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37 Small Tips To Make Your Kitchen Look So Much Better
Turns out, a little under-cabinet lighting you can stick on as you listen to a podcast can make a huge difference.
1.
Organize your hand-washing essentials with a corner sponge organizer because you need ’em within reach… might as well make ’em look a bit tidier!
Amazon
This is also a better option than an organizer that hangs over your faucet because the weight of those can mess with your water flow!
Promising review: “This fits our sink perfectly! It’s not too big and holds a sponge and two bottles of soap. We have a standard apartment sink and it fits perfectly, it also holds very well. We have it suctioned on the sink, not the counter.” —Erin Johnson
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
2.
Graduate from your mismatched collection to a set of silicone-coated kitchen utensils that are nice-looking but neutral enough to blend in a bit with everything in your kitchen.
Amazon
Can withstand temperatures of -40 degrees F up to 446 degrees F/230 degrees C. Includes 24 tools and holder.
Promising review: “I love everything matching. Finally got rid of all my mix-match stuff! However, they are SO many items it was too much to fit in my drawer so I put the things I use the most in the drawer and kept the rest in the holder and store them with my pots and pans. The holder is plastic and cheap so this would not be something I’d leave on the counter.
The are super sturdy and sharp looking. AND, they didn’t get dirty, black or burnt when scraping up charred food in a frying pan. Cleaned right off of the spatula. Very pleased.” —Bonnie Pfiester
Get them from Amazon for $31.99 (available in nine color combos).
3.
Become a kitchen rug person with a *vinyl* runner that looks like a vintage Persian beaut but’ll easily wipe up because spills WILL happen.
Food52
Promising review: “This is the rug I never knew I needed! I took a chance as it was on sale and am so happy I did — it has great cushion, is easy to clean, and looks fantastic!” —Kelly K
Get it from Food52 for $63+ (available in two sizes and eight color combos).
4.
Brighten an icky tile floor with a grout pen so you don’t have to stare at the stained grout and imagine what it used to look like. Grout takes up a teeny bit of space but, as you can see from the pics, makes a huge impact!
amazon.com
Promising review: “We moved into our new home, and the shower had a really yellow grout. Cleaning didn’t do anything, and I saw this grout pen online. What a saver! Otherwise, I would have just hired someone to replace my shower. I used this grout pen, and my husband was so impressed 😀 The tip loses its shape fast, but just pull out the TIP AND FLIP IT OVER, and you’ll have a new tip.” —jennifer
Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two sizes and in three colors).
5.
Repair chips, dents, cracks, and other eyesores with a set of 50 wood fillers. Dog scratched up your hardwood floors because he hears you dumping food in his bowl? NBD.
amazon.com
Promising review: “My partner and I recently bought a 140-year-old home with original wood floors and wood work throughout. We had the floors refinished to their original beauty, but the baseboards and stair risers were a challenge. They were pretty banged up over years of use, and, after the floors were redone, all the nicks and scratches just stood out that much more. My partner found these and showed them to me. To our delight the pens worked incredibly well. It’s like a magic marker for wood. I’m still amazed how well they worked. The pens last a long time. Our painter came back to do some minor touch ups, and I showed him what I used. He couldn’t believe it. He said he was going to buy them to keep in his arsenal” —Kathleen W
Get a set of 50 from Amazon for $24.99.
6.
Stash all your plastic bags (hey, they make great bin liners plus you have to pay for them now in some cities like NYC, where I live!) with some plastic grocery bag wranglers light enough to hang on a hook on your wall *or* inside your kitchen cabinet. Just saying, these would look real cute in your pantry.
Amazon
Tbh, I need one of these. I make my mom give me all her plastic grocery bags because I use them for trash. My personal goal is to never have to buy garbage bin liners again! But I’m a weirdo like that.
Get three from Amazon for $7.50.
Want a sturdier option? Consider this cabinet door bag holder. Alternatively, you can stuff them in an empty facial tissue box!
7.
Spiff up stainless-steel appliances with a plant-based stainless steel cleaner and polish spray (that comes with a microfiber cloth) for a low-lift transformation. Appliances are expensive. Their upkeep shouldn’t be!
amazon.com
Promising review: “I live in an apartment. The sink is about 35 years old and has become badly stained and scratched from neglect and indifferent care. This has made a noticeable difference. This sink will never look brand new again, but your product removed, I would say, about 80% of the stains, without any extraordinary effort, and put a really polished look on the sink. It is gleaming and actually looks very clean for the first time since I have lived here.” —David Brennan
Get it from Amazon for $16.95.
8.
Or if you pine for stainless-steel appliances, you can cop the look with some stainless-steel-effect contact paper to get you the modern look of fresh appliances for chump change. OK this takes a little more work, but look at that payoff!
amazon.com
And when you move or change your mind, you can easily remove or reposition it!
Promising review: “Amazing job at updating my wall oven. My old oven has always worked very well, so I couldn’t really justify paying $2,000 to replace my working double wall oven only because of cosmetic reasons. Then it dawned on me that maybe if I updated the oven with this metal covering it would look like real stainless steel. So for literally the cost of $10 I updated my oven. The update is virtually unnoticeable unless you tell someone, and what’s the best thing of all, it leaves no fingerprints. Best $10 I ever spent.” —B. Lenj
Get an 18-inch x 6-foot roll from Amazon for $11.97.
9. Keep within reach when you cook with a magnetic stove shelf that’s the perfect amount of room to keep your most-used spices so you don’t have to go digging in your cabinet while the oil is literally poppin’ on your stove top.
StoveShelf is a small business, and these shelves are built to last a lifetime.
Promising review: “This is an excellent buy. The shelf helped me declutter my cabinet, and it is an awesome storage space for my more often used spices. It is sturdy, easily installed, and attractive. I recommend this shelf.” —Pamella R.
Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in six types and three sizes).
10.
Protect your kitchen essentials from uncecssary wear and tear with some cabinet and drawer liners, even if your kitchen cabinets seem to be older than your grandma.
amazon.com, amazon.com
Promising review: “Very awesome stuff. The bottom of my cabinets had a rough, crumbly texture. This is a great fix to keep the silicone pieces of my dishes from picking it up. Feels a lot cleaner and it looks great! Highly recommend for looks and function!” —Kelsey Ware
Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in six sizes and 19 colors and patterns).
11.
String up some (truly easy) under-cabinet lights to bring a modern touch to any outdated cabinets that you wish you could replace. This’ll instantly make your kitchen look *so* expensive.
amazon.com
Promising review: “II am in real estate and known as a lighting snob. The first thing I look at in a kitchen if there is under cabinet lighting. These are so nice (it helps if you have a lip at the bottom of your cabinets). They are a true white, very bright, and I was lucky they were just the length I needed. I just ordered a set and had them shipped to my mom’s as her halogen transformer which is buried in a wall, fried and I drives me nuts that the workspace on the counter is dark. I can’t wait until I make the 250-mile drive to install them. I may buy more just to use at our listings!” —pauly
Get a 10′ strand with 60 lights from Amazon for $18.86+ (available in white or yellow lights).
12.
Tidy your kitchen drawers without sacrificing a bunch of your utensils with a slim cutlery organizer here to prove that, yes! You do have room for all your cutlery in your tiny kitchen drawer! Scoot over, forks.
Amazon
I have VERY narrow kitchen drawers in my NYC one-bedroom apartment kitchen and buying one of these organizers has transformed my cutlery drawer. I’m able to safely reach in and grab whatever I need (like a manual can opener for tuna salad or a mini whisk for a hot chocolate) without having to sift tools around.
Promising review: “Yes, this little utensil tray is really that good! I went from using 12 inches of horizontal space in a lovely but huge wooden utensil tray to about using about four inches (whatever the width of this godsend is). It stores my butter knives, steak knives, spoons, forks, and a slew of little teaspoons. I’d guess that the max capacity for each slot is about 10 pieces. For example, I fit four butter knives and four steak knives into the first/knife slot easily, with good wiggle room. This is such a great design. Using this tray opened up about half of my 18-inch wide drawer, which allowed me to decompress the other drawers in my kitchen a bit. I highly recommend this item. It’s worth every penny.” —Kathleen Cooke
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
13.
And bring some order to your junk or kitchen tool drawer with an adjustable drawer organizer and movable organizers so you can update your organization as you lose or gain new kitchen gadgets.
Amazon
The set includes a nonslip silicone mat that you can cut to fit your drawer and 15 repositionable pieces so you can get the perfect fit for your utensils.
Promising review: “These are hands down my favorite drawer organizers. They work without adhesives and are easy to cut to fit any drawer. The hardest part of it is figuring out what configuration you want for your drawers. They clean easy, and are easy to adjust. I highly recommend this product for your kitchen. You will love it.” —Crystal A.
Get it from Amazon for $34.89+ (available in two colors).
14.
Mount an unassuming broom organizer as your new organization station so you don’t have to lean a broom in the kitchen corner or shield yourself from a falling mop every time you open the pantry.
amazon.com
Promising review: “Perfect! Exactly what I needed to organize my mop, broom, scoop, etc. Efficient and easy to use. A little hard to get my scoop into it but that’s cause it’s thicker than the rest of items. Love that there are hooks. Spray bottles and cleaning product bottles hang perfectly on there too.” —Kavita Chandanie
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
15.
Customize your kitchen wall storage sitch with moldable glue because you might as well customize your stuff in a way that works for you instead of deigning to use ugly organizers that sorta meet your needs.
Amazon
Promising review: “I’ve used it to mount things, organize wiring in stereo cabinets, stop rattles (license plate rattled when closing trunk, two little balls of Sugru to back of plate did the trick). Even made tool hangers in the garage with it. Wonder if I could build a boat with it.” —fastrnu
Get an eight-pack from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in several color combo pack).
16. Cut the clutter in your cabinet where you stash your tea with a tea bag holder that’ll save you some space, *plus* look nice enough to leave out on the counter for company when you offer up some coffee or tea.
Promising review: “This is an amazing tool to organize, declutter, and gain accessibility. I used to have a shelf of boxed teas that I had to rummage through when I wanted to make a cup. Now I can see what I have, I save cabinet space, and it is easy to store along side my kettle. I loved it so much I ordered a second one for my office. I get many compliments.” —D. Burks
Get it from Amazon for $12.93+ (available in three colors).
17.
Swap out some unsightly rags for some nice-looking dish cloths because they’ve gotta be out in the open. They might as well look nice!
Amazon
Get a four-pack from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in five color combos).
18.
Use some stove burner covers to help you catch the mess right away on gas stove tops. Or just cover up some chipped or sorry-looking stove tops. (I live in a rental with a white gas stove top that def has some unsightly chips on it, so I can relate!)
Amazon, amazon.com
Psst, as you can see above, this set also comes with a crumb catcher where your stovetop meets your countertop!
Promising review: “I like that this is black so it matches the original color of the appliances, but more importantly I like that this has a larger surface area to catch the drips that the foil ones never could before. They’re also trim to fit, so they get right up into each burner without leaving gaps where drips can burn where it’s hardest to clean.” —Michael
Get an 8-pack from Amazon for $12.99 (also available in silver).
19.
Toss the old plastic containers stained with curry from your fave Thai takeout joint (yum) and meal prep with these airtight stackable storage containers instead that’ll stack nicely in your fridge without taking up too much room.
Amazon
20.
Give yourself some more countertop space (plus a nicer view) with a slim, slide-out caddy that’s skinny but tall enough to place in the weird little space between your fridge and kitchen cabinets. This is also perfect for the stuff you put in the fridge but you don’t really need to stash in the fridge.
Amazon, amazon.com
Promising review: “Great addition to my galley kitchen! I placed by my fridge for easy access while cooking and it has worked seamlessly for my needs! Easily stores spices, plastic bags, and aluminum foil.” —Elizabeth B.
Get it from Amazon for $37.99+ (also available in 4- or 5-tier versions).
21.
Make your lower kitchen cabinet a thing of beauty(?!) with an accordion-like pots and pan organizer that’ll easily adjust with your growing organizing needs. (Even that griddle pan you just had to buy.)
Amazon
The length expands to 30″ and each rod is 6.5″ tall to accommodate taller items. Synthetic rubber bumpers protect your delicate surfaces.
Promising review: “Finally, a solution to corral all of these freaking pot and pan lids! It expands perfectly to accommodate my 30″ wide cabinet. Actually, it can go a little further than that but it gets less stable when you exceed the maximum width. It also works great for smaller cabinets. I tried it out in a pull-out drawer that’s approximately 24″ and it serves its purpose well.” —Nurse Bex
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available with six or eight sections).
22.
Store your serious cutlery on a magnetic knife strip (it only looks expensive) instead of that clunky old knife block squatting on your kitchen counter.
Amazon
Promising review: “I used to have an ugly knife block that took up too much room, so I decided to get a magnetic knife strip. I’ve read that the cheaper metal ones scratch and dull knives, so I went with a wooden one. It took me all of 15 minutes to install (I have a drill and a torpedo level). The strip itself holds my knives very securely and frees up a bunch of counter space that my old knife block used to take up. The strip works extremely well throughout the length of the product.” —Thomas
Get it from Amazon for $34.95+ (available in a variety of lengths and wood types).
23.
Free up some kitchen cabinet space with mounted wine racks for a storage solution that’ll make getting a post-work pour that much easier. Plus it’ll be a super easy way to display any especially decorative glasses.
Amazon
I lucked out with some similar racks already mounted in my apartment (like these!) and I adore them.
Get three rows (enough for nine glasses) from Amazon for $18.99.
24.
Dress up that water stain that won’t quit on your kitchen table with a charming burlap table runner because people will just assume that you’re always ready to entertain.
Amazon
Promising review: “I love my new runner! It’s a lightweight cotton (100%), so I will use my washer’s delicate cycle and then hang it to dry. I anticipate I will have to iron it afterward, which is no big deal. For the style and inexpensive price it’s worth the effort.” —Florida Gal
Get it from Amazon for $11.99+ (available in 7 sizes and 10 color combos).
25.
More easily deal with fridge spills and hold onto your produce a bit longer with moisture-absorbing fridge bin liners that aren’t a total eyesore. Picture this: Next time your kid knocks over juice in your fridge, thee liners can catch it rather than you having to take a drawer out of the fridge and awkwardly scrubbing it down in your sink. I’ve done that before and it’s not great!
Amazon
Promising review: “Keeps my refrigerator looking clean and fresh. Especially like the gray pattern which goes nicely with a stainless steel refrigerator. When something spills, It’s much easier to wash these pads than scrub your refrigerator. The pads don’t last forever but they can be washed three to four times before I recycle them into cleaning rags.” —CardFan133
Get a three-pack from Amazon for $6.99.
26.
Hang tiny Command hooks on the inside of your kitchen cabinet to cease your measuring cups’ nasty reign of hogging precious drawer space.
Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed
Yes, this is my kitchen cabinet and this trick helps me find the correct measuring cup so much faster than back when I used to stack them in a drawer! Just be sure to account for the cups’ depth while arranging the cabinet’s contents. Since I took this pic my 1/2-cup met its doom in a tub of sugar so I swapped in some measuring cups with *engraved* measurements on the cups, which makes my setup even better!
Get a 10-pack of hooks from Amazon for $10.99.
27. Loft your farmers market haul and free up some counter space with a charming fruit hammock you can screw onto the underside of your kitchen cabinets.
macraYAYmacrame / Etsy
macraYAYmacrame is an Indianapolis, Indiana-based shop that makes a variety of cool macrame accessories.
My colleague Jenae Sitzes owns and loves this:
“I recently picked up this macrame basket (in the Cactus shade) and *highly* recommend it if you’re looking to add a cozy touch to your kitchen. As someone with a relatively small NYC kitchen, I need every bit of counter space I can get, and this lets me keep produce out without having to take up space with a fruit basket or banana stand. I’m a big fan of utilizing vertical space as storage, and this does just that; plus, it allows for ventilation to help your fruit stay fresh for longer. I’m constantly cooking with onions or grabbing an apple as a mid-day snack, and having them right there at an arm’s reach is sooo nice. BTW, these come with hooks that screw directly into a cabinet, but if you (like me) want to avoid that damage, I recommend using Command hooks — I’m using four of these small toggle hooks and they’ve held up the basket *with* produce in it wonderfully.”
Get it from macraYAYmacrame on Etsy for $32.
28. Fight the good fight against greasy spills and messes with a bottle of Goo Gone foaming spray. Your oven is about to get a makeover.
Promising review: “Wow! A degreaser that actually works! I love the foam, which starts to work immediately on my stove top as well as cookware and other kitchen surfaces.” —P. Webb
Get it from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in two sizes).
29. Or if you’d like to support a small business, use a 100% natural oven cleaning kit that comes with an oven scrub, all-purpose cleaners, and a metallic sponge that’ll make your old oven look like you got a new one.
Cleaning Studio on Etsy
Cleaning Studio is a Fairfield, Connecticut-based Etsy shop filled with natural cleaning products and tools.
Get it from Cleaning Studio on Etsy for $39.99 (available in three scent options).
30. Corral your boxes of food wrap and cutting boards into cabinet door organizer to help zero in on what you need so much faster.
Promising review: “This organizer is so useful! I recently moved and ended up with a much smaller kitchen, so I’ve been doing everything I can to make sure there’s a place for everything and no wasted space. Luckily, I have pretty wide cabinets, so this works out perfectly. I have one holding my cutting boards (four standard plastic boards) and another holding my foil, cling wrap, and parchment paper boxes. The organizer is super easy to assemble and it’s completely versatile. Hang it over the cabinet door or attach it to the wall/cabinet door, which means it’s great for renters and owners.” —Kerry
Get it from Amazon for $17.97.
31. Or, if you prefer something that’s easier to wipe down, a plastic bag dispenser that’ll do the same thing for you.
Check out a TikTok of the plastic bag dispenser in action. Psst — 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-, four-, or five-slot models).
32. Tidy up your windowsill with a hanging planter that’ll fit in your window so you won’t have to crowd out essential countertop appliances for your kitchen herb garden.
Promising review: “Love it for my kitchen herb garden. Great when you don’t have a lot of space.” —Tuesdai Hill
Get it from Amazon for $38.15.
33. Resign to that you have to keep some essentials on the counter but you *can* find some very cute versions of them — like a cacti-themed bottle cleaning brush set made to get into weirdly shaped bottles and toddler cups. And! The bowl holder drains for easier cleaning.
Promising review: “I love this product. I got it because of all the hype on TikTok, but I gotta say I actually find it a really nice way to display my bottle and accessories cleaner. It matches perfectly with my boom grass. Makes my kitchen feel warm.” —DIPC
Get it from Amazon for $15+ (available in two colors, as well as just replacement brushes).
34. Invest in an expandable under-sink kit to fit around awkward pipes in the kitchen or bathroom while giving some sturdy ground to those bottles of cleaner and rolls of toilet paper. No more cabinet avalanches!
Promising review: “Great product for a great price. Very sturdy, but lightweight and small — under my bathroom sink is *very* small, and the metal frame is thin enough that it doesn’t take up much space, and of course it allows me to utilize the empty vertical space instead of shoving things all the way to the back wall. I might rearrange the shelves, but it’s just held with screws on each end so that’s easy enough to do-comes with two supports for two shelves, but you can choose from four heights/positions. 👍🏻 Might need to order a second for under the kitchen sink…” —Jennifer Mowry
Get it from Amazon for $24.87 (available in two finishes).
35. Get more cabinet space in an visually pleasing way with a set of TikTok-famous adjustable mug organizers that’ll help you better use your kitchen cabinet space *and* also keep your mugs safer since they fit on top of a mug, creating a setup where you can safely stack a second mug on top instead of googling replacements.
Amazon
Psst — if you want to see them in action, check out this viral TikTok of the mug organizers that’s clocked millions of views. Elypro is a small business out of New York City making clever organization products for the home.
Promising review: “I love these cup organizers. I have a small cabinet above where my coffeepot is and these have made it a pleasure to open that cabinet. All cups are organized and easy to get to. They stay right where they should be. No more stacking them inside one another and them falling over when I opened the cabinet. I also use these for some bowls in my dish set.” —ChefGirl
Get a set of six (to organize 12 mugs) from Amazon for $22.99 (available in three colors).
36. Rid your countertop of snaking cords with a pack of adhesive cord bundlers you can stick on the back of your kitchen appliances.
Promising review: “My wife bought these for kitchen appliances after seeing a TikTok video. They work great and help things look neater!” —Josh&Shan
Get a six-pack from Amazon for $10.99.
37.
And if you’re going for some extra credit, apply some peel-and-stick backsplash “tile” on a blank wall for a fraction of the price of *actual* tile installation.
amazon.com, amazon.com
Promising review: “I have been blown away with how great they look and every person who has seen them after I put them up doesn’t know they are not real tile. They are shiny like tile and have the texture of tile as well. They are easy to clean and relatively easy to install. It took me two afternoons only because I hadn’t ordered enough and needed one more package (a total of three packages completed my L-shaped back splash area).” —Kyle & Noelle
Get 10 sheets from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in 10 styles).
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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