32 Practical Things Your Home May Be Sorely Missing

Buzz Feed

07-05-2025

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
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I don't know when your home's birthday is, but it's probably overdue for some gifts.
1. A bright and cheery fruit bowl with a secret — there's a hidden colander! The sneaky bowl lets you rinse your fruit and then display it on the counter while it dries.
Promising review: "I LOVE the look of this fruit bowl. I also love that its pedestal minimizes the space it takes up on the counter. I wasn't sure about whether I would like that it is plastic but now consider it a big plus. It keeps the bowl lightweight (but it is still sturdy) and makes it easy to clean. I highly recommend this fruit bowl. I couldn't be more pleased with mine." — Opinion o'Jen
Get it from Amazon for $19.98 (available in four colors).
2. A small dry-erase board complete with a pen holder so you can jot down notes quickly without having to frantically search for something to write with. It lifts up to reveal a storage compartment for your markers, pencils, and other desk doodads. It even comes with markers and an eraser!
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "Love the writing surface. Feels sturdy and looks great. The ink wipes off with ease and leaves no excess residue. Goodbye, sticky notes. Inside storage is a bonus to help keep working space clean. Highly recommend." — Teresa
Get it from Amazon for $24.69+ (available in 25 styles).
3. Mrs. Meyer's multi-surface spray in a seasonal scent (fresh cut grass! dandelion! tomato vine!!!!!!!) to make your home not only spotless, but incredible smelling as well. I've never met a Mrs. Meyers fragrance I didn't like, and I have to say they really knocked it out of the park with these.
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Sadly, the fresh-cut grass scent is only available in a mini size, but you can still snag it in dish or hand soap form.
Promising review: "Excellent Mrs. Meyers quality! Great value, strong cleaning power with a bright, grassy scent. It's easy to use, cuts grease, and a perfect cleaner. I only wish I could get the large in this scent! Will buy again!" — A. QueenIsis
"This cleaning spray works really well and is a great value. I'm particularly obsessed with the tomato vine scent. I know it's a limited edition during the springtime, so the next time it's available, I'm going to buy multiple bottles for the rest of the year. Smells very high-end without having a high-end price tag." — James
Get it from Amazon for $4.89+ (available in three scents).
4. And a set of Command spray bottle hangers to stick to the inside of a cabinet door for easy storage, so you can grab some cleaner *the second* you hear food hit the floor.
www.amazon.com
Check out a TikTok of the Command spray bottle hangers in action.
Promising review: "Love these! They have helped organize all my products underneath my kitchen sink. The Command hooks are strong, and nothing has budged, even with the weight of the spray bottles! Highly recommend." — Talayfor87
Get a set of two from Amazon for $9.39.
5. A grassy drying rack for parents who have a ton of bottles to clean and don't want their carefully balanced mountain of dishes to come crashing down. The grass keeps bottles, tops, and other small items upright without you needing to constantly rearrange or navigate weirdly placed dividers. It's also just cute! Look at the little nipple tree.
Here's what BuzzFeed Shopping editor Heather Braga has to say about this:"I have this drying rack! We keep it next to our full-sized drying rack, and as my son has gotten older, we've also started using it to dry reusable food pouches (and all the pieces that go along with that) as well as his sippy cup and any teethers we've washed."
Promising review: " Newborn twins are a mess. They took over our house within moments of coming through the door. For this type A mama, it was a horrifying side effect of the two most precious things in the world. A friend gave us one lawn at our shower, and we promptly hopped on Amazon and bought a second to manage the sheer volume. The lawn and the accessories are a convenient and cute way to keep your bottles and pump parts organized. There is ample space in one for one baby's needs." — Lacey
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in four styles).
6. A pair of fan light pull cords so you can finally know which turns on the fan and which turns on the light. What an ~illuminating~ product!
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "These fit my fan, they're super cute, and very good quality. I was happier with them than I expected. All of my girls thought they were super cute, too, and they're happy they can reach the chain now." — Kate
Get them from Amazon for $5.88+ (available in two lengths and three finishes).
7. A pack of butterfly-shaped sticky traps to install near your houseplants so you can finally evict all those tiny fly free-loaders.
Promising review:"I have a plant in my office that had terrible gnats. I ordered this product and put one in my plant. Within one hour, there were about 10 gnats stuck to it. Within four days, it was covered on both sides with gnats. Very pleased with this product! Very easy to use, no odor, and even looks cute in my plant!" — HD6774
Get a 25-pack from Amazon for $9.99 (available in four pack sizes).
8. A set of massively popular moisture-wicking double-brushed microfiber sheets so soft and cuddly, you'll feel like you're staying at a 5-star hotel. You'll forget aaaalll about thread count when you slide into these sheets.
LuxClub is a small business that specializes in soft, durable, luxury-style sheets.
P romising review: 'LOVE THESE!! I was searching for a sheet set that would help me sleep more comfortably at night and found these. I have terrible hot flashes with night sweats and get up in the morning, just miserable. Of course, these do not eliminate my hot flashes as no sheets will, but they definitely make my nights much more comfortable by eliminating wet bedding, and I definitely appreciate that! Aside from their moisture-wicking abilities, they are very soft, easy to look at, and launder extremely well. I would highly recommend these for anyone shopping for sheet sets and especially for anyone experiencing night sweats!! ' — Shannon Warfel
Get it from Amazon for $27.95+ (available in sizes Twin–California King, with deep pockets, and in 40 styles).
9. And a pack of sheet suspenders for the restless sleeper who always ends up in a tangled ball by morning. Keep those suckers in place!
Amazon
Promising review:"My husband turns a lot in his sleep and has always woken up with the fitted sheet halfway off his side of the bed. We bought these and we have NEVER once had to adjust the sheet in the morning! These are amazing! They're the kind of thing you'll never know how you lived without before." — LinseyB
Get them from Amazon for $8.99 (available in two pack sizes and three colors).
10. A set of extra mini drawers that clip onto your shelves so you can easily grab what you need instead of having to remove half the contents of your fridge just to get to the mayo.
Amazon
Promising review:"I bought a new refrigerator, and I missed my deli drawer. I purchased this as a way to store deli cold meat. I'm so glad I bought it" — wendy
Get one from Amazon for $21.49 (available in two size packs).
11. A journal happy to store all your increasingly complicated passwords. At least 12 characters, including a symbol, number, capital letter, ancient rune, and the fleeting details of a half-remembered dream? COME ON!
It's alphabetized so you can easily find the one you need!.
Promising review:"This was exactly what I wanted. The book has a heavy plastic cover and heavy-duty wire binding. The paper is good quality, although my favorite gel pens did have some bleed-through. I'd recommend ballpoint or pencil. The entries have wide spaces, with room for website, email, username, password, and notes (which is perfect for noting the answers to those security questions... What's your favorite ice cream flavor? I don't remember what I answered a year ago!). The password section has a good number of extra lines for those sites that make you change your password with annoying frequency." — Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three sizes).
12. A rotating spice rack that not only provides you with all the spices you need to start your culinary journey, but also comes with FIVE YEARS of free spice refills; that means you can sprinkle your sea salt with reckless abandon.
The next time you want to make a mushroom gravy, you'll have Herbes de Provence right there! And chicken is going to taste so much better with a dash of rosemary. This tower comes with 20 jars of spices. I personally have this rack and can confirm it's legit. The construction is obviously a little flimsy, but it spins nicely and doesn't wobble. All the spices are fresh and quite nice!
Promising review:"I LOVE THIS! It looks great on my counter, and all the new choices I have to cook with are just exciting!! Plus, the five years of refills is just icing on top." — Imani
Get a rack with 20 spices from Amazon for $33.61.
13. Luigi's Sink and Drain Plunger, your new personal plumber to pull up hair, food debris, and other gross stuff lurking in your pipes. The plunger works on any drain small enough to be fully covered, and the flexible bellow is as much as 10 times more effective than a regular rubber cup plunger. Mama mia! This thing is useful.
Promising review:"Y'all, this thing is amazing! My kitchen sink was completely clogged for four days. I've been trying to clear the drain with a different sink plunger that I already had and it didn't do diddly squat. I was about to give up and call a plumber. Then I decided to order this one, and it just arrived… it completely cleared the drain in like three minutes. So then I decided to take it to the bathroom sink that had been draining extremely slowly, and within a minute, I had the water running so quickly and smoothly again. I got the small one, and it's the perfect size for kitchen and bathroom sinks." — JNeen
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in three sizes and toilet plunger styles).
14. A plastic bag dispenser that neatly fits in your drawer so you don't have to battle with five crushed cardboard boxes. You can store this horizontally in a drawer or get fancy and mount it vertically in a cabinet.
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
These come with optional sticker labels, so you know which size bag you're grabbing.
YouCopia is a woman-owned small business that specializes in home storage solutions.
Promising review:"I like it very much. Not so large. Lightweight. Would look nice on top of the counter. What I like is that you do not have to wrangle the box into the slots. Simply pick up the roll of bags from their packaging and put them in the designated slot." — Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in three- or four-slot models).
15. A set of wildly popular"hotel" pillows so you can feel like you're falling asleep at the Ritz. Reviewers rave that these are the perfect balance of fluffy and firm, meaning you can prop yourself up for a good in-bed TV binge. Plus, they're breathable and cooling, so you won't overheat while wrapped in all those blankets.
Promising reviews:"These had great reviews, but I was still a bit skeptical. I'm a bit of a pillow snob. These pillows — these amazing, heavenly pillows — are now my favorite part of going to bed. Soft but firm. How does that work? It gives support for me to sleep slightly propped up but I sink into this comfortable personal cloud. Soft but firm. My head isn't sinking through the pillow to rest on my mattress, but I feel comfortably enveloped. Heaven. I bought two but think that would be too much fluff, so now my husband and I each have one. Buy them. Add to cart. Buy now with one click. Stop the research. You've found the pillows you were looking for." — Marissa Urey
"God himself must use these pillows. I have (or had, haha) insomnia, not to mention a bad neck/back *and* hot flashes. The comfort and the cooling is AMAZING (even with a silk pillowcase). Thank you, TikTok, for influencing me!!!!" — Rickie White
Get a set of two from Amazon for $49.99+ (available in three sizes).
16. An interlocking storage organization set that lets you harness the power of CUBES. Assemble them in whatever grid works best for your closet. The set comes with a little rubber mallet so you can feel like Bob the Builder while creating your ideal storage unit.
Promising review:"I put these in my closet to make extra shelves for sweaters/sweatshirts. They were easy to assemble and worked great at adding additional space to my closet. I like that my clothes don't topple over into the pile next to them anymore. They were easy to put together, and if I move, they will be easy to take apart, put in a small box, and move. I'm very happy with this purchase." — Goldensummerdog
Get it from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in five colors and two pack sizes).
17. FryAway Waste Cooking Oil Solidifier Powder because you absolutely, 100% cannot just pour it down the drain. Sprinkle the powder in the oil while it's hot, let it cool, then scoop it right into the trash.
FryAway is a woman-owned and Latine-owned small business started by Laura Lady, who loves both cooking and being kind to the planet. They donate 1% of revenue to nonprofits focused on water conservation.
Promising review:"I used to HATE cooking with oil because I never knew what to do with it when I was finished. Not anymore! This stuff works amazingly well, is easy to use, and allows me to trash oil without a big mess! It just takes a little scoop and a short amount of time for it to set into a gel, and then it all scoops out of the pan so easily! I'm just sad I didn't find this product sooner!" — TheBjamin
Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two styles).
18. A silverware sorter that takes up very little space in your drawer but can fit up to 24 pieces of cutlery. With the extra space, the possibilities are endless. Maybe it's time for a novelty monstera slotted spoon?
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I have a tiny kitchen with only three drawers, so space is at a premium. My silverware organizer took up almost all of one drawer, so this organizer is a godsend. You can fit quite a few spoons, etc., in each slot. My beater attachments fit perfectly into the top two hollows. I will say I have to flip my forks over face down in order to be able to shut and open my drawer, but then the drawer itself is kind of shallow. You NEED this if you have a small kitchen with few drawers!" — mialro
Get it from Amazon for $7.49 (also available in a larger size).
PS: You can get the knife organizer (also pictured above) for $8.63.
19. Baseball hat organizers to finally address the fact that half your home is just cap clutter. Now you can proudly display two hats from your winning team — and hide the 20 other hats from teams currently disappointing you.
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review: "Loved the simple installation. You can install using the adhesive or using the mollies and screws. I used the adhesive since the hats are not heavy. I may order more to hang all my cross-body purses and wristlets as well. Good purchase at a good price." — Diva
Get them from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in two sizes, four colors, and four pack sizes).
20. A WD-40 pen that provides all the same benefits as the spray can (quieting squeaks, lubricating hinges, preventing rust, etc.) but now with an easy-to-maneuver, precise pen tip. You could just walk around your home, touching up every hinge you see!
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "I love WD-40 products and use them for everything. I spray on shovels to keep dirt or snow from sticking, spray around windows and thresholds to deter bugs, clean Sharpies off wood and walls, and, of course, stop squeaky doors. These small direct-point application pens are great. Keep one in the glove box, my kitchen 'junk' drawer, and the house toolbox." — BBP623
Get a three-pack from Amazon for $12.86.
21. A tea bag organizer for avid tea drinkers who are sick of getting hit with an avalanche of boxes every time they open their cupboard. This slim device can fit up to 120 standard-sized bags.
www.amazon.com
This is brought to you by the small business YouCopia.
Promising review:"It holds so many; the storage capacity is wild! It was able to clean up all of our various types of tea boxes and slim down the space. I should have bought this sooner." — BB
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two sizes).
22. A grater with a built-in container so you don't have to worry about having to balance it over a plate or cleaning up stray shavings. It comes with three grating surfaces you can swap out to meet all your grating needs. Taco night, anyone?
It also comes with a vegetable peeler.
Promising review:"What an incredible product...truly! The concept is simple, but this item puts it all together seamlessly — with bonus implements! Sturdy, compact, easy to use, clean, and store. What more could any cook want? The cutting area is safely designed with different shredding sizes possible. Bonus items are well constructed with blades and handles of noteworthy quality. Impressive package deal. Well priced. Very pleased!" — Krow
Get it from Amazon for $14.95+ (also available with a garlic mincer).
23. A pack of Miracle-Gro water storing crystals that'll prevent both under- *and* over-watering, which I believe are the top two killers of plants. When you water your houseplants, the crystals retain the moisture and release it as the soil dries.
Amazon, www.amazon.com
This works for both indoor and outdoor plants.
Promising review: "I have deck rail flower boxes and they get full sun most of the day. I filled in the drain holes to hold more water and added these to the soil. Both made a huge difference in the quality of life for the plants. They were and still are gorgeous even if I couldn't water every day. I do have to admit I used more per planter than the recommended amount." — Pattijwr
Get it from Amazon for $11.42.
24. A Howard Products Feed-N-Wax wood polish and conditioner to give your furniture an impossibly lustrous shine previously never seen in your home. The carnauba wax and beeswax enhance and protect your wood from drying out, so you can keep your great-grandmother's rocking chair in tip-top shape with just a few swipes.
Many reviewers started by using Restor-A-Finish to blend out minor scratches before finishing with the Feed-N-Wax. It's as simple as wiping on and off!
Promising review:"I got this product a few hours ago from Amazon and now have shiny floors! It gave the really dull hardwood floors of my prewar NYC apartment an impressive shine. Really impressive. A little goes a long way: I used only about two ounces to shine about 500 square feet of clean floors. Before using it on the floors, I tested the polish on an old wooden side table that is scarred and needs sanding. It looked a lot better afterwards." — KindleCustomer2
Get it from Amazon for $10.47.
25. And a set of wood repair markers ready to turn back the hands of time to before your cat went to town on all your chair legs. It'll feel like an art project, but you'll end up with refreshed wood furniture.
The kit comes with markers, crayons for deeper scratches, and a sharpener.
Tip: Some reviewers suggest applying the marker and then quickly wiping it with a paper towel to avoid over-applying.
Promising review: "This product did a great job on my severely scratched wood flooring. I used it in a rental home and on our own floors. The markers did a great job on the wood flooring and there are several colors you can sort of mix and match to get the right shade. It dries with a slight shiny, waxy shine. Good value for the money! The wax pencils work OK, too, but the markers did fantastic. They didn't repair the wood but certainly hid some of the damage. To me, well worth the price." — Reviewer
Get a set of six markers and six crayons for $9.99.
26. A solid wood countertop that fits over your washer and dryer in case you're really hurting for space in your cramped laundry room. The water-resistant surface will give you space for your various laundry accouterments, plus room to fold.
Promising reviews: "This shelf is really well-made and looks great. I like that they included a hex bit for a drill and an Allen wrench to tighten things up by hand — a thoughtful touch. Plus, they used hex screws instead of cheap Phillips ones, which makes it way easier to put together and feels more solid overall." — wildelmo
"This is the best purchase yet! I no longer lose my socks behind the washer or dryer! Keeps laundry room looking clean and neat! Easy to put together and just perfect." — deanna defrancis
Get it from Amazon for $98.99 (available in six colors).
27. A fan-favorite all-season comforter if you took your old one out of storage and realized it's a bit lumpy. Over 98,000 5-star reviewers swear by this affordable, machine-washable option thanks to its warmth and cloud-like softness.
Amazon
Promising review:"This comforter is amazing! I was getting too warm with my down comforter, but I still wanted something soft, and this was the answer. It's very light yet still provides enough warmth that I'm only using this with a flat sheet. It fits perfectly in my duvet cover and comes with loops on each corner and midway between the corners." — Joiseygirl
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in twin–California king and three colors).
28. Game board storage cases so you can ditch the cardboard boxes in favor of slim, easy-to-stack organizers. The transparent plastic and built-in handle make it easy to take multiple games while traveling — now you can pack Codenames *and* Monopoly.
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review: "We loved these containers and have now bought 20 to hold our entire game closet! We have been able to fit multiple games in some. Easy to store and easy for my kids to find and then put away when finished. Good quality, haven't had any problems with durability yet, and we play a LOT of games." — bradfieldfamily
Get a pack of 10 from Amazon for $45.99 (also available in thicker shape).
29. A chenille tufted pillow perfect for when you're trying to enjoy some pillow fort time or just wanna sit on the floor while working from the coffee table (me). It'll come in handy when you have more guests than chairs for movie night.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"Cozy vibes. I purchased two of these. I think they're wonderful. Soft. Comfortable. Perfect floor pillows." — Courtney R.
Get it from Amazon for $30.72+ (available in two shapes and eight colors).
30. A bottle of lavender-scented Therapy stainless steel cleaner and polish to revive your tired-looking fridge in a snap. The plant-based cleaner can remove years of smudges, dust, dirt, and oil, leaving it so sparkly, no one will ever know how long you've been neglecting it.
Britt Ross / BuzzFeed
The pH-neutral formula is made with coconut oil and works on appliances, grills, sinks, refrigerators, microwaves, stoves, range hoods, trash cans, and more. You'll also get a large microfiber cloth with the bottle.
Former BuzzFeed writer Brittany Ross says, " I don't know what kind of fairy dust this plant-based spray is hiding inside, but it made my mucked-up fridge sparkle within a MINUTE! I was skeptical when I first sprayed it onto my fridge because it took a second for the streaks to start fading, but lo and behold, there was *zero* residue left behind after a super brief wipe sesh. Once I saw how downright dazzling my fridge looked, I decided to put it to the ~real~ test — my filthy dishwasher. Again, a minute of buffing with a microfiber towel was enough to make it look like a brand-new appliance, and it worked wonders on the greasy stainless steel edges of my oven, too."
Promising review: "This is a miracle worker on stainless. I have tried everything to get my stainless to shine like it should, even the home remedies, which do NOT work — sorry but they don't. This stuff is the best I have tried. I follow a girl on TikTok that recommended it and she has been right 100% on her Amazon recommendations. She nailed it again. You will love this stuff." — Amazonwoman
Get it from Amazon for $19.95+ (available in two sizes and a two-pack).
31. An expanding file folder you can fill with up to 200 pieces of paper and free up sooo much desk space. As an accordion folder follower, I have to say these things are top-notch for organizing everything from restaurant menus to ticket stubs.
Amazon
Promising review: "I am going through some legal things, and this folder has been perfect for keeping all my paperwork together! And boy, can it hold a lot! The snap closure is very sturdy, and the color is spot on!! An amazing value and great quality!" — MomOf2
Get it from Amazon for $5.98+ (available in nine colors).
32. A customizable door draft stopper to ensure all that toasty goodness stays inside where it belongs. The customizable gap filler can be cut to size and slid under your door so the heating bill savings start right away.
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review:" It's saved us so much money on our energy bill that we're definitely buying more, and I encourage you to buy more if you want to save on your energy bills." — Kellykelly
Get it from Amazon for $19.79 (also available in multipacks).
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.