10 Game-Changing Products That'll Seriously Upgrade Your Home

From stackable cookware to pet-food storage solutions to shower hooks that will make your life easier, here's what BuzzFeed editors and writers are loving this month.

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

This post features a mix of items that we purchased with our own money and those that were provided to us at no cost for the sake of review. (But! We’re under no obligation to write a review of those things, let alone a positive review.)

1. A multiuse rack that can be used for drying bottles, filling ziplocks, and holding countertop trash bags.

Yi Yang / BuzzFeed, amazon.com

I stumbled upon this bottle rack while researching a post about half a year ago. I bookmarked it and then forgot about it. When winter came around, I started taking hot drinks with me to work every day. I quickly realized that my thermos and water bottles weren’t drying properly when I simply left them on my dish-drying mat. I remembered this gadget and decided to order it — despite thinking that $17 was pretty steep for bottle rack. All my doubts were thrown out the window, however, when I lifted it out of the box. It was a LOT heavier than I anticipated. In the photo, it appeared to be plastic, but it’s actually made of metal with a glossy finish. Both ends are padded with rubber to reduce slippage, which I thought was a nice touch.

The best part is that it folds down flat so it can easily be stored in a drawer. In terms of stability, it can hold very heavy items without any issues. While normally I would only use it for water bottles and glass carafes, I also occasionally use it to dry out the removable parts of my blender and juicer (which can be quite heavy), and it doesn’t as much as wobble under the weight. In fact, it’s so stable that it wouldn’t fall over even if you only load one side. I’ve also used it to dry out ziplock bags, and it works very well for this purpose, too. Now it’s permanently sitting on my kitchen counter because I use it so often! IMO, it’s definitely worth the price. —Yi Yang

Get it from Amazon for $17.

And check out our picks for some kitchen essentials on BuzzFeed Reviews!

2. A sturdy AF stepladder for helping you confidently reach even the highest cabinets and storage spaces in your home with ease.

Natalie Brown / BuzzFeed

As a short person living in the world, step stools and stepladders have been a staple in my life since, like, I could stand up on my own. For my first few years as a grown-up after college, I made do with a 9-inch fold-away ($8.99 on Amazon) and stood on kitchen chairs when I needed to reach something higher. But when I moved to an apartment with extra-high ceilings and these handy ceiling storage compartments, it became very obvious very quickly that lifting full plastic storage bins while perched on my small counter-height stools was NOT going to work. Not safely, anyway!

Enter this stepladder. Its wide base and three steps let me comfortably climb up to access not only my storage bins, but also the super-high closet shelves where I keep all my craft supplies, and the space above my kitchen cabinets where my blender and cake stand live (the third step's about 28 inches high). It's so sturdy that I can confidently climb it while holding a heavy box, but folds up to 3 inches wide to stash neatly away against one wall in my closet. It's also light enough that I can easily carry it the, um, 4 feet between my kitchen, closet, and living room (ah, NYC living). What more could I want out of a stepladder? Literally: nothing. —Natalie Brown

Get it from Home Depot for $42.98.

3. A set of double shower curtain hooks to substantially improve your daily bathroom routine.

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

Years ago I told myself I’d quit my traditional hoop shower-curtain hooks, but I kept waiting to move into my own palatial (jk) apartment to invest in a new set. The time came, and by then I’d done my research on these easy-glide double hooks that promised to make swapping out your shower curtain liner a breeze. Even though I’m tall, I used to have to balance on the edge of my tub to get a good grip when unhooking the liner from the OG hooks at my old place. Dangerous, I know!

These hooks have been a total dream when I groggily throw open my shower curtain every morning. First off, they’re super smooth at gliding. Shower hooks that drag can get out of my no-contacts-wearing face. There’s a little noise when they slide across my metal shower rod, but I’m pretty sure that’s just how it is with all shower hooks. (I opted for the chrome finish to match my bath fixtures; it's the little things!) Since moving more than a month ago I’ve swapped out my shower curtain for a creepily glam one (I switched out *after* I took the pics above) that meshes better with my bathroom tile colorway. The swap couldn’t have been easier thanks to the double hooks. My shower liner (which has pockets for toiletries storage and I also reviewed because I adore it so much, btw) stayed put during the process. For something under $10 that’ll change your life every damn day, these hooks are legit. —Elizabeth Lilly

Get a set of 12 from Amazon for $5.61+ (available in three finishes).

4. Gorgeous stackable nonstick Calphalon cookware that may be the best investment you ever make for your kitchen.

One of the perks of getting older — aside from the direct association between age and general feelings IDGAF-ness with regard to the things that once kept you up at night — is the realization that sometimes, the expensive thing is worth the splurge and you can check your guilt at the door. Especially when the expensive thing is cookware that you're going to be using on a daily or weekly basis from here on out. Especially when that cookware is stackable and saves you a shit ton of space in your not-exactly-sprawling NYC apartment's kitchen. And especially especially when that cookware is nonstick and means you don't have to waste time frustratingly scrubbing bits of foodstuffs off your pots and pans when you'd rather be on your couch watching Jersey Shore Family Vacation.

I'd been using the same frying pan from Ikea to cook literally everything when its nonstick capabilities had started to wane and I realizes it was time for an upgrade (in Ikea's defense, that pan had lasted me a few good years). It was also due time for a high-quality cookware *set* to take up residence in my kitchen, and that's when I heard about Calphalon's new space-saving cookware. Not only is the 10-piece set — which includes two frying pans, two saucepans, a sauté pan, and a stockpot, with covers for the latter four items — easy on the eyes, but it's also stackable(!). Three of the pieces are 8 inches in diameter and three are 10 inches in diameter, and so you can conveniently nest the same-sized ones in any order. No more storing cookware inside the oven necessary!

As for the quality of the cookware itself, the pots and pans are made with hard anodized aluminum, so they heat quickly and evenly, are dishwasher-safe, and are oven-safe up to 450ºF. The nonstick surface is A-OK in the face of metal utensils and is a dream to clean, with absolutely NO food ever stuck to these bad boys after cooking. Like, none. at. all. Just look at those eggs having fun, slidin' around! Look, I know $470 is a LOT of money. But if you cook regularly and are in the market for a cookware set that'll last you a lifetime — seriously, it comes with a *lifetime* warranty — and that is nothing short of a joy to store, use, and clean, I couldn't think of a better one to recommend. —Emmy Favilla

Get it from Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy's, or Calphalon for $469.99.

And check out our picks for the best cast iron skillets on BuzzFeed Reviews!

5. An adorably vintage-looking electric kettle as durable and easy to clean as it is efficient.

Yi Yang / BuzzFeed

I’ve moved around so much during the past couple years that I’ve whittled my home goods down to a few boxes that can fit into the back of an SUV (because I was traveling cross-country and didn’t want to drive a U-Haul). Each time I move, I try to donate or sell as much as I can, but the one thing I cannot get myself to part with is this KitchenAid kettle. I bought it a couple years ago when I was fresh out of college and still living in California. It was more expensive than what I would normally be comfortable with, especially since it was only a kettle with no extra features other than the ability to heat water, but the retro pistachio color was just too good to pass up, and I really wanted to treat myself for getting my first grown-up apartment.

Two years and three apartments later, I still have zero regrets about shelling out $$$ for this kettle. It takes zero maintenance — if I get it dirty, all I need to do is wipe it off with a wet cloth, and it’s good as new. Even after being jostled around in the trunk during several cross-country trips, it hasn’t dented, rusted, or chipped. The design is so charming that I just leave it out on my dining table and people always compliment it. It has just one button that you push to turn it on, and I honestly enjoy the simplicity — because it’s really all I need. I use it on a daily basis, and it still functions like the day I got it. It heats up water pretty quickly, which is helpful when I have friends over for tea. Most importantly, I feel super happy whenever I see it, and I kind of wish all my kitchen appliances were this color.

TL;DR: This little kettle has brought a lot of joy and convenience to my life, and I highly recommend it! —Yi Yang

Get it from Amazon for $59.99+ (available in six colors) or Walmart for $63.99 (available in black, hot sauce, and empire red).

6. An incredibly versatile LED light so you can create a warm, inviting mood in your space, lack of outlets be damned.

Colin Gorenstein / BuzzFeed

When I walked into my tiny Queens bedroom (bordering on closet) for the first time three years ago, I thought to myself, This will work for now. More or less, it has worked; for one, it’s still my bedroom to this day. But one thing that’s proven to be quite a headache is working around the harsh overhead lighting that came with the room. It was starting to create an ambience one might describe as “medicine cabinet," except this cabinet wasn't healing anyone. To soften the light, I considered many floor lamps and pendants, but was never able to figure out a situation that’d work with my flimsy ceiling material and the limited number of outlets (read: one working outlet) in my room. I’m stupidly grateful I came across Menu’s portable Carrie lamp, which has been the perfect solution to all of the aforementioned things.

The lamp is charged via USB, which means that I don’t need to worry about demoting something from my completely used-up power strip. It has three brightness levels, the third of which is more than enough light to illuminate my entire bedroom. And! The handle connected to its orb-shaped body gives me the option of hanging it on the wall with a nail, setting it down on a shelf with the handle upright, or carrying it around when I’m on the move. I never imagined that a desk lamp would work just as well as a full-blown floor lamp — if not better — but with the Carrie lamp, I’ve finally…seen the light. Now onto fixing the mouse problem in the kitchen! —Colin Gorenstein

Get it from Spring for $149.95, Food52 for $149, or Design Within Reach for $150 (available in black and white).

7. A splurgeworthy set of amazingly soft sheets that'll keep you cool throughout the night and hold up well in the wash.

allswellhome.com, AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

It recently occurred to me that my sheets were a series of mismatched hand-me-downs: a baby-blue jersey set that made me feel sweaty throughout the night, a floral one that felt itchy after only a few days on my bed, and so on and so on and so on. I had never thought, Huh! You should probably buy yourself some nice sheets! And honestly? I’m very upset that I hadn't sooner, because I recently tried out Allswell Home’s 300-thread count percale sheet set, and boy oh boy….

...these sheets are AMAZING, holy heck! The fitted sheet, flat sheet, and pillowcase are so unbelievably comfortable and seriously deliver on their “cool-to-the-touch” promise. I tend to sweat when I sleep, but with these on my bed, I never wake up in the middle of the night feeling suffocated or stuffy. They truly do remain as cool as a cucumber. I was nervous about putting these in the wash because I thought they might be too good to be true and would probably get ruined during the first spin cycle — but NOPE! I’ve had them for two months, have washed them too many times to count, and they still feel just as soft as they did when I first got ‘em.

These sheets make me WANT to make my bed every morning. I’ve always loved sleeping, people, but now I love it even more. (Psst, pictured is what my sheets looked like when I got out of bed this morning.) Sure, they're on the pricey side, but they're a great luxury to treat yourself to if you value the quality of your sleep, especially if you tend to "sleep hot." —AnaMaria Glavan

Get them from Allswell for $130+ (available in twin, full, queen, and supreme queen sizes).

8. A three-piece airtight pet food container for keeping pet food pest-free, and treats and supplies organized.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed, amazon.com

I live to make my dog happy. If you have a dog, I’m guessing you do too (unless, perhaps, you’re a monster).

At 50 pounds, he’s a sizable pup, and so I buy a big ol’ 25-pound bag of food for him to last the month. Retrieving food from said bag to fill his bowl with can get messy, and I inevitably wind up with bits of kibble on my kitchen’s closet floor at least a few times a week. More importantly, the bags aren’t resealable, so once summer rolls around, I worry that his food might attract all sorts of unwelcome pests and get soggy from the often-unbearable New York humidity. And no one’s dog deserves a bowl of subpar grub.

Enter this three-piece airtight storage combo, which has made doggo meal time 100% stress-free. The deceivingly spacious big container fits the contents of the entire 25-pound bag, and the smaller container is perfect for storing treats or any other pet supplies you might want to protect from the elements and vermin. It also comes with a handy 2-cup food scoop that has measurements marked in half-cup increments, to help with precise feeding. It’s narrow enough to fit in even the smallest of closets (and if there isn’t a closet available, its simple, unassuming design makes it easy to match any room décor without looking out of place), the large container has 360-degree wheels for convenient access, and the set comes in a ton of colors. It’s also a customer favorite on Amazon, so if you don’t trust me on this one, trust the nearly 6,000 glowing reviews to back me up! Fresh food = happy pup = happy you. —Emmy Favilla

Get the three-piece set from Amazon for $18.89+ (available in nine colors).

9. A small but mighty Black + Decker handheld vacuum, because you deserve to live in a dust-bunny-free home without needing to break out a clunky, giant machine every time you clean.

amazon.com, Adrianna Licitra / BuzzFeed

I — along with a whopping 14K Amazon customers — absolutely love the Black + Decker cordless lithium hand vacuum. It’s perfect for cleaning up small messes or that annoying little line that’s always left behind after sweeping with a broom and dustpan. The suction is almost as strong as a full-size vacuum, so it can pick up way more than you would expect from one this compact! And the crevice brush at the end conveniently folds out so you can get in corners or wipe up dust that normally stays stuck to surfaces even when you vacuum.

I have a Pomeranian who sheds quite a bit, so sometimes there are little tumbleweeds of fur blowing around my apartment floor like the Wild West; this vacuum is perfect for sucking those up. It can hold a lot of dust, dirt, and fur before it needs to be emptied, and when it is, it’s very easy to clean out and reassemble. Plus, since it's clear, you can always tell when it’s getting full so you don’t overfill it and burn it out.

The vacuum charges up quickly and holds a charge for a long time — in fact, I only have to charge it once a month for about an hour and it’ll last for all my little cleanups. It’s a bit louder than I expected for such a small device, but it’s still way quieter than a full-size vacuum. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a small but mighty vacuum around the house! —Adrianna Licitra

Get it from Amazon for $49.

10. A simple and affordable metal bed frame (with a headboard!) that'll give you plenty of storage room and that's a breeze to assemble.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed, anrdoezrs.net

I recently upgraded to a king-size bed, and I'm moving soon, so I wanted something that wouldn't take a ton of time to assemble or disassemble — and I didn't want to drop a lot of cash, in case of any snafus during the move and the potential for damage. I also wanted a simple, metal frame (I was traumatized by a bedbug incident years ago and have since vowed to rid myself of any pieces of wood surrounding my mattress; if this resonates with you, you can read more tips here for keeping the indestructible beasts away). Zinus, as it turns out, is also a pretty reliable player in the affordable bed frame department. I came across this Prime-eligible frame that checked all the right boxes, and it was delivered in two days.

The frame was a breeze to put together and probably took a total of 45 minutes. Over the past two months, it's proven to be perfectly sturdy. Some reviewers have noted that their mattress tends to slide a bit off the sides but that they've remedied the problem by placing a yoga mat above the slats on either side (clever!). I've only noticed a negligible amount of sliding — despite my 50-pound pit bull jumping onto and off the bed excitedly when he knows it's time to go for a walk — but my bed is also positioned between an end table and a set of drawers that keep it in place at the top end. It's also got a foot of storage space underneath, in case you've taken up all the space in your bedroom with this bed and could use it! TL;DR: This is a great option for a simple, sturdy frame that's easy to assemble, and it provides room for storage. —Emmy Favilla

Get it from Zinus or Amazon for $64.99+ for a twin, $89.99+ for a full, $141.99 for a queen, and $109.99 for a king. (The frame is available in black and white, but unfortunately it's no longer available in king size in black; you can find a similar king-sized black frame on Amazon for $229.26.)

Looking for the perfect gift for any occasion? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s gift guides!

Allison Krausman / BuzzFeed