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The housewares company Simplehuman hones in on curves, edges, and closing mechanisms until everyday objects, like storage containers and soap dispensers, aren’t just everyday objects anymore. A trash can isn’t simply a vessel for granola bar wrappers—it’s a voice-activated, stainless-steel, odor-trapping pillar of contemporary design. A paper towel holder can’t just hold paper towels, it must also dispense cleaning liquid out of a sleek tube.
This level of form and function—along with matching high prices—may be why Fortune called Simplehuman the “Apple of Housewares” in a 2019 profile. But does the average home cook really need Simplehuman products? Or should we save the voice-activated trash cans for billionaires who want to spend 24 hours on a rocket ship?
Our staff put Simplehuman’s most popular products to the test to find out what’s worth it, and what you can skip in favor of more budget-friendly options. Below you’ll find five Simplehuman products we—Bon Appétit editors—actually think are worth buying.
- Best organizer: 14" Cabinet Organizer
- Best dish rack: Steel Frame Dishrack
- Best paper towel holder: Paper Towel Pump
- Best trash can: 45L Motion Sensor Semi-Round Can
Cabinet organizer
Tester: Emily Farris, senior commerce writer
Do you ever lust after the custom cabinetry in online home tours? You know, the levered pedestals that hold KitchenAid mixers, allowing the heavy equipment to be effortlessly lifted out of a cabinet and then tucked right back in? Simplehuman’s cabinet organizer offers some of this accessibility, without difficult installation. It’s essentially a drawer that you screw into your cabinet shelf: A stainless-steel rack is fitted with a removable drip tray that’s set up on a steel pullout track. The cabinet organizer comes in three sizes, so be sure to measure your cabinet before purchasing.
Emily uses the Simplehuman cabinet organizer to store pet food. She wanted something that would keep the containers out of sight, but that would also make those containers easy to access, especially since her kids help feed the dog. Assembly was a breeze and completely intuitive: You simply attach the rails to the bottom of your cabinet with four screws, no instructions needed. Emily loves how easily she could slide the storage compartment out. It does occasionally get stuck on the lip of her cabinet, but all she needs to do is lift the handle a bit to get it out. Even her four-year-old can do it, and overall, the organizer makes feeding the dog easier for her kids. “Still, if the base were a tiny bit taller it would be perfect,” Emily says.
You can find many similar products at lower prices on Amazon—but reviews often note that they’re rickety and fall apart quickly. The Simplehuman model, on the other hand, uses high quality materials and hardware like heavy-grade steel. “Because this feels so sturdy and smooth, I’m willing to spend a little more for Simplehuman quality,” Emily says. The removable bottom also makes for easier cleanup. You just take it out and wipe it down as opposed to having to bend over and reach into your cabinet to scrub every nook and cranny.
UNIQUE FEATURES: Drip tray; high-quality materials that make for seamless rollout; easy assembly
WHO IS THIS FOR? Someone looking for accessible custom cabinetry that doesn’t require heavy-duty installation
Dishrack
Tester: Noah Kaufman, senior commerce editor
Though you might balk at the $100 price tag, this rack sets a whole new standard for dish racks. This isn’t some plastic eyesore that you indiscriminately place dinnerware on for drying. No, this ultra-sturdy stainless-steel behemoth offers specific spaces designed to fit individual pieces of cookware and servingware. In addition to the typical slotted area for dishes, you get a caddy for utensils, pegs designed to hold mugs, and—the pièce de résistance for Noah—a stemware rack that holds up to four extra-large Bordeaux glasses. (Simplehuman also offers a compact size that doesn’t include the stemware rack.) When Noah’s dishwasher was broken, he discovered he could fit an “entire night’s worth of dishes from a complicated meal for a family of four” on this Simplehuman rack.
It also features a well-designed drip tray with a swiveling drainage spout that helps keep the counter dry and free of water spots—a problem Noah didn’t even know he had until it was solved. Bottom line: Noah calls the Simplehuman Dishrack “absolutely the most useful” model he’s ever tried.
This purchase is absolutely worth it for anyone who doesn’t have a dishwasher, but be warned: this thing is big. If you live in a small space without counter space for a coffee maker and food processor, you might not have enough room for this dish rack.
UNIQUE FEATURES: Dedicated spaces for each item you’re drying, including a wine glass rack; a drip tray with a drainage spout.
WHO IS THIS FOR? Apartment dwellers without a dishwasher (who also have ample counter space).
Trash cans
Tester: Tiffany Hopkins, commerce writer
The people on the Internet who complain about the price of trash cans are probably mostly complaining about Simplehuman. While the brand sells a variety of step-to-open trash cans, it’s especially well-known for voice-activated and motion sensor bins. The 58L Simplehuman Sensor Trash Can that we tested features touch-free voice and motion activation, a fingerprint-proof finish, and odor-sealing capability. It’s not so much a garbage can as it is a sexy trash robot.
When Tiffany tested this model in her hunt for the best trash cans, she came to feel that the luxury of a bin that opened before she even walked up to it was unmatched. The can has with three microphones, which Simplehuman claims offer optimal voice recognition accuracy even with outside noise. You can say “open can,” and the bin will open. During her tests Tiffany never had to give the command more than once, and the voice control’s range worked from her living room about 20 feet away. It can get set off by other loud sounds, though: “It once opened when I sneezed loudly,” she says.
The Simplehuman Sensor Can also conceals smells better than any other trash bin Tiffany has used, thanks to a smell-neutralizing Odorsorb pod that sticks to the bin’s inner lid. While Simplehuman does recommend using the brand’s own trash bags, Tiffany says she’s also used random bags from the grocery store and they worked just fine. You can also purchase an additional four-liter compost caddy to turn your brushed stainless-steel trash can into a dual compartment waste bin.
“I don’t know if I believe any trash can should cost $250,” Tiffany says. No matter how much she liked the feature, a voice activated trash bin certainly isn’t necessary—especially when you consider that this one can be overly sensitive to loud noises.
Simplehuman does sell motion sensor and step can models that might appeal if the idea of a voice-activated trash can sounds, frankly, absurd to you. A few BA staffers especially love the regular single and dual compartment rectangular step cans—and they’re both a little cheaper than the voice-activated model. “Simplehuman’s design features are really on point; they’ve thought of all the ways to make a trash can easy to access, easy to clean, and easy to change bags,” associate commerce director Emily Johnson noted when reviewing the dual compartment step can as part of BA’s best trash cans testing, and Tiffany feels like that applies to all of the brand’s models. Foot pedal, motion control, or motion and voice control—you really can’t go wrong. It’s just a matter of how much you want to spend.
UNIQUE FEATURES: voice and motion activation; fingerprint-resistant stainless steel; odor-locking
WHO IS THIS FOR? Someone who keeps their trash can out front and center in the kitchen and cares deeply about convenient opening and closing as well as odor prevention.
Paper towel pump
Testers: Megan Wahn, associate commerce editor, and Carina Finn, commerce editor
Simplehuman’s “all-in-one cleanup kit” appears, at first, to simply be a standard countertop paper towel holder. But the center rod that your towel goes around cleverly features a tube-shaped countertop spray cleaner that clicks into the base. Simply fill the tube with water and then drop in one of Simplehuman’s multi-surface cleaning tablets to dissolve.
It’s deeply convenient to have a multifunctional paper towel dispenser and cleaner sitting together on the counter—no rooting around in your cabinet for the cleaning spray when your hands are covered in tomato sauce that you also splattered all over your counter.
The holder is also portable thanks to a hook at the top you can loop your finger through, which is convenient when you need to grab the paper towels to clean the bathroom sink. And don’t worry about the pump coming loose. It firmly locks into place with a little push and removes with another. According to Simplehuman, the holder’s tension arm is meant to be perfectly balanced so you can tear paper towels one handed. Carina and I both found this to be true—but only when using Simplehuman-branded paper towels. You’re also beholden to purchasing Simplehuman’s cleaning tablet at its refill store instead of just going to your neighborhood grocery store for more Mrs. Meyer’s spray.
“The built-in cleaning solution spray bottle does make it legitimately easier to quickly clean up messes since I don’t have to dig around in my cabinets for cleaner,” Carina says. “It did actually kind of change my life!” While I agree, I don’t know if it’s the kind of life changing technology you absolutely need. In fact, I could probably go my whole life without this and be fine. At $80, it’s certainly more expensive than the alternative of buying a regular paper towel holder (about $20, give or take) and buying $11 Clorox every other month. Still, it’s certainly more sustainable to refill your spray rather than purchasing a new full bottle whenever you need one. If you have the room in your budget, this is a convenient product to own.
UNIQUE FEATURES: Perfectly balanced tension arm that allows you to tear towels one-handed; a center column that transforms into a spray bottle cleaner
WHO IS THIS FOR? Any clean freaks always wiping down their counters
Soap pump
Tester: Megan Wahn, associate commerce editor
I used the Simplehuman touch-free sensor pump along with five other dispensers last fall when doing some automatic soap dispenser testing for our sister site, Epicurious, and to be honest, it gave me complicated feelings. Did it work like a dream? Absolutely. But it was also $70.
Simplehuman’s hands-free soap pump does have a few unique design features that other automatic soap dispensers lack, like a long-life (and rechargeable) battery and multiple soap quantity settings. Wave your hand over a single drop located at the top of the dispenser, and you’ll get a small amount of soap. Wave your hand over the two droplets located below, and you’ll get a larger quantity. Some automatic soap dispensers I tested squirted out a truly excessive amount of soap, but that wasn’t the case with the Simplehuman sensor pump. I felt like I was saving soap by using just the right amount for the job. Simplehuman recommends using their in-house soap for the pump (a theme you’ve undoubtedly started to recognize here), though, I’ve found any liquid soap works just fine.
One small qualm: I don’t like that you can’t see inside, so you can’t tell when you’re running low on soap and need a refill. You might not think that’s a huge deal, but come talk to me when it’s 10 p.m. and you swipe your egg-covered hands under the sensor only for a measly, bubbly spurt to come eking out.
Bottom line: There are more affordable models for those in the market for an automatic soap dispenser, and I don’t think the extra features here outweigh the price in the way that some Simplehuman products do. Will the other dispensers make your kitchen feel and look like an Apple store the way the Simplehuman soap pump would? Probably not, but they’ll still get the job done. If you happen to find the sensor pump on sale (like it is at the time of writing on Amazon), absolutely grab it.
UNIQUE FEATURES: rechargeable battery; funnel refill opening that prevents mess; easy-to-use variable dispensing; available in aesthetic colors like brass and rose gold
WHO IS THIS FOR? Someone looking for an aesthetically pleasing hands-free soap dispenser
A note on the Simplehuman Refill Store
Simplehuman does offer trash bags, paper towels, and moisturizing soap that you can buy via its in-house refill store—but you don’t always need to. Any trash bag, paper towel roll, or soap works (though, as noted above, the proprietary paper towels tear more seamlessly off of the Simplehuman holder). In fact, Emily Farris even discovered a great generic version of Simplehuman’s custom fit liners.
Some of the Simplehuman products are nicer than the standards available at the grocery store. Carina found the paper towels very absorbent and less prone to rips, noting she’d probably stick with the Simplehuman brand since they’re about the same price as Brawny towels.
Simplehuman also makes it easier for you to buy its refill products thanks to QR codes on its appliances that you can scan whenever you need to stock up—which does feel a little dystopian, if not also convenient.