Sorry, but It’s Probably Time to Replace These Household Essentials

by Elissa Sanci

When was the last time you replaced your cutting boards? Read this if you can’t remember.

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For a more organized 2026

Some of our favorite picks for decluttering, organizing, and fresh starts.

The Wirecutter Show

A blue monochromatic illustration of a journal and a pen on top of it inside a bubble, in front of a blue background.

Journaling Through Life’s Plot Twists with Suleika Jaouad (Encore)

by Wirecutter Staff

Writer Suleika Jaouad delves into how journaling can help unlock creative potential. Plus, tips for building a writing habit, and our favorite journaling tools.
  • Illustration of a blue gift box with white polka dots and a bow, floating inside a clear sphere against a light blue background.

    What Our Experts Are Giving in 2025 (Encore)

    by Christine Cyr Clisset, Caira Blackwell, Rosie Guerin, and Abigail Keel

    Wirecutter experts share the favorite things they tested or used this year – and why those things would make great holiday gifts.
  • A holiday gift floating inside a bubble in front of a blue background.

    Gift Guide 2025: It’s Not Too Late to Get Something Great!

    by Wirecutter Staff

    Last-minute shopping panic? Wirecutter’s gifting expert shares smart strategies and great gifts to save your holiday.
  • Illustration of a light blue shopping basket with a price tag attached, enclosed inside a transparent spherical bubble, against a solid light blue background.

    Tips for Using AI Smarter with Hard Fork's Kevin Roose

    by Christine Cyr Clisset, Caira Blackwell, Rosie Guerin, and Abigail Keel

    Hard Fork’s Kevin Roose shares strategies to make chatbots work better for you and reveals which tools he finds best for different purposes.

Home

Cleaning, Smart home devices, Bedroom, or see all in Home
A composite image showing the full Force of Nature Starter Kit on the left and a hand pouring an activator capsule into the base on the right. The right side features a light blue background with a pattern of checkmarks and "X" symbols.

Force of Nature Makes a Killer Disinfectant, but It’s Not the Best All-Purpose Cleaner

by Caroline Mullen

This make-at-home spray promises to harness hypochlorous acid to replace both multi-surface cleaners and disinfectants at home.

Electronics

Smartphones, Audio, Computers, or see all in Electronics

Sleep

How to sleep better, Sleep gear, Mattresses, or see all in Sleep
A person sitting in bed and holding their lower back.

Waking Up With Back Pain? These Mattresses Could Help.

by Elise Czajkowski and Joanne Chen

If you wake up with back pain every morning, you may need a new mattress. Here are 5 that provide support, pressure relief, and cushion for sore backs.
  • An overhead view shows an individual sleeping on their back on a white pillow, tucked under a light green duvet while holding a stuffed animal.

    Five Great Mattress Options for Back Sleepers

    by Elise Czajkowski and Joanne Chen

    We tested, reviewed, and slept on dozens of mattresses to find five picks with the right balance of firmness and support for back sleepers.
  • A nicely-made bed with a folded-up duvet cover on top of it.

    The Best Duvet Covers

    by Jackie Reeve

    After spending more than 100 hours testing over a dozen duvet covers, we recommend nine to style your bed for every season.
  • A couple of quilts neatly folded and stacked, along with two shams.

    The Best Quilts

    by Jackie Reeve

    After testing dozens of quilts, we found our favorite cozy and beautiful ones to brighten up your bedroom.

Kitchen

Cooking tools and utensils, Small kitchen appliances, Food and grocery, or see all in Kitchen

Appliances

Small home appliances, Large home appliances, Vacuum cleaners, or see all in Appliances
Three robot mop-vacuum combos in their docks.

The Best Robot Mop-Vacuum Combos to Keep Floors Sparkling

by Evan Dent

The latest robot mop-vac combos can be a huge help in keeping your home fresh and clean. Here are the best of the best.

Gifts

Gifts for grown-ups, Surprise Me, Special occasion gifts, or see all in Gifts

Outdoors

Outdoor gear, Apparel, Camping, or see all in Outdoors
Two pairs of hands wearing touchscreen winter gloves while sharing coffee and tapping on smartphone screens.

The Best Touchscreen Winter Gloves

by Kaitlyn Wells, Justin Krajeski, and Kyle Fitzgerald

We found five pairs of touchscreen gloves—in a range of styles and budgets—that will keep your hands toastier as you type.

  • A person sitting in a hammock outside between two trees.

    For Lounging On the Go, Nothing Beats a Portable Hammock

    by Claire Wilcox

    The light and strong Grand Trunk Trunktech Hammock (single) is our choice for a chill, comfortable hang outside.
  • Illustration of a pair of mittens, a pair of gloves, and two cups with hot beverages.

    Will Heated Gloves Help Me Stay Warm This Winter?

    by Annemarie Conte

    You don't necessarily need electric gloves to keep your hands warm this winter, but our recommendations will help keep you warm whatever you decide.
  • Our four picks for best sunscreen, next to a pair of red flip flops, in front of a yellow background.

    The Best Sunscreen

    by Nancy Redd

    It takes a shot glass’s worth of sunscreen to adequately cover a body in a swimsuit. Look for broad-spectrum protection and an SPF of 30 or higher.

Style

Travel

Gear, Bags, Luggage, or see all in Travel
A split image shows an olive-green July suitcase against a background of green checkmarks and X's on the left, next to a smartphone screen on the right showing the Find My app with two item locations pinned on a map and listed as "Elissa's AirTag" and "Elissa's July Luggage."

Luggage With Built-In Tracking Sounds Great. But It’s Not As Accurate As an AirTag.

by Elissa Sanci

No one wants to deal with lost luggage. But you don’t need to splurge on a specialty bag to keep an eye on your possessions while you’re traveling.
  • Travel gear including a suitcase, a packing cube, and a portable charger pictured together.

    The Best Gear for Travel

    by Wirecutter Staff

    We put in another year and tens of thousands more miles of travel to test the best travel gear—and we stand by last year’s choices alongside a few new picks.
  • Five travel pillows pictured together.

    Even the Best Travel Pillow Can’t Make Sitting in an Airplane Truly Cozy. But These Options Can Help.

    by Geoffrey Morrison and Sabrina Imbler

    After testing on international flights, on red-eyes, and in middle seats, the Travelrest Nest Ultimate Travel Pillow is our choice for the most restful flight.
  • Photo of the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug and Contigo West Loop 3.0 next to a french press on a navy blue background.

    The Best Travel Mug

    by Trey French and Anna Perling

    After testing travel mugs for more than 10 years, we’re still confident that the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug is the best mug to keep drinks hot for hours.

Health and fitness

Personal care, Coronavirus coverage, Exercise, or see all in Health and fitness
  • The Best Denture Adhesives

    The Best Denture Adhesives (But None of Them Wowed Us)

    by Anna Wenner

    Denture adhesives can provide extra security, especially when eating tough food. None of them are perfect, but here are our three favorites.
  • The Best Exercise Ball

    The Best Exercise Ball

    by Tracy Vence

    After considering over 80 exercise balls and testing seven, we found the TheraBand Pro Series has the sturdiest seat, optimal texture, and the tightest air seal.
  • The Best Places to Buy Glasses Online

    Should You Buy Prescription Glasses Online?

    by Nancy Redd

    After testing comparable frames and prescription lenses from 15 online retailers, we recommend starting your search at Zenni Optical.

Baby and kid

Baby, Toys, School, or see all in Baby and kid
Drawing of a person leaning against a tree with a smart phone leaning against the far side of the tree.

12 Apps to Add to Your Kid’s First Phone (That Aren’t Social Media)

by Ellen Lee

Learn an alien language. Identify local wildlife. Take care of a digital pet—and yourself. These apps can be fun and helpful additions to your kid’s phone.

  • Our picks for best first shoes for children, displayed in pairs in front of a green background.

    The Best Shoes for Little Toddler Feet

    by Coco McCracken

    And they’re off! We tested almost 30 pairs of first walkers and found seven options that will support little ones as they take on the world.
  • A person nursing a baby and using the Luna Lullaby Nursing Pillow.

    The Best Nursing Pillows

    by Kerry Davis McGuinness

    Nursing pillows come in a variety of shapes and sizes. These are the ones we love.

  • An assortment of cooking tools and utensils amongst prepared breakfast foods and fruits.

    The Best Kids Cooking Tools (That You’ll Love Too)

    by Lara Rabinovitch

    We’ve tested more than 45 pieces of kitchen gear to find those that are most worth investing in for younger cooks, whether they’re toddlers or teens.

Pets

Dogs, Cats, Gear for pets, or see all in Pets
  • The Best Pet Insurance Is Not the Same for All Pets. Here Are Six Reputable Options.

    There’s No Perfect Pet Insurance, But These Six Companies Stand Out

    by Mel Plaut

    With advance planning, pet insurance can help make costly veterinary care affordable. Here’s how to evaluate your options.
  • The Best Dog Beds

    The Best Dog Beds

    by Mel Plaut

    After six years of research—which included plenty of scratching and snoozing—we’ve selected these seven dog beds as our top picks.

  • How to Groom Your Dog or Cat at Home

    How to Groom Your Dog or Cat at Home

    by Kaitlyn Wells

    We don’t recommend cutting your pet’s hair at home, but there are other basic grooming tasks you can undertake.

Games and hobbies

Games and puzzles, Music, Survive and thrive at home, or see all in Games and hobbies
A split-screen image showing a hand holding a white, Z-shaped modular block against a blue background with faint "X" and "Check" icons. The right side features a vibrant digital game screen titled "Space Rocks," showing a pink spaceship shooting at neon blue asteroids.

This New Gaming Console Wants to Replace Your Board Game Collection

by James Austin

Board is an impressive piece of tech, but it’s missing the most important thing: great games.

Software and apps

Wirecutter’s Guide to Data Security, or see all in Software and apps

Office

Home office, Office furniture, Printers and scanners, or see all in Office
The Wi-Fi mesh networking kits we tested lined up side by side.

The Best Wi-Fi Mesh-Networking Systems

by Joel Santo Domingo

If a normal router can’t provide reliable wireless access to every corner of your home, mesh systems should help you work from home and stream games and movies without a hitch.
  • A black Pavo Double Floor Lamp on displayed in front of a green background.

    The Best Floor Lamps

    by Gregory Han and Joshua Lyon

    We researched hundreds of floor lamps and tested dozens more in homes and offices. Here we discuss our favorites and how to find one that’s right for you.
  • Two polaroid pictures of the Brother P-touch Cube Plus and the labels it can make on folder dividers.

    I Felt Lost in My Own Home Before This Little Label Maker

    by Elissa Sanci

    Our top-pick label-maker, the Brother P-touch Cube Plus produces good-looking, durable labels that can survive multiple runs through the dishwasher.

  • A green 24-inch M4 iMac sitting among a video game controller, a notebook, a cup of pens, and a matching green Apple keyboard and mouse.

    The Best All-in-One Computer

    by Dave Gershgorn

    If you need a family computer or want to cut down on cords in a home office, an all-in-one computer like Apple’s iMac is worth buying.

Money

Deals and sales, Knowing when to buy, Managing your money, or see all in Money
A collage including a toaster oven, a backpack, and a pair of headphones.

The 100 Most Popular Products of 2025

by Gabriella DePinho

We’ve rounded up our top 100 picks from 2025, including CD players, towels, a timeless sweater, super soft socks and more new and classic Wirecutter picks.