With lots of cooking comes lots of clean up, which means our BA editors spend ample time disinfecting counters, mopping hardwood floors, and scrubbing grimy pots and pans. While there’s no way around the whole “cleaning” part of things, there are tools that make such tasks easier. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best cleaning products we’ve ever used. Not only will they make your cleaning chores more efficient, they’ll also make them more—dare I say—fun. At least that’s what we keep telling ourselves.
If you’re looking for a do-it-all scrubber, you need this brush. It’s made of palm fibers that are tougher than standard scouring pads but gentle enough not to scuff your Le Creuset Dutch oven. It has replaced all of BA contributor Christina Chaey’s kitchen sponges.
This large-but-sleek rack will keep your just-washed dishes neatly organized as they dry. We love that it can fit a Dutch oven, fragile wine glasses, sharp knives, and eight plates with room to spare.
“Steel wool is a scrub pad on steroids,” writes BA contributor Carla Lalli Music, who keeps a 12-pack of the Homax brand stocked at all times for deep cleans. You’ll appreciate having these scrubbies on deck for tough jobs like cleaning sheet pans and grill grates.
Is it even a list of the best cleaning products if it doesn’t include the Skura Style sponge? It’s the best dish sponge according to the BA test kitchen because it never gets smelly—we can thank its antimicrobial materials for that. You’ll know when to swap it out when the logos begin to fade.
The quickest path to becoming a clean-as-you-go cook? A robot vacuum. While you make dinner, the Roomba i3 will map your entire home and get your floor cleaner than it’s ever been before.
“Blueland’s soap and cleaning supplies smell like the lingering scent of orange peels on your fingertips after you peel a ripe Sumo,” writes BA contributor Emily Shultz. Besides the citrusy aroma, there’s a lot to love about the eco-friendly subscription service, including the reusable spray bottles—and the fact that just a small spritz of multi-surface, all-purpose cleaner is enough to banish grease from your cooktop.
You could use coarse kosher salt and a paper towel, but contributor Christina Chaey swears that the best way to rid your cast iron skillet of the most stubborn gunk is to use The Ringer, a swatch of stainless steel chainmail that’s ideal for heavy-duty scrubbing.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your water bottle is filthy. Show it some love (and get rid of the mildew lurking under the cap) with a weekly scrub with this bottle brush, which has a combination of gentle and abrasive bristles that’ll target all the nooks and crannies.
And if you really want to combat mineral build-up and “off” water bottle smells, digital operations associate Alma Avalle recommends reaching for these easy-to-use, fizzy cleaning tablets that are free of harsh chemicals.
Even the toughest fish and garlic odors are no match for this hand scrub, which contains finely ground walnut shell and pumice stone to remove fish scales and stuck-on gunk, plus a mixture of coconut oil and cocoa butter to moisturize your skin. In addition to hand-washing, you can use it to deodorize cutting boards, too—a trick recipe developer Rachel Dolfi learned while testing batch after batch of salt cod.
You could make a DIY vinegar-and-soap solution to get rid of fruit flies in your kitchen—or you could buy this fly trap, which comes with a scented liquid that lures and traps flying pests. Place it near your fruit bowl and notice a reduction in fruit flies in a couple days.
If you’re experiencing more significant fruit fly issues, consider an insect trap like Katchy, which has a light that draws flies towards it throughout the night. The bugs get sucked into the trap by the unit’s fan, never to leave again.
For areas a robot vacuum cannot reach—like your countertops, pantry shelves, and the space behind your toaster—consider this Brad Leone favorite. The Black and Decker Dustbuster quickly and efficiently sucks up bits of herbs, stray sprinkling of seasoning, and spilled flour.
Washing dishes isn’t so bad when you’ve got a pair of our favorite pink gloves. They’re thick and durable, yet perfectly flexible—and the folds prevent dish soap and water from dripping down your wrists.
We love thin kitchen towels for tucking into our aprons and microfiber cleaning cloths for polishing wine glasses, but for mega messes, like bubbled-over dal or coffee pot mishaps, you’ll need a super-absorbent, heavy-duty towel. We like this set from Williams Sonoma.
Unlike regular degular brooms and Swiffers, the Muji system broom is equipped with a stellar combo: A pole that can telescope, a removable swivel head, and stiff-but-flexible bristles for reaching even the most narrow spaces between the stove and cabinet, beneath the couch, and under the fridge.
When baking soda or gentle cleansers just won’t cut it, you need to break out the hard stuff, a.k.a. Bar Keepers Friend. This powdered surface cleaner uses a combo of oxalic acid, mild abrasives, and detergents to tackle serious projects like calcium build up and rust stains, and it removes grease and grime from all manner of cookware.
It turns out, the best product for getting red wine rings off stone countertops is actually a fabric stain remover, says associate editor Zoe Denenberg. Denfunkify not only lifts stubborn stains off her bathrobe and couch upholstery, but it also tackles the wrath of spilled turmeric on her Corian counter. It may not be marketed as a multipurpose cleaner, but trust us—it is.
