30 Gross Mistakes You Don't Realize You're Making In The Kitchen

This highly rated digital-read thermometer works quickly, giving a read of the meat’s temperature in just a couple seconds. The gadget is even waterproof and has a magnet so you can keep it at the ready on your fridge. It can also be used for baking and making candy.

Reusable straws are great for reducing plastic waste, but they can be a hassle to clean. These reusable silicone straws come with their own cleaning brush specifically designed to get in the narrow channel of each straw. The straws can be used with hot or cold beverages and are also dishwasher safe. The set comes with 10 of them.

Keep food from sticking to your cookie sheets (or your counter) with these silicone baking mats. The silicone is heat-resistant up to 470 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s also handy to use for baking and rolling out dough, because the mat has covered in handy measurements — so you can roll out your pizza dough to the exact size you want.

It’s easy for your fridge to become cluttered. These refrigerator bins help keep things organized by creating specific spots to store your produce, eggs, sodas, and other foods. The set comes with six bins, including an egg container, a drink holder, and four multi-use bins. They’re stackable and easy to clean.

It’s useful to have a designated spot for your dishes to dry after washing them. This bamboo drying rack has 14 slots for holding your plates, bowls, and cups — so there’s no need to sit them on the counter as they dry. One customer wrote, “I like the wood because it goes well with all the woodwork in the house. It is sturdy, sits well on the counter. Would I buy it again? Yes.”

Most greens grow in the ground, so it’s important to give them a good clean. This manual salad spinner makes it easy to wash and dry lettuce so that your salads don’t end up too soggy. It has a removable strainer, so you can wash your lettuce and then spin it dry with the hand crank attached to the spinner.

These microfiber cloths are made from a soft, absorbent, non-abrasive material, making them perfect for your home cleaning tasks. The cloths absorb up to eight times its own weight and can be washed and reused hundreds of times. They shouldn’t leave scratches or streaks on surfaces, and they come in a pack of 12.

There might be certain bits of trash that tend to accumulate on your counter, like wrappers and packaging. This mini countertop trashcan is perfect for those small pieces of waste. Made from stainless steel, the trashcan is fingerprint- and stain-resistant. It’s also the perfect size for putting on your desk.

You can keep your snacks fresh with these glass canister jars that have airtight lids. The jars each hold up to half a gallon and come with chalkboard labels (and pieces of chalk), so you can switch up the label based on your changing snacks. They’re great for storing snacks like cookies or dry goods (like pasta and rice).

This sponge holder is designed to keep your sponge upright to drain out moisture and help prevent bacteria growth. It’s made from ceramic and has an embossed design, so keeping your kitchen clean won’t mean giving up style. It even has a 4.8-star rating.

These leakproof meal-prep containers are made of glass and have airtight lids that snap into place. They’re also oven safe (without the lid) — and you can use them to store meals for the week, leftovers, or snacks. They’re also safe for the dishwasher and freezer.

This bamboo pizza board is an easy way to serve pizza without propping it on the box. The board has a strong handle, so it’s easy to carry from the kitchen — and there’s even a hole in the handle so you can hang it up between uses. It can also be used as a charcuterie board.

This large cutting board has grooves running along the edges so it can catch liquid running off, and you can use it when cutting meat so the juices don’t run all over your counter. It’s also useful for fruit like watermelon that hold a lot of moisture. The cutting board is made from a strong, durable plastic and measures 18 by 12 inches.

Cooking with oil can be a mess if it starts splattering all over your kitchen. This stainless steel splatter screen has a fine mesh that covers your frying pan and prevents oil from hitting your oven. One reviewer wrote, “I'm loving this spatter screen [...] and the extra time I didn't have to spend cleaning grease off my stove!” Plus, it has over 23,000 five-star ratings.

You can keep your floors squeaky-clean with this microfiber mop. It comes with four reusable cloths, which can be thrown in the washing machine after each use. The mop also has a head that swivels 360 degrees, along with a detachable handle. It works on wood, tile, laminate, and many other floor materials.

This descaler — which has over 31,000 positive ratings and is a best-seller on Amazon — is designed to help remove limescale and other mineral deposits that could build up in your coffee maker over time. Plus, cleaning your machine with this solution regularly can help it last longer, per the brand.

You can use this oil sprayer to easily control the amount of oil you use while cooking, but it’ll also help prevent leaks in your cabinet that might come from a loose lid. The spray bottle itself allows you to give a light spritz to whatever you’re cooking, but you can also use it for other liquids (like vinegar or soy sauce).

If you ask me, spatulas are one of the most useful kitchen tools — and you can never have too many of them. These silicone spatulas come in a set of four with varying sizes and shapes. There are large flat spatulas that are great for things like scraping cake batter, or longer skinny spatulas designed for fitting in jars. They’re each heat resistant up to 480 degrees Fahrenheit, too.

If you want to keep your counter and stovetop clean while cooking, then you’ll probably need a spoon rest to hold your utensils. This spoon rest is made of ceramic, and it has a long neck along with a shallow bowl designed to hold your saucy spoon perfectly. You can even keep it on your counter or stovetop since it’s heat-resistant.

You probably don’t want to clean your dishes with a brush that’s been sitting in the sink. Thankfully, this OXO dish brush comes with its own stand to keep it upright so that it has a designated drying place. The brush has an opening to fill it with soap and sturdy bristles that can be used on nonstick cookware.

Keep your microwave from collecting layers of baked-on food with the help of this steaming microwave cleaner. Just fill the cleaner — which is designed to look like an angry mom — with water and vinegar. While it’s in the microwave, the cleaner will produce steam that helps remove messes from the walls.

It’s always a bummer when produce goes bad before you can use it. This OXO produce keeper helps your vegetables and fruits last longer with the help of a basket that promotes airflow and carbon filter traps that reduce spoilage. “Really has allowed for use of vegetables that otherwise would have been forgotten about,” wrote one reviewer.

If you’re hoping to start saving bacon grease but don’t have the right container for it, don’t worry: This bacon grease container is designed to hold leftover fat, and it has a spout so you can pour it into a pan later. It also has a strainer so you can filter out any unwanted solids.

The more grease you let accumulate in your kitchen, the harder it is to clean. This degreaser spray helps clean up messes on your counter, stove, sink, or other areas. It works on tile, laminate, stainless steel, and marble. “Shines my stove and countertops like they are new,” wrote one reviewer.

Each time I use my cast iron skillet, I worry that I’m not cleaning it correctly. This chainmail scrubber is made from stainless steel and is designed to scrub stubborn bits of your cast iron. Plus, it’s simple to store between washes. “Works great without a lot of effort,” wrote one reviewer. The chain even has a 4.7-star rating on Amazon.

You might not think to clean your dishwasher (I certainly haven’t), but limescale and other residue can build up over time and cause unwanted odors. These cleaning tablets — which have over 80,000 five-star ratings — are just as easy to use as dishwasher detergent and are recommended to be used monthly. “I recommend this highly to keep your dishwasher clean and eliminate clogs from buildup,” wrote one reviewer.

You can keep your stainless steel sink, fridge, and other kitchen fixtures clean with this cleaner and polish spray. Formulated specifically for stainless steel, the cleaner helps remove dirt, fingerprints, oil, and other residue. One reviewer wrote, “My fridge has not looked this good since it was installed!”

Almost every kitchen has that annoying gap between the counters or next to the oven where pesky crumbs always fall. This silicone crumb guard lies over that gap to catch crumbs and other cooking debris. The guard is easy to install and doesn’t require any tools or adhesive. Plus, it’s heat-resistant up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cleaning your water bottle is a task that’s easy to neglect, but this bottle brush set comes with all the tools you need. The set includes various brush sizes and shapes so that you can clean every type of bottle — from a tall water bottle to a short baby bottle. The brushes are dishwasher safe, too.

There comes a time in every sponge’s life when it must be thrown out — and these plant-based sponges come in a pack of 24. Plus, they’re made from cellulose fibers, making them better for the environment. Each one also has a rough side for scrubbing tough residue.