The Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab puts products to the test to help you make the best choices for your home upgrades. We evaluate everything from surfaces (like flooring, decking, and countertops) to fixtures (such as faucets, toilets, and showerheads) to comfort essentials (like air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners). Along with product picks, our pros share advice on shopping, installation, maintenance, and more.
Our team brings deep expertise in product testing, market research, data review and hands-on remodeling. Lab Director Dan DiClerico has been a trusted home expert for more than 20 years, beginning his career on remodeling crews and completing multiple renovations of his own over the years.
The Lab’s work is supported by engineers and product analysts with expertise in sustainability, smart home technology, and consumer safety. They follow, standardized protocols to evaluate products for both performance and usability. And because many of the items tested in the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab require professional installation, we also partner with a network of outside experts—builders and remodelers with decades of experience in the field.
How we test
Our experts take a multi-pronged approach to product testing, starting with performance-based Lab tests, for example, evaluating paints for durability or countertops for stain resistance. We also bring in the expertise of Good Housekeeping’s design experts, who might compare faucet finishes one day and the grain patterns of decking boards the next.
Field testing is equally vital to the Lab’s review process, since it allows our experts to evaluate factors like ease of installation, usability, and performance over the long haul in real-world conditions. We rely on a combination of professionals and consumer testers for these real-world reviews, which helps us determine which products and materials are DIY-friendly and which are better left to the pros.
Here are some examples of our lab equipment:
Abrasion Machine
This wear-and-tear test for flooring, paint, and other surfaces simulates years of use by applying hundreds of passes with fine-grit sandpaper wheels.
Impact Machine
Used to measure how well surfaces like decking and roofing resist dents and dings from impacts such as hail, falling branches, or dropped cookware.
Accelerated Weathering Machine
Exposes fade-prone surfaces like window treatments and paint to intense UV light, replicating years of natural sunlight in a fraction of the time.
Drop Tester
This test measures the durability of power tools and other handheld equipment by assessing how well they withstand drops and tough job site conditions.
Sound Meter
Measures decibel levels to evaluate how noisy products like fans, portable ACs, and space heaters are—an important consideration for living spaces.
Meet our expert
The GH Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab is led by Director Dan DiClerico, who manages testing and awards across dozens of product categories. Dan also works with analysts and engineers from the GH Media & Tech Lab to test many other products using the same standardized methodologies, as well as home improvement and DIY contributor Timothy Dahl to evaluate products in the field and capture insights on everything from installation to performance in real-life conditions. Lastly, Dan consults with GH Home Design Director Monique Valeris and her team, who weigh in on style and trends.
Dan DiClerico
Home Improvement & Outdoor Director
Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 25 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.
Did You Know?
- Some of our accelerated durability tests take less than five minutes but can simulate many years of wear and tear in the home.
- The least expensive product we’ve tested recently was a $1 mousetrap; the most expensive was a heating and cooling system priced at more than $10,000.
- For the latest edition of our annual GH Home Renovation Awards, we sent hundreds of products to consumer testers in over 20 states.
- Our team hasn’t missed the International Builders’ Show (IBS) or the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in more than 25 years.
- Because home improvement touches every room in the house, we collaborate closely with other Good Housekeeping Institute Labs, including the Kitchen Appliances Lab, the Cleaning Lab, and the Textiles Lab.
