Cut the cake and pop the champagne! In honor of the 250th anniversary of America, we’re celebrating the people and products that represent the best the country has to offer. Below, you can read about a select group of truly inspiring entrepreneurs who dared to follow their dreams (even through the challenges of a global pandemic as well as products that have continuously impressed the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute—and if you know our brand, you know that can (and should) be a difficult task!
We also took this opportunity to examine and reflect on how life at home has changed over the years. In our survey The New American Home, we asked for readers’ thoughts about the definition of “housekeeping,” the division of chores, domestic pressures, cleanliness standards, and more—plus, how it all affects your relationships. More than 3,600 people of all ages from across the country responded. And you had a lot to say!
Some of it was expected: When asked about the hardest part of running a household, one respondent said, “Keeping up with everyone else’s schedule and finding time for myself.” Another hit on an age-old challenge: “Deciding what to cook for supper.”
But other responses were surprising, getting at the nuances of mental load, work-life balance, and the effect that tidiness has on well-being. In one illuminating response, 59% of respondents said that they found it more attractive when their partner handled the chores than when they planned a romantic date. Two-thirds of those surveyed said that there were still outdated expectations about who should manage the home. Even the definition of “housekeeping” has changed, with only one in seven saying it’s comprised of basic cooking and cleaning and the rest reporting that it now includes planning, organizing, and scheduling.
But despite everything that’s changed about our country in the past two-plus centuries, a few core tenets have remained the same. Read on for more about the people and products that embody quality, longevity, and trust—values that have defined GH and America for generations.
Products that stand the test of time
From detergent to skin care and—naturally—a washing machine, these American brands and Good Housekeeping Seal holders have earned top marks from the Good Housekeeping Institute.
A legacy of better sleep
Sealy has been synonymous with great sleep since Daniel Haynes of Sealy, TX, started making non-tufted cotton-filled mattresses. In 1950, the Sealy Posturepedic mattress line was designed, with input from orthopedic surgeons, for better back support. With global headquarters in Lexington, KY, Sealy makes its modern Posturepedic mattresses with a range of comfortable foams and memory foams as well as coil systems that offer targeted support in the center third. GH mattress analysts highlight that at less than $1,000 for a durable mattress, GH Seal holder Sealy Posturepedic Spring Mattress is one of the best values available.
Built for a better clean
Speed Queen is an American brand that has been based in Ripon, WI, since it was founded in 1908 by two hardware store owners who invented a way to increase washing machine efficiency. The company has continued to manufacture washers and dryers, halting production only during WWII to assist in the war effort. Noah Pinsonnault, Home Care & Cleaning Lab reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, says GH Seal holder Speed Queen model FF7 “strips away the extras and just performs.” In testing, it delivered some of the best cleaning he’d seen while still being gentle on fabrics, and its spin cycle removed more water than that of any other washer he’d used so clothes came out noticeably less damp and dried faster. The machine’s cycles are speedier than those of many other front-loaders, and the five-year warranty stands out as well.
Skincare for the ages
Founded by a South African chemist and acquired by Procter & Gamble in 1985, Olay has truly stood the test of time. Launched in 1952, the brand has produced popular, reasonably priced skincare products such as its early mainstay, Oil of Olay, the iconic pink fluid that was a standout in its time.
In 2019, Olay unveiled Good Housekeeping Seal holder Olay Retinol24. This affordable retinol cream is a favorite of our Beauty Lab experts for its fragrance-free formula that is quickly absorbed, hydrates effectively, smooths texture, and leaves skin with a healthy glow. Good Housekeeping’s consumer testers praised the cream’s “lovely texture” and one remarked, “I like how my skin looks in the morning.”
The gold standard for stain removal
Launched in 1946, Tide was almost immediately dubbed a “washday miracle,” and it became the country’s leading laundry detergent. Primarily produced in the U.S. by Procter & Gamble at major facilities in Ohio, Louisiana, and Missouri, Tide continues to stand out for its consistently strong performance. Tide Original Laundry Detergent is “one of the most effective stain removers in our tests,” says Pinsonnault. “Its latest upgrade delivers even better results on tough stains, even in cold water.”
American makers to know
Cocktail garnishes. Greeting cards. Fragrance. The successful small business owners spotlighted here make products that are truly personal. All it took for each was a good idea, a little luck, and the drive to keep going.
Greetings from the heart
She brings community together in a truly tactile way.
Handwritten notes have always been part of Savannah Stephens’s life. “When I was a kid, we were often late for parties because we had to stop for a card,” says Stephens, 43. She also remembers accompanying her grandmother to the post office to mail letters to friends. Years later, while searching for greeting cards with the right message, she noticed a gap: “There were no cards that represented my cousins, my sisters, or my best friends.”
So she started creating her own. What began with invitations for her wedding and her children’s birthday parties grew into her designing cards that reflected the Black community. By 2020, demand from friends, family, and customers led her to launch Kindred Paper.
Today, the company’s vibrant cards feature Stephens’s artwork alongside designs from other women of color, drawing inspiration from current trends and familiar phrases. Favorites include a card showing two hands linking pinkies with the message “HBD to my day one” as well as a collection celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). For Stephens, each card is a symbol of something bigger. “My goal is to honor my grandmother and have something to pass on to my daughters,” she says. “It’s part of their legacy too.”
Field notes
A former corporate executive bottles sentimental scents.
For his functional brand Biology Fragrances, Steve Sun, 38, created products based on some of the most memorable sights, sounds, and smells of his Taiwanese childhood. But his biggest inspiration was his mother. “She suffered debilitating headaches, and our house always smelled like Tiger Balm,” says Sun. “This brand—and the healing power of scent that inspired it—is a love letter to her.”
After getting a business degree and working in corporate design for more than a decade, Sun started selling his essential oil mixes online during the pandemic. “My goal was to get into one store,” he says. Then Urban Outfitters came calling. Now Biology is sold in hundreds of Sprouts Farmers Market locations. “When my mom told me she was proud of me,” Sun says, “I thought, I’m good now. I made it.”
Fruits of her labor
Her small-batch garnishes will elevate any beverage.
Like many great ideas, Adrienne Walker’s business was inspired by a grandmother. Growing up often visiting family in Jacksonville, FL, Walker, 49, spent time among the orange, banana, and peach trees in her grandmother’s backyard. “Whenever we gathered at her home, we always had fresh-squeezed orange juice,” Walker recalls. “She never served anything processed.”
That commitment to fresh ingredients lives on in BlueHenry, Walker’s line of all-natural cocktail garnishes. Named for a beloved family dog, the company slices, dehydrates, and packages fruits—including oranges, limes, grapefruit, and pineapple—at peak ripeness. BlueHenry also offers rimming salts, sugars, and spices, all made in small batches without artificial flavors, dyes, or sweeteners and packaged in recyclable materials.
Walker launched the business in 2017 after leaving a career in health care administration in search of work that brought her joy. Looking back on her happiest moments, she kept returning to her love of entertaining and mixing cocktails for friends. She even took a bartending class to better understand how her products could be used behind the bar.
Demand surged during the pandemic as people looked to recreate favorite cocktail experiences at home. Today, BlueHenry sells online and through World Market and has filled large orders for events including the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival and Nashville’s Opryland Gaylord Ice Festival.
For Walker, the goal has always been simple: helping people entertain with ease. “Everyone should be able to create something elevated at home that doesn’t take a lot of effort so they can spend more time engaging with their guests,” she says.
Credits: Opener and Cake Image: Mike Garten. Prop Styling by Lis Engelhart. Sealy, Speed Queen, Olay, and Tide illustrations: AI / Good Housekeeping. Savannah Stephens: SR Creative Image. Steve Sun: Courtesy of Biology Fragrances. Adrienne Walker: Courtesy of BlueHenry.
