cars.

Car care: Myths vs. reality [Consumer Reports Cars]

(Photo: BunnyStudios)

Their verdict: "smart-throttle" technology helps immensely. The Mercedes and Volkswagen test cars engineers tried both have his feature, which causes the car to ignore signals from the accelerator if the brake is pressed. Other test cars without this technology, including a Toyota, didn't fare so well.

Since these lacked smart-throttles, we proceeded more cautiously. So we decided to start this test by flooring the cars to 20 mph (instead of 60) and then slamming on the brakes. While we stopped both cars, the transmissions downshifted hard, trying to fight us on the way down, and we needed to exert quite a bit of brake pedal effort to stop completely. We then drove a lap around our test course to cool the brakes and repeated the procedure. This time we accelerated to 60 mph before we slammed on the brakes. Again, the engines downshifted and fought us all the way down. But by the time we slowed down to about 10 mph, the brakes had faded so much that we weren't able to come to a complete stop. If the driver had less strength or was traveling at higher speeds, they would not be able to slow down nearly as much.

Their advice, should you find yourself with a stuck gas pedal, is to shift the car into neutral. Turning the ignition off, as many people suggest, is also an option, but causes the vehicle to lose power steering and makes the car very difficult to maneuver. If you're already going 120 mph, losing power steering will cause a whole other set of very, very dangerous problems.

Putting stuck floor mat survival strategies to the test [Consumer Reports Cars]

PREVIOUSLY:
Toyota Recalls 3.8 Mil Cars For Stuck Gas Pedal Danger
Non-Recalled Toyotas Could Still Have Dangerous Floor Mats
Toyota: 911 Call Of Family's Fatal Lexus Crash Due To Gas Pedal Stuck On Floormats

(Photo: frankieleon)

Here are some of the actions they asked about:

• Drinking tap water instead of bottled
• Running full loads in the dishwasher
• Using a programmable thermostat
• Buying fresh food from a farmer's market
• Line-drying clothes

Of course, household behaviors that save both money and resources are a classic win-win situation, so we're not complaining. But how do you save money in ways that also save energy or waste, and could also be perceived as green?

Shades of green [Consumer Reports]
By the Numbers: U.S. consumers adopting some greener behaviors [Consumer Reports Home blog]

(Photo: miemo)

The sites give you access to a wide range of your personal information, with links to your free annual credit report, past insurance claims, health history, checking account info, background checks, previous purchase returns, and your rental history.

Because some of these were new to us, we decided to go through the whole list and try out all of the links Consumer Reports provided. (We didn't try the free credit reports from annualcreditreport.com, with which most readers should already be familiar.)

ChoiceTrust, which provides free reports on personal property and auto insurance claims, as well as bankruptcies, liens, and any licenses (e.g., firearms, admission to a state medical board, etc.) you have, gave us accurate information quickly.

Chex Systems, which offers free reports on checking and debit history, over drafts, unpaid charges, and so on, was accessible, but does not offer online reports; ours will be arriving in the mail next week. TeleCheck, which provides similar information, had a buggy website that kept clearing form values when we clicked Submit. Encouraging sign from a company that has access to your checking account.

The Retail Equation provides your return history, used by stores to spot potential refund/return scams, but you can only access a free report online if you've been denied a return and have a refusal code, otherwise you'll need to contact them by phone to get your report.

SafeRent and RentBureau both provide consumer information to landlords and property management companies when prospective renters apply for housing. Both sites offer free reports, however, you have to print out and mail in a form to receive your report.

The CR article also offers several phone numbers for companies that maintain your medical records, although when we tried, it was such a formidable labyrinth of phone trees and automated prompts that we up for going through it all.

Taking control of your finances and your personal information requires knowing what agencies are saying about you. Use these resources to spot any fraud, incomplete information, or legitimate red flags that will pop up when you apply for credit, a mortgage, or an apartment.

Big Brother Is Watching [Consumer Reports Money Adviser]
(Photo: frankieleon)

All supermarket scenarios aside, Ginger Skinner at the Consumer Reports Health Blog sums up how the app can benefit you:

Bottom line: My Medication Tracker can help you take control of your medication and health history, and will also improve your communication with your doctor. At your next doctor's appointment, bring a printout of your medications and ask your doctor, "Do I really need to take all these medications?" It's likely your doctor is unaware of all the medications you're taking-especially if you're seeing several doctors and specialists. Your doctor may even recommend you stop taking unnecessary or duplicate medications or dosages-which can not only help cut costs, but can also keep you healthy and prevent potential drug interactions.

My Medication Tracker requires a password to access your data, and doesn't report anything back to the Consumer Reports mothership or leave any cookies or hidden tracking software on your computer. Yeah, CR looks out for regular people like that. That's why we like them.

"My Medication Tracker" [Consumer Reports]

Of the 29 foods Consumer Reports tested, 23 generics tasted as good or better. Reuters pulled a wire report on the findings:

Consumer Reports tasters actually preferred Archer Farms Chewy Soft Baked cookies (Target), Kirkland Signature Organic Medium Salsa (Costco), Great Value Whipped Topping (Walmart) to similar products from Pepperidge Farm, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker and Kraft.

"Our tests should erase any lingering doubts that store-brand packaged goods aren't at least worth a try. In many cases, you'll save money without compromising on quality," said Tod Marks, Sr. Project Editor, Consumer ReportsShopping.

What the story doesn't tell you is that brand-name foods totally dominated generics in the swimsuit competition.

It pays to buy store brands [Consumer Reports]
(Photo: Kevin Dean, Beta Art)

Here are the most popular new cars:

1. 1. Toyota Corolla
2. 2. Honda Civic
3. 3. Ford Focus
4. 4. Toyota Camry
5. 5. Hyundai Elantra
6. 6. Toyota Prius
7. 7. Nissan Versa
8. 8. Ford Escape FWD
9. 9. Honda Fit
10. 10. Honda CR-V AWD

And the most popular trade-ins:

1. 1. Ford Explorer 4WD
2. 2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
3. 3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
4. 4. Jeep Cherokee 4WD
5. 5. Ford Explorer 2WD
6. 6. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
7. 7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
8. 8. Ford F-150 Pickup 4WD
9. 9. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
10. 10. Ford Windstar

CR notes that 84 percent of trade-ins were trucks, and 59 percent of the new purchases were cars, and that "the most-popular new cars bought through the program all offer very good fuel economy, contributing to the significant fuel savings." According to the NHTSA data there was an average 15.8 mpg fuel economy on traded-in models and 25 mpg on the new, replacement vehicles – an overall 9.2 mpg increase.

In fuel economy and environmental terms, it seems like Cash for Clunkers was a success. The speed at which the allocated and additional money ran out demonstrate that the program was a hit with consumers, and we hope it helped the auto industry, although we can't help noticing that nine eight of the top ten cars purchased are Japanese [and Korean].

Cash for clunkers: Top 10 most popular new cars and trade ins [CRO]
(Photo: tjean314)

As a part of the Obama Administration's economic stimulus bill to encourage the purchase of energy-efficient appliances, the $300 million appliance-rebate program will soon dole out amounts that could reach $200 if you buy Energy Star-qualified models. Appliances that qualify for the Star should use roughly 10 to 25 percent less energy than the maximum allowed for that category by the Department of Energy, which monitors the Energy Star program.

Unlike the Cash for Clunkers car program, you won't have to turn in your old appliance to get the rebate. But states are expected to have recycling plans for the flood of old appliances the program could unleash. And while the money is coming from Washington, how much you get for which appliance will be a state-by-state decision.

Cash for Clunkers moves to appliances: money back for your old Kelvinator? [Consumer Reports Home & Garden]

(Photo: Dan4th)

They're particularly looking for stories about battery failures in cold weather, but any stories you have to share would be useful. Post them here, or there.

Stories wanted: Has your car battery died on a dark and stormy night?

(Photo: AndyArmstrong)

Air conditioners were especially hard hit, with annualized shipments sinking 60 percent. The cool, wet late spring/early summer hurt AC sales, but even where the mercury rose, many homeowners decided to forgo air conditioning to save on energy costs, according to this recent article in The New York Times.

If you're not willing to sweat it out all summer, the slumping shipment figures could mean even deeper discounts on air conditioners, and you might find it easier to hire a top contractor to install a central-air system.

Excellent. I refuse to run an air conditioner at home, but I buy all of my fans in late summer and early fall, myself. I predict that there will be fewer fan deals to be had this year.

By the Numbers: Shipments of air conditioners and major appliances decline in June

Stupid medical professionals. They just don't understand fashion.

More on the dangers of skinny jeans [Consumer Reports Health]

(Photo: idhren)

A bit of the analysis:

The National Safety Council (NSC) earlier this month released an estimate described as "conservative" that more than 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries, and 2,600 deaths are caused a year by a distracted drivers on cell phones.

NHTSA estimates that driver distraction from all sources contributes to 25 percent of all police-reported traffic crashes. If so, then data from this federal agency released this month shows that the NSC figures are indeed conservative.

NHTSA shows 5,811,000 total crashes in 2008-notably down from 2007. (It is important to note that during the first three months of 2009, national vehicle miles declined by about 11.7 billion miles compared to the previous year. That said, deaths per mile are also down.) One quarter of that 2008 figure is 1,452,750-a significant number of crashes potentially impacted by driver distraction.

Just put down the phone, people.

Real cell-phone dangers exposed: Using wireless communication devices while driving [Consumer Reports Cars]
NHTSA withholds government study exposing cell phone driving dangers [Consumer Reports Cars]

(Photo: LaserGuided)

The bottom line is not promising:

For much less than what you'd pay at a dentist's office, at-home kits can brighten teeth somewhat, but don't expect extreme results. And it's hard to say how long the whitening effects last.

By the way, Crest Whitestrips Supreme was the winner. It costs $46 and is only available online at places such as Dentist.com.

The Price of a Whiter, Brighter Smile [Washington Post]
At-home tooth whitener Ratings [Consumer Reports] (Subscribers Only)

(Photo: Lisa Brewster)

Here's what Consumer Reports had to say after testing:

The Routan is built by Chrysler, with limited modifications to its Town & Country/Dodge Caravan minivans. The T&C Limited scores 64 in Consumer Reports testing, and it is not recommended due to predicted reliability being much worse than average.

The VW version is distinguished with a more familial grille, a soft dash top, and retuned suspension and steering that gives it a slightly more responsive and taut feel. However, the result is less than convincing. While we have not completed testing on our Routan, the Chrysler engines in other minivans are a bit noisy and not particularly fuel efficient. The cleverest elements from the platform — the second-row seats that fold into the floor known as "Stow and Go" or the "Swivel-and-Go" seating-are absent from the Routan. Although the large bins under the floor that the seats stow in are still very useful for storage.

Well, if nothing else, the Routan's ad campaign brought us the odd and creepy Babymaker application.

Free Volkswagen Routans from The Oprah Show [Consumer Reports Cars]

(Photo: JMRosenfeld)

Here's their entire list of demands:

• Leave your dog at home when you go to see fireworks. If he's crate trained, you might put him there, where he feels the safest.
• Don't feed your dog from the picnic table or grill. Bones, potato chips and cookies could make him sick.
• No matter how fun the party gets, never give your dog alcohol.
• Remember that, while the beach seems like a treat for you, a hot day on the sand can leave your dog sunburned, dehydrated and sick from drinking salt water. Follow the AKC's guidelines to keep your pet healthy and happy throughout the summer.

Some summery traditions can be a dog's pet peeve [Consumer Reports Safety]
And the rockets red glare ... [Consumer Reports Safety]
RELATED:
Video: Fireworks Are Fun Until They Blow Up In Your Pants
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(Photo: Mark)

Check out this video for an overview of the science behind dishwasher testing.

August 2009 Report on Dishwasher Detergents: Do greener cleaners get the job done? [Consumer Reports Home & Garden]

(Photo: me and the sysop)

We've already gone over the details, and warned you about how to spot a scammer trying to profit off the program. However, if you really are in the market for a new car, how can you find the best, fuel-savingest one out there? Consumer Reports has some ideas, and they've even done the math to show how much money you can save in addition to the rebate, from just buying less gas.

Car Allowance Rebate System [NHTSA]
Cash for clunkers: Recommended cars that qualify for a voucher
Cash for clunkers: The best gas guzzlers to junk
Cash for clunkers bill cuts fuel consumption–running the numbers

(Photo: Laura Northrup)

Well, not really. There are no real losers here, since they seem to think both phones are quite spiffy. This is just an overview—complete reviews are coming soon.

iPhone 3G S vs. Palm Pre: A video shootout [Consumer Reports Electronics]
Smart Phone Recommendations [Consumer Reports Electronics] (subscribers only)

See, orlistat is under investigation by the FDA again. Alli made an appearance in our disturbing side effects collection back in April. "... gas with oily discharge, an increased number of bowel movements, an urgent need to have them, and an inability to control them," we quoted. 7.7% of patients in one Xenical study experienced "fecal Incontinence." Other, less common, side effects are scarier and deadlier.

Send your orlistat side effect horror stories to tips@consumerist.com with "Orlistat" in the subject line, and we'll send them along.

If you need a converter box, the converter buying guide shows you what to look for, and they've tested and rated many common models. I tried to find links to purchase some of the recommended models online, but, as Consumer Reports also notes, many are out of stock.

Consumer Reports subscribers can check out ratings and recommended models of new TVs, and for everyone else, here's a handy educational film we can use to learn more about what to look for in a modern TV. (Handy if, like me, you haven't shopped for TVs since the mid-'90s.) Because the sales staff probably aren't going to help all that much.

Digital TV Transition Hub [Consumer Reports]
TVs and TV Ratings [Consumer Reports]

RELATED
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[Consumer Reports Health]

1. Should I buy a Chrysler or GM?
2. Are rebates and deals available?
3. Is government help available?
4. Can I get financing?
5. What models will be available?
6. What if the dealership folds?

And if you already have a Chrysler or GM, here's 5 things you should know too.

(Photo: Dplanet::)

1. Is my warranty backed?
2. What if my dealer closes?
3. What if I want to sell my car?
4. What if my brand is discontinued?
5. Will parts and service be available?

Offer requires credit card. If you don't cancel before 30 days, your card will be charged $26. They will send you an email reminder before the end of the month to remind you your free trial is ending. Subscriptions auto-renew yearly, and may be canceled at any time.

Now you can answer the burning question, is that whatzit a black blob or a red blob? Try ConsumerReports.org

They've made a handy instructional video to show you how to get actual hearing protection from cheap foam earplugs. (The video is the source of the "vacuuming a library" remark, too.)

Earplugs for Hearing Protection [Consumer Reports Health]

(Photo: jm3)

What does the GM bankruptcy mean to you? [Consumer Reports]

So which sunscreens work well? Consumer Reports recommends:

• Walgreens Continuous Spray Sport SPF 50
• Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50 (lotion)
• Up & Up Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30

• Blue Lizard Regular Australian SPF 30+
• Mustella Bébé/Enfant High Protection SPF 50
• Lancôme Paris Sôleil Ultra Expert Sun Care for Sensitive Skin SPF 50
• Fallene Cotz SPF 58

CR poll: Who's using sunscreen? [Consumer Reports]
(Photo: mtoz)