These Under-$10 Kitchen Sink Hacks Help Me Knock Out Dirty Dishes

Nobody likes doing the dishes. As someone who has perfected their dish-cleaning skills after countless hours working in restaurant dish pits and tidying up after dinner parties, even I don’t enjoy the task. But if you want a neat kitchen with clean dishes, it’s necessary. Over the years, my sink area has gained a few key tools that get my dishes clean quickly and efficiently.

What’s the key to becoming extremely good at doing dishes, you ask? Maintaining a super organized sink. Not unlike a chef’s station, it’s actually pretty easy to knock out some work when everything is in its right place. I find that keeping liquid soap in a squeeze bottle makes things run smoother than having a soap dispenser, and I’m a strong believer in a sink caddy, which corrals all your tools into one corner or wall of the sink. Once you have everything squared away, your muscle memory will fall into place and you’ll become a speedy pro at cleaning up. Read on for my best kitchen sink cleaning hacks, all $10 or less.

Best Kitchen Sink Cleaning Hacks at Amazon

• Kontoyo Sink Caddy, $8, originally $25
• OXO Good Grips Chef’s Squeeze Bottle, Set of 2, $10, originally $12
• Lodge 10-Inch Scrub Brush, $9
• Matscover Pan Scraper, Set of 5, $6, originally $8
• Vndueey Magnetic Refrigerator Clips, 20-Pack, $9, originally $12

Kontoyo Sink Caddy

The most important hack for keeping your dishes clean is having an organized sink. Without a sink caddy, it’s easy for your soap, sponges, scrapers, and other tools to just be left out on the counter or in the sink basin. This 68%-off caddy has a removable water tray so you can easily discard soapy drips. and it’s wide enough to hold a number of different items. If you pick up one thing for your sink, get this.

OXO Good Grips Chef’s Squeeze Bottle

This squeeze bottle is the hero of my dishwashing method. Sure, you can buy a stationary soap dispenser, but then you’re figuring out how to position certain dishes under it, and that can be annoying if it’s a big Dutch oven or a stack that you don’t want to pick up. This bottle has a tight-sealing cap that’s easy to pop off, and you can nimbly squirt soap into any area, large or small. It’s also made from BPA-free plastic and is super easy to clean.

Lodge 10-Inch Scrub Brush

Lodge is a legendary producer of all things cast iron. So naturally, the brand’s stiff-bristled brush is perfect for giving your dishes, pans, Dutch ovens, skillets, and griddles a nice, clean scrub to make sure they’re rid of any remaining food. If you cook on the stove a lot, you’ll be so glad you picked this up.

Matscover Pan Scraper, Set of 5

Whether you’re washing off grease from a cast iron griddle, scraping burned food from a pan, or just wiping some dried leftovers off a plate, sometimes a sponge doesn’t cut it. (And your kitchen sponge is likely dirtier than you’d think.) I love these plastic scrapers, which are aggressive with dried and burned food but never harm my precious cookware or plates. 

Vndueey Magnetic Refrigerator Clips 20-Pack

These magnets are amazing. Besides helping seal everything from big bags of chips to small packets of instant yeast, they’re great to use if your fridge happens to be next to your sink. I love hanging sponges and scrub brushes within arm’s reach for easy access. With this 20-pack, you’ll still have plenty even if you lose a couple.