How we vet
VettedClean is an information aggregator. Every claim on the site comes from a credible third party — certification body, regulator, peer-reviewed research, or manufacturer disclosure clearly labeled as such. Every affiliate link is disclosed.
What we do
We read certifications, third-party testing pages, regulatory documents, and manufacturer materials disclosures. We compare the materials, certifications, and testing protocols across products in a category. We translate the technical language into plain-English summaries and link directly to the original sources so readers can verify everything we say.
What we explicitly do NOT do
We do not test products. We do not run lab analyses. We do not own, use, install, or photograph the products we cover at this stage of the site. We do not make first-person quality claims about how a pan cooks, how a filter installs, or how a coating wears — because we have not personally observed those things. Where we describe comparative quality (e.g., "ceramic coatings have shorter service life than stainless under repeated thermal cycling"), the comparison comes from the published material-property literature and manufacturer-disclosed service-life expectations, not from our own use.
Citation tier system
Not every source is equal. Health, toxicity, and contaminant claims must come from a recognized third party, and we weight sources by independence, methodology transparency, and regulatory authority. The four tiers:
Tier 1 — Regulators & standards bodies
FDA, EPA, NSF International, the WHO, ATSDR, the European Food Safety Authority, and the equivalent agencies in other jurisdictions. These define what is legal to sell and what testing standards apply. Tier 1 alone is sufficient to support a regulatory or hazard claim on the site.
Tier 2 — Peer-reviewed research
Studies in journals indexed by PubMed, the IARC monographs, and federal scientific bodies that synthesize peer-reviewed literature (CDC, NIOSH). Tier 2 is sufficient to describe what the published evidence shows on a given chemistry or material question.
Tier 3 — Independent testing publications
Consumer Reports, Cook's Illustrated, Wirecutter, Prudent Reviews, and similar outlets that fund their own laboratory or kitchen testing and publish methodology. Tier 3 supports performance and durability claims that no regulator addresses, but does not on its own support a regulatory or hazard claim.
Tier 4 — Brand & manufacturer materials
A manufacturer's product page, the third-party test reports the brand chooses to publish, the certifications they hold, the spec sheet. Tier 4 is used to describe what a brand says about its own product. A Tier 4 source documents a position; it does not certify a health or hazard claim.
Specific certifications we accept as Tier 1
- Made Safe certification
- EWG Verified
- NSF/ANSI P473 (water filter for PFOA + PFOS reduction)
- NSF/ANSI 401 (emerging contaminants)
- NSF/ANSI 53 / 58 (filter performance / reverse osmosis)
- GreenGuard Gold
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100
- FDA food-contact compliance
- Peer-reviewed research
If a claim cannot be sourced to one of the above (or a Tier 2/3 source for non-hazard claims), it does not appear on the site. The CI script scripts/validate-content.ts rejects articles below the citation minimum at build time.
FTC affiliate disclosure mechanics
Every article carrying affiliate links auto-injects an affiliate disclosure block above the fold (between the dek and the article body) and again in the site footer. The disclosure language follows the FTC Endorsement Guides at 16 CFR Part 255: it identifies the affiliate relationship in plain language, names the programs (Amazon Associates and direct retailer programs), and is placed where it cannot be missed before the reader encounters a commerce link. The product registry tracks which products carry which affiliate links so the disclosure is accurate per article.
No-medical-claims rule
VettedClean does not write that a product treats, cures, prevents, mitigates, or diagnoses any disease, condition, or symptom. Chemistry coverage stays at the toxicology and exposure level — what is in the product, what regulators say about that chemistry, what the testing standards measure. Specific banned phrasings: "clinically proven," "scientifically proven," "detoxifies your body," "heals," "therapeutic," "doctor-recommended" without a named clinician. When reporting on research, we use qualified language: "research suggests," "according to [source]," "designed to reduce [contaminant] per [standard]."
Affiliate disclosure
VettedClean participates in Amazon Associates and direct retailer affiliate programs. Affiliate links are disclosed above the fold of every article and again in the footer. Commission has zero influence on which products we recommend or how we rank them. Top picks are selected before affiliate availability is checked, and a product is never moved up because it pays better.
Corrections
Mistakes happen. If you spot one, email us. We acknowledge corrections within 48 hours and either correct the article or update the "last verified" date in the article header within 7 days. Material corrections are noted at the bottom of the article with a date and a short summary of what changed.
What changes over time
Cornerstone articles (best-of guides, category overviews) are re-verified at least quarterly. Single-product reviews are reviewed annually or when a manufacturer materially changes the product. Every article header carries a "last verified" date so you can see at a glance how fresh the information is.