10 Kitchen Cleaning Tools You Need to Have

As someone who enjoys cooking as a hobby, I can't overstate the value of a clean kitchen. Whether you have a small, barely functional kitchen (like I do!) or a large, decked-out kitchen with up-to-date appliances, your efficiency and enjoyment of cooking is infinitely greater when dealing with a spick and span cooking area. The benefits of a clean kitchen reach beyond making cooking easier, of course. A well-cleaned kitchen is much more sanitary, and reduces your risk of attracting pests like ants or other bugs. The kitchen is the heart of many homes, so you owe it to yourself and your family to keep it well-maintained. These are the best kitchen cleaning tools to cut down on the time and effort you have to spend to keep your kitchen clean.

The cornerstone of any good kitchen cleaning armory is a sturdy and effective scrub brush. This offering from OXO delivers on the name "Good Grips" with a slip-resistant rubber handle, giving you a firm hold on the brush even when it's doused in soapy water. Unlike some scrubbing brushes, which have pointlessly small cleaning surfaces, the OXO Good Grips Scrub Brush has a large, heavy duty brush. This brush will quickly become one of your most indispensable cleaning tools, useful for anything from cleaning pots and pans to surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom to cleaning dirt off of boots and tennis shoes (though I recommend having a dedicated brush for each of these tasks). Using this product, you'll have no problem finding the motivation to clean your apartment.

A dish cloth may seem like an inconsequential item, but it is actually one of the most important kitchen cleaning tools you can have, so finding the perfect set is imperative. A good dish cloth has to not only be functional and absorbent for wiping down counters and tables, it also must fit in with your kitchen's decor. Since dish cloths have to be easily accessible, they must be hung in plain sight. These plaid dish cloths from Kitchensmart fit the bill perfectly. The pure cotton material is simple, but effective at wiping down wet surfaces, while the variety of color options means you're bound to find a pattern that meshes with your current design scheme.

While the Kitchensmart dish cloths represent a reasonable middle ground between effectiveness and design, these microfiber kitchen towels and dish cloths by MU Kitchen take that to the next level. The solid neon colors of these towels add a modernist flair to your kitchen's layout, while the high-tech microfilament fabric and waffle microfiber construction makes these towels far more efficient at absorbing liquid and drying off compared to traditional cotton towels. The only downside is that this technology comes at a much higher price, but you could consider it an investment in your kitchen's cleanliness.

The Scrub Daddy garnered some fame thanks to a successful appearance on the TV show Shark Tank. The real star and the reason for the brand's success, however, is the product itself. The titular Scrub Daddy features an innovative design that can function like a soft sponge in hot water or a mildly abrasive scrubbing pad in cold water, making it perfect for a variety of uses. Additionally, the Scrub Daddy is constructed of a highly engineered polymer blend that does not retain any food odors. These versatile kitchen cleaning tools have earned a place in anyone's kitchen.

Although it is marketed as a tool for such culinary tasks as scraping batter out of a mixing bowl, bowl scrapers like the "Fin" from Joseph Joseph are also indispensable kitchen cleaning tools. The silicon construction of this scraper is designed to allow it to adjust to the contour of a bowl in order to scrape out the last bits of dough or batter from a recipe. This same feature makes the Fin an effective tool for scraping out grime or encrusted food from the bottom of a used pot or pan, a great cleaning tip for making your life easier. This process is a great first step before finishing off your cleaning duties with soap and a sponge.

When it comes to grease fighting power, mainstays like Dawn are still the most powerful at cutting through tough grime and oil. However, that sort of petroleum-based soap can also be harmful on the environment, and on certain materials. If you want to play things safe with a more eco-friendly option, Ecover is just about the best alternative. The ingredients of this dish soap are sourced from plants and minerals, making it much greener when compared to the chemical-heavy formula from the likes of Dawn. This formula is unscented, but Ecover also produces dish soap with fresh scents like lime zest if that is up your alley.

Straddling the line between traditional dish towels and scrubbing pads, these Scrubber Dish Cloths by Real Simple are a versatile and convenient cleaning product which allows you to scrub, disinfect, wipe, and dry any surface in your kitchen or the rest of your home. The towel portion is constructed of pure cotton, while the scrubby portion is made of polyester mesh, giving these double sided Scrubber Dish Cloths the best of both worlds.

The cleaning product market is saturated with a plethora of powders, soaps, and liquids, all designed to do pretty much the same thing. One of the most effective all-purpose cleaning supplies I've come across is actually a 130-year-old powdered cleanser and polish called Bar Keepers Friend. This product is affordable and versatile, providing impressive strength in cleaning almost any surface in your house, from stainless steel sinks and cookware to ceramic countertops and backsplashes. If you've struggled using any of the top natural cleaning products in your home for your needs, you must experience the unparalleled cleaning power of Bar Keepers Friend.

Even if you have an effective automatic dishwasher, there is still a wide variety of products that must be cleaned by hand. While you can get away with resting your dishes on a towel on the counter while they dry, a well-designed dish drying rack can be a real game changer. This model from Simplehuman is the pinnacle of dish rack technology, featuring innovative technology like a swiveling drainage spout and a residue-resisting hydrophilic coating. The rust-proof and fingerprint-proof stainless steel material ensures that this dish rack also remains in pristine condition, so you don't have to worry about it tarnishing the decor of your kitchen.

The more time you spend cleaning dishes in the kitchen or performing other household cleaning chores, the more you realize the deleterious effect all those chemicals and liquids can have on your skin. The best (and really only) way to prevent this damage is to get yourself some good quality rubber cleaning gloves like these reusable latex-neoprene blend gloves from Playtex Living. Some people are reluctant to don rubber gloves for worry of comfort or other concerns. These days, however, quality gloves from companies like Playtex have a soft cotton lining, so your hands don't get sticky and wet inside. Good rubber gloves are truly unsung heroes, and one of the most important kitchen cleaning tools you can own.