This Is Your Life, Carolyn Forté: Good Housekeeping's Queen of Clean Opens the Big Red Book

The Not Old Better Show, Good Housekeeping Interview Series: Good Better Best

Today's episode is brought to you by Wayfair, Every Style Every Home. And today's episode is special. Today's guest is special. we open a very large, very red book… and it begins with a familiar scene: a kitchen. A sink. A dish towel. And someone—possibly you—asking, "Do I really have to pre-rinse this?"

Carolyn Forté has spent more than 40 years at Good Housekeeping, moving from the Textiles Lab to the Home Care & Cleaning Lab—where "clean" isn't a vibe, it's data. She and her team don't just read labels; they challenge them. They make stains on purpose. They time cycles. They inspect fibers. They argue with myths. They test what works, what's hype, and what's going to leave your towels smelling like regret.

She's written books, taught millions, partnered with the American Cleaning Institute, and helped turn everyday home care into something practical, even reassuring—especially for those of us who want our homes to stay safe, comfortable, and easier to manage as the years add up.

And yes… somewhere in the pages of this big red book is a sentence you never expected to hear: a waterproof computer keyboard… went into a dishwasher. For science.

So settle in—because today is a warm, funny, heartfelt look back at the career of the woman who's saved more family arguments than any referee ever could.

Remember today's episode is brought to you by Wayfair, Every Style Every Home.