12 affordable things that save the day in the kitchen

March 15, 2022

By Kim Komando

Amazing appliances allow us to cook and reheat food quickly and easily. We enjoy the convenience of a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, oven and more to make culinary life effortless.

But no matter how great your kitchen is, there’s always room for improvement. If you’re ready to enhance your daily life, check out these finds guaranteed to save the day in the kitchen.

1. Stay clean

We’re all familiar with the gap between the counter’s edge and either the stove or refrigerator. It’s so easy for crumbs and liquids to slide down that little gap, and it’s nearly impossible to clean. Well, it’s time to say goodbye to that annoying gap and hello to these heat-resistant silicone sealers. Now you can keep your kitchen cleaner without sacrificing its neat appearance.

Promising review: “If you have gaps between your stove and your counters (like most of us), you need these! They wipe up nicely, and I throw them in the dishwasher every couple of weeks for maintenance. The best part? NOTHING falls in that little gap anymore!”

2. Convenient and washable

Are you tired of constantly wiping and drying the base of your kitchen spout? Turn to this Ternal sink mat. It absorbs water and can be tossed into the washing machine for quick and easy cleanup. Secure it to the base of your faucet and enjoy. It won’t slip or slide around, keeping bacteria from building up.

Promising review: “This is perfect for catching those drips as I turn off the water or the splash from an enthusiastic dishwashing child. Now I’m not spending endless amounts of time wiping up water from under the faucet. I never even knew these existed.”

3. Create an attractive ambiance

Do you have a gorgeous backsplash in the kitchen? How often do you host house parties and get-togethers? These under-cabinet LED lights can provide perfect background lighting without the harsh overhead lights in your kitchen. Light up the bar for parties or use them as a dim nightlight for when the kids get out of bed for a glass of water.

Promising review: “Easy to install, looks great. Perfect addition to our kitchen. I cleaned the bottom surface of the cabinets and used the double-sided tape to attach. The wiring was easy to conceal under the cabinets, and the dimmer is a very nice touch.”

4. Everything has a place

When you don’t have a lot of space in your kitchen, this compact cutlery organizer can be a lifesaver. It allows you to stack up to 24 pieces of cutlery in drawers with a minimum height of 3.25 inches. There are five angled compartments, and the tray is available in gray. Use it for cutlery, office supplies and more.

Promising review: “When I bought this, I didn’t realize what a gamechanger it would be. I threw out that old plastic drawer silverware thing and replaced it with this beauty. It takes up less than half the space in the drawer, and now I can put spatulas in the drawer, too.“

5. Sanitary dispensing

When you’re cooking raw meat in the kitchen, it can be easy to spread bacteria all over the handle of your soap dispenser. That means the next person to touch the dispenser has now contaminated their hands and could potentially contaminate other things, too. Ditch the old-fashioned soap dispenser and get this automatic one. Fill it up with your favorite hand soap and enjoy an attractive, more sanitary dispenser.

Promising review: “I am very pleased with this dispenser. … This one is very easy to fill, I can see how much soap is in the dispenser, great volume control options. I use bulk soap from Sam’s Club and have had no issues with this soap clogging up. I would highly recommend! Holds a large amount, too!”

6. Watch anywhere

Want to keep an eye on the news or watch your favorite show while cooking? A great solution is this under-the-cabinet mount. You can fold your screen away when it’s not in use and keep it out when your favorite show is on. It can hold up to a 23-inch TV monitor weighing a maximum of 18 pounds. You can tilt, swivel or completely fold your kitchen TV away.

Promising review: “My husband installed a small under-cabinet TV with this mount. He found it easy to install. Seems quite sturdy. I’m enjoying my new TV that is 13 inches compared to my 25-year-old one that was four inches big. I’m now out of the Stone Age.”

7. Compact and useful

Do you often run out of counter space? This over-the-sink roll-up dish drying rack is the perfect solution for anyone with a small kitchen. Use it in your home, trailer or RV to save that necessary counter space. It’s slip-resistant, durable and resistant to rust. It’s made of food-grade-safe silicone and covers sinks up to 16.5 inches wide.

Promising review: “Great for putting clean dishes on. I also use it to hold washed fruit and hot pans when dumping out water for pasta or potatoes. Very versatile and sturdy.”

8. Cook, clean and prep

This set comes with a collapsible cutting board, colander, knife and tub. They are the perfect multi-function tools you need for your kitchen. The tub can be used to wash or rinse dishes, fruits, vegetables, meats and more. Use it as a storage container or collapse it and use it as a cutting board. This is particularly helpful when camping, staying in an RV or for those with limited kitchen storage space.

Promising review: “This is a game-changer for cleaning produce. It fits nicely in my sink, where I can let produce soak in it and quickly drain out the dirty water, rinse and repeat until I’m confident the produce is clean.”

9. No more pitchers

When you want a drink of water, you should be able to just turn on the kitchen faucet. If you love Brita filters, turn to this faucet water filter system instead of those refillable pitchers. Save space and never wait for your pitcher filter to clean your water again. This device reduces 99% of lead, chlorine, asbestos, benzene and more. Remember to replace the filter every 100 gallons or about every four months, whichever comes first.

Promising review: “I wanted to try this filter on my sink, as our water tastes and smells horrible! Now my water has no taste or smell, and I’m drinking water regularly now like I should. This was very easy to install and a bargain for three or four months’ worth of cleaner water.”

10. Steam it up

We all love our microwaves. How else can you quickly and easily reheat food, make popcorn and defrost meat? But microwaves get dirty quickly. Instead of grumbling to yourself while using elbow grease to clean the inside of your appliance, let this TOPIST Angry Mama do it. Simply fill it with water and turn on your microwave. This device releases steam, which softens all the debris for easy removal.

Promising review: “This was so easy to use. I was very doubtful because of my embarrassingly dirty microwave (and the amount of time that had gone by without cleaning). Followed the directions and used a soft sponge to easily wipe it all down afterwards. No issue at all! Would highly recommend.”

11. Great for small kitchens

When you don’t have a lot of storage space in the kitchen, suddenly every surface matters. But before you decide what to keep and what to toss, consider this four-tier slim storage cart. It can be moved to your kitchen and stored in an area with more space while holding all your cleaning supplies, boxed goods, dry goods and more. Choose between black, gray or white to match your kitchen and clean it easily with a wet wipe, damp cloth or paper towels.

Promising review: “Perfect for small spaces! I lack much storage space in my kitchen, This shelf is perfect because it’s so compact but has a good amount of extra storage space, and it’s very easy to assemble, well made, and perfect for spices and cans of food! I think I might purchase another one for my bathroom toiletries and things like that, very happy with this purchase!”

12. Clean everywhere

No matter how hard we try, there are just some areas that seem impossible to get clean. These LEOBRO handheld groove- and gap-cleaning tools are the perfect solution. This set comes with three window track-cleaning pieces and a dustpan cleaning brush. The curved design allows for a comfortable grip, and the nylon bristles easily remove loose dirt. You can also use the other side to scrape stubborn crusted-on gunk.

Promising review: “These are great for cleaning shower door tracks, sliding door tracks, and little crevices on just about anything. Bristles are longer than a toothbrush, so it can get in places better. Plastic handle is strong and doesn’t bend while scrubbing.”

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