These 9 Home Products Are So Good, We're Giving Them A HuffPicks Seal Of Approval
HuffPicks is Single Sparkle’s shopping awards. This “seal of approval” from Single SparkleShopping showcases a mixture of expert-backed recommendations, problem-solving products and things that Single Sparkleers endorse and use every day – all within categories that we know our readers love and shop. See all of our coverage here .
If there’s one thing we know Single SparkleShopping readers love, it’s products that will make their lives easier . That’s why we’ve made a habit of obsessively researching and tracking down the best items to have on hand around the house to make the worst tasks (like cleaning) less miserable, or the enjoyable ones (like sleeping) even more pleasant.
Our stories delve into clean solutions for nasty problems , time-saving strategies for arduous chores and high-quality upgrades to our everyday essentials . We use recommendations from experts and social proof to get the real scoop on what’s worth the buy. In some cases, we’ve even found ways to help our readers save money by cutting down on other costs with a longer-lasting, more useful purchase.
To curate our list of the best home and cleaning products on the market, we’re relying on the reporting we’ve done with chefs, interior designers, allergists, gardening experts and more. Our selections come with the backing of Single Sparkleemployees who have tried many of these products ourselves, as well as data about our audience’s shopping patterns and the products they gravitate toward.
In other words, choosing a HuffPicks winner is just about the most informed shopping decision you can make — and if you’re anything like the thousands of happy reviewers for these products, you’ll be glad you added these to your cart.
These "wildly absorbent" bestselling Swedish dishcloths
Shopping writer Lourdes Avila Uribe sang the praises of these reusable and biodegradable Swedish dishcloths after a recommendation from her sister for a lower-waste alternative to paper towels in 2022.
“They’re wildly absorbent,” Uribe wrote. “Cleanup that would usually require multiple paper towels is easily mopped up with just a single reusable Swedish dishcloth. They are made from cellulose and cotton, making them soft and gentle for hands and surfaces while wet, but are gritty enough to really scrub and scour a particularly grimly spot when dry.”
She also raved about the long-term cost- and waste-saving benefits, adding, “I’ve used ten compostable dishcloths in the same amount of time I would have used approximately 24 paper towel rolls.”
Since then, thousands of shoppers — including my own parents! — have used and loved these dishcloths to cut down on paper towel usage, and we usually include them in our big sale stories since they became an unexpected bestseller during Prime Day in 2024.
The dishcloths come in tons of colors and work on so many different surfaces, from glass to wood, marble, stainless steel and tile. They can absorb up to 15 times their weight in liquid, and can be used over 100 times before you need to discard them (in the meantime, you can toss them in the washing machine to clean them).
These wool dryer balls that can help your laundry, your energy bill and the environment
According to previous Single SparkleLife coverage, if you're using dryer sheets in the laundry, you may be doing more harm than good .
Dryer sheets are bad for a few reasons, according to laundry experts: Patric Richardson of The Laundry Evangelist told Single Sparklethat dryer sheets can build up film in your dryer over time, making it less effective, and that the sheets coat your laundry with a chemical solution that doesn't actually make them softer. That chemical coating can also destroy your clothes over time. Plus, think about how many dryer sheets you may go through in a year and the amount of waste it creates.
Instead, Cora Harrington , a lingerie expert and author of “In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie,” mentioned that dryer balls can be a great alternative. “People often find their clothes dry faster with wool balls, and, of course, unlike dryer sheets, they’re reusable and biodegradable,” she said.
We've previously recommended Larque's six-pack of wool dryer balls, but they’re unfortunately sold out at the moment. So instead, we're choosing these wool dryer balls from Handy Laundry , which are basically exactly the same. These aren't a downgrade by any means: They're currently listed as the no. 1 bestseller in the dryer balls category on Amazon and no. 31 in the overall laundry category , and have earned 4.6 stars across more than 85,000 reviews. Uribe also recently wrote about these balls, which come in packs of four, six or 12.
Made with 100% premium New Zealand wool, the balls can replace fabric softener and dryer sheets, cutting down on laundry costs and waste. They can also speed up drying time and reduce static cling as well as wrinkles, because they separate laundry while the dryer is going and keeps your clothes nice and soft. The faster drying time can also help you cut down on energy bills by 25%, according to the brand, from running your machine for longer.
A set of the "best sheets known to man"
Former BuzzFeed shopping writer Kayla Suazo crowned these 400 thread count Threshold sheets the “best sheets known to man” in 2022, and they’ve been a Single SparkleShopping mainstay ever since. Our readers love high-quality, affordable bedding and responded with strong interest to this rave review, and now every time they’re on sale, we jump to cover them .
Even at full price, however, the sheets are well worth the buy, as attested to by several Single Sparkleers who have been influenced to buy them in multiples. "I am truly obsessed with my Target sheets. They're cute, soft and withstand the nails of my 100-pound pitbull who I (regrettably) allow in my bed," wellness reporter Jillian Wilson said in our article detailing Single Sparkleers' favorite Target purchases of 2024 . (The sheets were also a 2024 topseller among our readership .) Aiken also said, "I've bought them for myself, my mom has bought them, and I've bought them as housewarming gifts for all my friends.” (An informal Slack poll showed that no less than 14 Single Sparkleers own these sheets, and that doesn’t count the friends and family members that have purchased them on our advice.)
The sheets are available in 10 solid colors and 28 patterns , in sizes ranging from twin/twin XL to California king. They’re 100% cotton, can fit mattresses up to 18 inches deep, feature top and bottom labels to make making the bed easier and are wrinkle-, pill- and shrink-resistant.
The "holy grail of dish soaps," which can clean much more than dishes
We know you’ve probably heard of this one already, but we couldn’t leave it off our list. We included Dawn Powerwash dish spray in some of our October Prime Day roundups , and were pleasantly surprised to find that it became one of the top three products across all categories in earnings the first day. Now, we bow down to the “holy grail of dish soaps” — which, by the way, can also clean countertops, laundry stains and makeup brushes, among other things. (Oh, and a little life hack for you? This stuff can kill bugs, too , according to reviewers. What can’t it do?)
Our readers aren’t the only ones who love the stuff, however: I can also personally vouch for Powerwash’s ability to cut through grease and grime with virtually no scrubbing.
Shopping writer and avid home cook Griffin Wynne, who compared themselves to Shel Silverstein’s housework-averse heroine Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout , found that Powerwash eliminated the need for scrubbing during a particularly tiresome chore. “I truly spray down my scary pile [of dishes], wait a beat, and then the gross food bits just... fall off,” they wrote in a 2022 editor’s picks roundup .
The spray, which has been called “ magical ,” “ life changing ” and “ legit sorcery ,” has three cleaning boosters and can remove 99% of grease and grime five times faster than other brands. The suds also activate on contact, and the spray functions lets a little go a long way and makes it easy to tackle larger dishes like pots and pans. It’s ridiculously popular — 4.8 stars across over 107,000 ratings is nearly unheard of — and this refill pack comes with four fresh-scented bottles for less than $20.
The viral Beckham Hotel Collection pillows, beloved by just about everyone
Natalie Rebuck, principal designer of Re: Design Architects in Brooklyn and Southold, New York, previously recommended the Beckham Hotel Collection pillows to Uribe for a story about hotel-quality bedding , saying, "They are very fluffy and really hold up over the years.”
Over 160,000 5-star ratings on Amazon agree that these are the real deal, making these officially viral . The pillows are also already in the top 10 of the most ordered Amazon products we’ve covered this year, so our readers’ appetite for them is still growing. No wonder, since they’ve been called a “miracle” for back and side sleepers , especially, and are also beloved by hot sleepers .
“I like the firmness,” said editorial director Kristen Aiken of the famous bedding. “They're mid-firm – squishy but not rock-hard, and they're not too heavy/dense.”
You can buy a pack of two in a queen, king or throw size. The pillows are made with a 250 thread count cover and filled with down alternative that has a bounce-back design, so you won’t be stuck with a saggy pillow that can’t keep its shape as you sleep. They’re also machine-washable for easy maintenance, unlike many memory foam pillows.
The best serrated knife for slicing tomatoes, according to our food editor
Back in 2022, Single Sparkle’s resident food editor and culinary school grad Kristen Aiken recommended the Rada tomato slicer , a serrated knife that’s specifically designed for slicing tomatoes, in an article that spawned thousands of purchases. “Made in the United States, this knife is 8 7/8 inches long, meaning it'll slice through big 'maters with ease,” she wrote.
If you’re not convinced that a knife just for your tomatoes is a necessity, a serrated edge can make a big difference in time spent and messes made, according to Aiken. This is thanks to the serrated knife’s “sharp teeth that saw through the tomato in a back-and-forth motion without the need to apply any weight on it, leaving the inside of the flesh intact,” as opposed to a flat blade, which may squish and explode a tomato into a bigger mess.
The knife is sleek with a dual-serrated blade that makes it suitable for both right- and left-handed cooks. It has a silver handle (handwash only) and a stainless steel blade with a finger guard for protection. Reviewers claim that it’s good for more than tomatoes, too: You can use this bad boy to easily and neatly slice bread, steaks , onions, garlic and even Styrofoam , if you’re planning to find use for it outside of the kitchen.
The chef-recommended potato peeler that makes food prep a breeze
There’s a lot to like about the Starfrit Rotato Express , an electric potato peeler with a non-slip base. Atlanta-based chef Courtnee Futch told Single Sparkle2022 that she’s a fan of the Rotato, calling it her “favorite unconventional kitchen gadget. I use it for everything, to zest citrus in bulk, peel a bunch of potatoes of course, spiralizing semi-soft veggies, and it makes fruit peeling a breeze!”
Soon after, former Single Sparkleeditor Janie Campbell wrote about her own experience with the Rotato , which she bought for her parents’ house. “Let me tell you, you just don’t know joy until an electric peeler saves you and your siblings from hand-peeling dozens and dozens of pounds of potatoes on a holiday morning,” she wrote. “Now one person just plops a potato at a time on the Rotato, pushes a little button to see its peel come off in a thin, glorious ribbon, then repeats the process. We’ve gone from resisting to helping to arguing over who gets to man the Rotato, and now we’re done peeling so, so much faster.”
The Rotato doesn’t require holding on to the vegetable while it works, making it a great purchase for older people whose hands can’t manually peel for as long, or for those with arthritis . We know our audience loves solutions for mobility issues, so this was a no-brainer to add to our list. Plus, it’s versatile: It can peel potatoes, sure, but apples, cucumbers, zucchinis, onions and so many more fruits and veggies are also compatible with the machine.
The most popular pillow protectors to prevent your pillows from turning yellow
Over the past year, we’ve noticed a trend among our audience: They want expert-backed solutions or alternatives to gross problems, from germy washcloths to bacteria-spreading sponges .
That includes yellowing pillows, which can happen when sweat, oil, beauty product residue and more accumulate over time. Allergist Dr. Neeta Ogden told Single Sparkle2023 that pillow protectors “will provide a barrier between you and the allergens that can lurk in pillow fibers over time, including animal dander, mold spores, dust mites and pollen drifting in from outside.”
This advice led us to make a roundup of some of the best ones on the market , and this Utopia Bedding option was far and away the most popular choice among our readers. Sold in packs of two in 20 colors that you can match to your other bedding, the pillowcases are waterproof with a zipper closure to keep out any and all moisture. They’re also bedbug- and dust mite-proof, to add some extra peace of mind.
The jersey fabric is ultra-soft, and can be machine-washed for simple care. The protectors come in so many sizes, from standard to king, as well as options for body pillows, toddler pillows and more.
The "indispensable" Japanese hori hori knife with a near-perfect star rating
Experts and Single Sparklereaders alike are big fans of the Japanese hori hori knife for gardening. First, Kat Aul Cervoni, founder of Staghorn NYC Landscape Design and The Cultivation by Kat and Patrick Farrell, partner at EAS Landscaping LLC in Philadelphia, both named the knife as a must-have gardening tool for a story on lawn maintenance , with Farrell calling it “indispensable when it comes to planting and clearing.”
Then, in a Facebook callout for a different Single Sparklestory, long-term gardener Sue Mazer, 54 , also suggested the knife as an accessible tool to make gardening more comfortable , saying, “Lightly spray mist the mixed soil and use a Japanese [hori-hori] garden knife to make individual holes for the seeds, seedlings or transplants.”
From there, we chose to feature Nisaku’s original hori hori knife in its own story , to strong audience interest. The knife has a near-perfect 4.8 stars across almost 10,000 reviews. Made in Japan, the rust- and scratch-resistant stainless steel blade has a serrated edge on one side and straight edge on the other, with inch markings so you can measure depths when planting seeds. The knife weighs 10 ounces and has an ergonomic wooden handle.
“ This is one of those tools that once you get your hands on it, you use it around your garden, and you wonder how I've been gardening for so long without owning it before,” a reviewer wrote . It can come in handy for digging up weeds, cutting grass, loosening dirt, planting seeds and so much more.
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