39 Home Essentials That Deserve Your Attention

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4 days ago

A pack of transparent window fly traps because the flies are not paying rent and it's time to evict them. These ultra-sticky, non-toxic decals blend right into your windows while luring in everything from house flies to gnats. Peel, stick, and enjoy your bug-free home without a single zap or swat.
Promising review: "This is disgusting and so stinking satisfying. I'm renting a house that does not have a screen door, and I have two young children who run in and out. They bring a lot of flies with them. I've tried several different things... But what's amazing about this is that you stick it on the window, you walk away, and you let the tape do all the work for you. Disgusting and fascinating to my toddlers? Yes and yes. Is that 18 fewer flies I'm chasing around the kitchen with the swatter? Oh yes." —Meaghan Get it from Amazon for $6.29+ (available in multiple pack sizes).
A set of Beckham Hotel Collection pillows to replace your old pillows. These are big, fluffy, and soft, and everyone says it feels like you're sleeping at a fancy hotel when you use them. Yes, please!
See them in action in TikTok user Aprill Mae's video.Promising review: "Due to packaging, they are quite flat at first. Laid them flat for a few hours. Shook and fluffed them up and was able to sleep like a baby last night. These pillows are heavenly. I say that because it feels as though you're sleeping on a cloud. I slept with both. One under my head and one to hug. They stayed a comfortable temp all night long. The first morning, I didn't wake up with neck, shoulder, and back pain in over a week and a half. I feel rested and refreshed." —Amazon Customer"These are THE BEST pillows! I'm a side/stomach sleeper, and these provide the perfect amount of support for me. Exactly what I was looking for. I was a bit skeptical, given how inexpensive they are — I'm used to spending a lot on bedding — but I decided to trust the over 200,000 reviews, and I'm so glad I did. Highly, highly recommend." —Irene PopeGet it from Amazon for $59.99+ (available in three sizes).
And a set of silk-like pillowcases for dressing up your bedding without needing to spend big bucks. There are 36 colors available, so you're sure to find the right one for your bed's vibe.
A 3-in-1 wireless charger to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at the same time, no unsightly nest of cords required.
A food storage set that includes eight 30-ounce containers with lids. The containers are glass, which means you won't get the food stains you often see with traditional plastic food storage containers. I use these for meal prepping all the time.
Promising review: "Absolutely love this product! Makes storing and transporting my meals extremely easy and keeps everything fresh all week. Portion size is perfect. I fit a whole chicken breast plus rice in them with room to spare. The leak-proof design holds in freshness in and gives me peace of mind when transporting them in my backpack. When all is done they are extremely easy to clean." —RHGet it on Amazon for $35.99 (available in three colors).
A jar of the The Pink Stuff — aka TikTok's favorite all-purpose cleaning paste. From everyday messes to years' worth of buildup, there's no grossness that this miracle cleaner can't take on.
A Go Hang It! picture hanging and leveling kit that's here to save you from wall art purgatory. If measuring and leveling seems really daunting, this tool makes it easy.
An outlet light if you need a little light here and there around the house. Perfect for those of us who take nightly bathroom breaks or want to safely get to the kitchen for a midnight snack without turning on all the overhead lights.
An Instant Pot to pressure cook, slow cook, cook rice, steam, sauté...and even make yogurt. This is truly an amazing small appliance that will make cooking so many of your different dishes a breeze, I promise. And because it can do so much in such a little device, imagine all the countertop and cabinet space you'll save.
Promising review: "This is quite possibly the coolest, most versatile kitchen gadget I've ever owned. I love it so much that I've purchased two more for friends and relatives. What can it do? I think the real question is 'What can't it do?' I truly believe you could replace every cooking appliance (including your oven and stove top) and do EVERYTHING in the Instant Pot. I purchased two sizes for my own use: the 3-quart (which is my almost-every-day workhorse for two person dishes) and the 8-quart (which I bring out to handle my dinner party dishes). Everything I've tried has been fabulous. In the realm of kitchen appliances, there is no better investment than the Instant Pot. Highly recommended!!!" —StereomanGet it from Amazon for $79.99.
A microfiber spin mop so your mop isn't soaking wet before you get to cleaning. It's machine washable, has an automatic wringer, and is designed in a shape that will reach into small spaces and corners, no problem.
Or a flat mop that basically cleans itself, so you don't have to touch the grimy mop head (bless). The compact design makes it great for tight spaces, and the reusable microfiber pads mean you can keep your floors and walls sparkling without hauling out a giant mop setup every time.
An automatic, odor-absorbing, sensor-activated trash can made of fingerprint-proof stainless steel. Who knew a single trashcan could do so much?
Promising review: "I bought this trash can eight years ago. At the time, it was hard to find any stainless-steel trash cans for an affordable price, so the fact that this was the most reasonable and it had the automated lid seemed like a pretty easy choice. It still looks great and works great. You can wave over the sensor to open the lid, or there is a button on the front of it to open the lid and keep it open. The lid does a great job of holding any odors in while it's closed." —SomniGet it from Amazon for $49.07+ (available in six styles).
A veggie chopper so that prepping an abundance of food is easier than doing it all by hand. Give yourself a break with this chopper that uses four blades to julienne, chop, and slice vegetables with ease.
A nonslip, quick-dry stone bath mat if you're tired of soggy bath mats that take forever to dry. This is made out of diatomaceous earth (fancy, right?), which dries faster than you can say "bye-bye mildew."
Dorai is a small business in Salt Lake City that makes everyday items for the home. Promising review: "The last bathroom mat you will ever need! This product has been a game-changer for us. We liked it so much, we gifted it to a few of our friends, and they all loved it, too! The standout feature is how it almost instantly dries your feet with a unique suction effect — once you experience this, there's no going back to regular bathmats. It's versatile, performing well in both hot and cold weather, and the included slip-resistant rubber mat is a thoughtful addition." —Joshua L.Get it from Amazon for $69+ (available in two colors and two styles).
A multi-plug outlet with six electric outlets, two USB ports, and a built-in nightlight. The nightlight has three levels of brightness, and can turn on automatically when it senses the area getting dark.
An expandable shelf for under your sink that adjusts itself around your awkwardly shaped pipe. You will be able to fit so much more stuff under your sink when you use this!
Measures 15 inches long x 11.25 inches wide x 15 inches high and can expand to 25 inches long.Promising review: "I'm so glad I bought this. I have a 24-inch vanity in my bathroom and this fit perfectly. I have it extended to about 23-inch and it holds sturdy, though I can see if you were to extend it to its full length it gets weak in the middle. I liked it so much that I ordered another one for the kitchen. I got some clear bins to help organize bottles and other goodies I keep in the bath." —Marlene R.Get it from Amazon for $24.87 (available in three finishes).
A garlic chopper to mince or chop garlic for you. You literally just put up to five regular-size cloves in it and then use your hand to roll this thing on any smooth surface, and it chops it all up in a matter of seconds. If you want to mince it, you keep rolling for maybe 10 more seconds. I have one of these and sticky hands and knives are now a thing of the past.
Promising review: "Love! Love! Love the GarlicZoom! Mincing garlic has never been more easy or fun. It makes mince work out of garlic, onion, chilies and herbs. I'm not sure what I love most about this little gadget. Not smelling stinky garlic fingers all night? No burning fingers or eyes from chopping a super hot chile? Or mincing fresh herbs in a blink of an eye. I have a problem wrist from an injury and an arm and hand that suffers from nerve damage. I can still manage to zoom this. When people ask if the can help in the kitchen, this is the chore that I give them and everyone loves it. They think it's the neatest little thing." —Kennedy CollinsGet it from Amazon for $14.61.
A pack of Affresh dishwasher-cleaning tablets for making sure your dishwasher is super clean and therefore capable of making sure your dishes are too. All you do is drop a tablet into the dishwasher before you run a load, and it does all the work from there.
Promising reviews: "Works extremely well. We haven't done any cleaning on our dishwasher in five years, and there was detergent buildup all over the inside, and a milky film on all our cups. I bought Affresh, ran the dishwasher with two tablets while it was empty, and the difference was astounding. There was still some buildup and I figured it would require another cycle, so I popped another two tablets in, and now it looks and sounds brand new. No more film on the glasses, no more dirty dishes from clogged sprayers, no more odors or buildup around the door seals." —MartouneGet a pack of six tablets from Amazon for $8.99.
Some sleek transparent dividers to separate clothes into categories. Sweaters, pants, T-shirts, and more will finally have a place inside your closet that doesn't require being hung up.
Promising review: "These dividers have changed my life! I put them on the top shelf of my clothes closet and divide sections into the type of clothes I want. One section has blue jeans, another section has black pants, another section has lightweight summer pants, and I can see everything just looking up at the shelf. My closet is no longer a mess, and the top shelf above the hanging clothes is no longer the place where I just throw things and can't keep track of them. I never knew what was up there and now I do! As I said I just bought a second set of them for my second closet." —Elizabeth Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in three colors and packs of two, four, six, or eight).
A foaming garbage disposal cleaner that uses magical blue foam to rid your garbage disposal of foodstuff and odor. I have these and actually look forward to using them, they're that great. You push one of the biodegradable packets into your drain and then turn the water on. Before you know it, this blue foam starts bubbling up from your drain(s) and after a few minutes completely disappears. After that, the drain is super clean and those lingering smells are gone.
Here's what you do: Run some hot water, pop one of the packets in your disposer, let it foam, then wait for the foam to fully disappear. Garbage disposer = clean and ickiness-free. Promising review: "Works like a charm! These are pretty cool! I was a little skeptical but I followed the easy-to-use directions and it worked just like the product said it would. Foamed up and cleaned the drain!! Smell removed!!" —Jennifer KGet two packs of four from Amazon for $12.97.
A set of two toothpaste squeezers so you get every last ounce of toothpaste out of the tube. It also holds your toothpaste upright, which means it won't take up as much valuable countertop space.
I really hate wasting product, but so many bottles and tubes make it impossible to get the last couple of tablespoons of stuff out. I can't stand this! With this squeezer, I literally get ALL the toothpaste out before I need a new tube, and it's soooo satisfying. Promising review: "These work great. They keep even a full tube upright so the bathroom counter looks tidier. The key twists the empty section of the tube easily so every bit of the toothpaste is used with no fuss. Have one for my husband and me and for each of the two kids. Highly recommend this product." —Chelley PattersonGet a set of two from Amazon for $7.80+ (available in two color combinations).
A pumice stone for removing hard water stains in your toilet's bowl. Considered a must-have cleaning tool, if there's a stain in your toilet that you're sure is permanent, try this out and watch it disappear like magic.
Powerstone is a small business that makes home cleaning products out of pumice stone. Promising review: "The holy grail of toilet cleaning. Oh wow! I am so happy with this pumice! It removed all the buildup from my hard water easily and quickly! I was thinking I would have to buy a new toilet and start over and just try to clean it every day. I've NEVER been so pleased with a product!" —TashaGet it from Amazon for $12.87+. (be sure to clip the 20% off coupon when applicable; available in packs of one or two).
Some motion-activated, battery-powered night-lights to illuminate dark areas in your home. I use these in closets, deep cabinets, and my bathroom that has a really loud fan that turns on every time I switch the light on.
A roll-up drying rack so you can let dishes and produce dry without taking up valuable countertop space. And because it goes over the sink, no need to worry about water dripping all over the place.
A utility wagon to haul all your heavy stuff around. I used mine nearly every day — getting groceries and heavy packages into my apartment, taking recycling down to the bins. And to add more icing to the cake, it completely collapses when not in use.
A 15-piece set of airtight food containers, because your pantry staples deserve a designated home. This set has over 24,600 5-star reviews for a reason, it's that good.
Promising review: "I ordered this set to continue on the road to an organized pantry. There are enough containers and enough variety of sizes to make me happy. I have stored pastas and noodles, dried beans, rice, sugar, instant mashed potatoes, crackers, etc. When I open a box of something, I put whatever is unused into one of the containers and feel very secure that the contents will be fresh and protected from any possible insect problems." —R MGet it from Amazon for $23.99+ (available in three colors).
A rapid egg cooker to cook up to six eggs five different ways with a push of a button. Hard boil, soft boil, poach, scrambled, even omelets — this tiny appliance will do it all so you don't have to.
Promising review: "If you are on the fence about getting one of these, GET ONE. It really is as easy as it sounds to have a perfectly cooked egg, no guesswork. Just have an ice bath ready next to the cooker and let the eggs sit for a minute or two in there...peels come right off :) Makes healthy eating a breeze in the morning! Where has this been all my life?!?!?" —rebeccaGet it from Amazon for $18.99+ (available in six colors).Check out our Dash Rapid Egg Cooker review.
A CovoBox that provides hidden storage for unsightly things like routers and bulky cords. Each box is made right here in the USA with real wood and reclaimed books.
A dishwasher magnet to let you know if the dishes are clean or dirty. With just one swipe you never have to worry about unloading dishes that haven't actually been washed.
A windproof rechargeable lighter for all your candles and grilling needs. The flexible neck makes it easy to light hard to reach wicks, and it'll spark 400 times before it needs to be recharged.
Promising reviews: "I'm a candle-freak, so I was tired of using a regular lighter and then having to rig up something to reach the wicks as my candles burned down. I had seen these lighters previously, read through the reviews and decided to purchase. I've been very happy with my purchase. After reading reviews, I just make sure to clean the lighter with the little brush that's included, to make sure there is no wax on it, each time I use it. I have had no problems." —MMGet it from Amazon for $7.99.
A nontoxic, plant- and mineral-based essentials cleaning kit so that you can keep your home sparkling clean without the use of harsh chemicals. The kit may give you sticker shock, but after you factor in how many times you can refill each bottle with the magical concentrate, it breaks down to about the same price per bottle of cleaner you'd buy at a big store.
Each kit comes with a 33.8 oz bottle of cleaning concentrate and three refillable bottles for all-purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, and glass cleaner. Branch Basics is a woman-owned small business based in Minneapolis, making high-quality, non-toxic cleaning products.Promising review: "This is the cleaning solution I've been needing for so long. Having young kids, I'm constantly thinking about ingredients and what's healthy for our family. I LOVE there is no smell, and I can use for so many things around my house. Thank you for creating a such an amazing cleaning brand.❤️ I love this." —Whitney T. Get it from Branch Basics for $67+ (available in plastic or glass bottles).
A dual-spray showerhead for a better bathing experience. The handheld head is great for making sure you never get out of the shower not realizing your hair still has conditioner in it.
A set of drawer organizers that'll help keep your socks, bras, undies, and more from overflowing and taking over your bedroom floor. You'll get 45 cells out of this set, so there really will be a place for everything.
The set includes four bins: one with six cells for scarves and tights, eight square cells for underwear, seven wide cells for bras, and 24 small cells for socks.Promising review: "I love these things; they're so versatile. I have them all over: drawers, closet shelves, cabinets. I use them for more than just underwear too. I use them for dry art supplies in open shelves and just about anywhere else I need to organize." —Kindle MacGet it from Amazon for $14.97 (available in seven colors).
And a honeycomb divider if your drawer is a sea of mismatched socks. This tiny but mighty divider will create 18 pockets, though reviewers say bigger drawers can accommodate two sets — so 36 pockets.
The set snaps together with maximum dimensions of 13.25 inches x14.38 inches, but you can snap two (or more!) packs together if you want to fill more drawer space!Promising review: "Okay, admittedly, I am a bit of an organization freak. I purchased two of these organizers (yes, you do need two PER drawer) to organize my underwear drawer. The gratification I got from being able to see exactly what I had, neatly organized, easy to find... Wow. I definitely recommend this product. And the actual dividers are well made and super easy to assemble." —BrigetteGet it from Amazon for $9.17+ (available in black or white).
A moisture meter to place deep down into the soil so you know exactly how much water your plant is getting. Under- and overwatering can be a thing of the past, people!
A two-stage knife sharpener, because preparing food with a dull knife is never a good idea. Keep all your knives sharp with this easy tool that only requires a few swipes to make it like new again.
Promising review: "Wow, this little gadget is pretty amazing! I have some old (expensive) nonserrated knives that are supposed to never need sharpening but unfortunately, lost their sharp edge long ago. I saw this gadget and decided to try it. I set the bottom of this gadget on the edge of the counter and ran one of the knives through the side labeled 'Coarse' about 10 times, then ran it through the side labeled 'Fine' another 8–10 times. Bingo! The knife was transformed back to its former high-dollar cutlery glory. I could hardly believe how effectively it had sharpened the knife, which I had been ready to throw away a week before. I've been happily sharpening all our knives and trying to add up in my head how much money I've saved by NOT having to buy another set of expensive knives. Great score!" —Schelly L. WagonerGet it from Amazon for $8.70+ (available in four colors).Read our full review of the KitchenIQ knife sharpener.
A pair of smartplugs that you can control with your voice or the accompanying app. If you want the lights to be on when you get home, just use the app to make sure it happens. Either turn them on remotely through the app or schedule a time for them to turn on.
Promising review: "I purchased the two pack for these smart outlets. They are very easy to setup and link to your home Wi-Fi via the intuitive app. The app itself is great and it is easy to link up and control multiple smart outlets and even allows you to take pictures of the device that is powered by the outlet and set up schedules for on/off times which makes it very convenient for lamps or other devices you want to run at night only. The app also comes with a widget as well which can be viewed from the lock screen which is very useful because It reduces the amount of push notifications you get on a daily basis. The device itself also has a manual on/off button as well so if your Wi-Fi goes out you can still manually operate the device as well. I would purchase this again." —Samson GebreGet a pack of two from Amazon for $14.96.
A double closet rod for getting the most out of your closet's vertical space. All those blouses, jackets, and shirts are taking up way too much valuable real estate, so literally double your space with this nifty tool.
Promising review: "This is sturdy and lightweight. This closet rod doubled my available space in seconds. There is plenty of space on the top rod for longer shirts and tops and shorter ones fit perfectly on the lower rod, without touching the floor. Plus, hangers stay in place and don't slide to one end or the other based on how heavy items are, and so far the rod hasn't sagged or bowed at all. And I have all my sweatshirts and heavy fleece jackets on the bottom rod. Space will obviously depend on the height of the closet rod you hang this from, but I would highly recommend this for anyone with need of more closet space!!" —CCBunEGet it from Amazon for $15.99.
And a magnetic bobby pin tray so that all your pins stay in one place instead of literally everywhere else. I find bobby pins everywhere — under my sofa cushions, in the back of drawers, at the bottom of the laundry bin — and it's entirely preventable with a simple tool like this.