All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
For years I was the kind of person who simply let their sponge rest on the countertop behind the sink. Actually, the back of the sink was me on a good day: I shudder to admit that sometimes I would forget to wring the sponge out altogether, leaving it to become a gross, bacteria-infested specimen at the bottom of the sink.
And don't get me started on the other dish-cleaning tools I'm forced to own: I have a Chemex and a serious reusable to-go coffee cup collection, so I need bottle brushes in a few different sizes. Reusable straws? I've got glass; I've got stainless steel; I've got bamboo. Which means I need those teeny little scrubbers to clean the iced coffee residue out of them. For a significant portion of my early adult life, all of these things lay scattered across the back of the sink, where they were likely exposed to bacteria that rendered their cleaning intentions entirely moot.
What's more: I like to keep two dish soaps—Dawn for when things get serious with a lasagna or some such baked-casserole type of thing, and a nice-smelling Mrs. Meyers or the like for everyday, nice-smelling dishes sessions. Two more things to live behind my sink!
All this is to tell you, I needed something that I did not yet know the name of: a sink caddy. A few years ago tried five of them, and now I'm unable to go without this essential kitchen cleaning tool. Below, I'll tell you why you should own one, and which ones are the best.
The case for a sink caddy
If you're doing your dishes right, there are a lot of moving parts. You've got your sponge and your soap, sure. But you've also got your scrub brush, your chainmail cast-iron scrubber, your hand soap, and your hand lotion. A sink caddy keeps all of those things together. And because it keeps the back of your sink from getting cluttered, it makes for an easier kitchen-cleaning experience. (I don't know about you, but the strip of countertop behind my sink is prone to becoming absolutely disgusting.) The sink caddy makes everything easy to move out of the way when you need to wipe that area down. Most importantly, it makes all of your dish-washing tools accessible and keeps them from living a gross half-life at the bottom of the sink.
You might be thinking that you could simply stash all of these tools in a ceramic canister, like you do your spatulas and wooden spoons. You could, but the best sink caddies have some special features that make them worth owning. A good sink caddy has a tray designed to catch the drip from your wet kitchen tools, which is removable and easy to wash, so the area doesn't collect bacteria or get moldy. It also has a bar in front that's designed to hold your sponge in place while letting it dry completely. And this caddy is optimally sized for dish tools and soaps, with compartments to keep everything organized.
The best overall sink caddy: Joseph Joseph Stainless Steel Sink Caddy
This stainless steel Joseph Joseph sink caddy was my favorite of the five I tried. It doesn't attach to the sink via suction, it just sits on the counter. It's narrow enough to fit on that thin strip behind the sink—which you're not really using for anything else, right? What sets the Joseph Joseph apart is the metal bar across the front and the tray underneath that holds the sponge. Some models have you tuck the sponge fully inside the enclosed caddy, but this one lets it breathe. That front bar is wide enough to fit an additional abrasive scrubber, like this cult-favorite Japanese one, and you can also loop a chainmail cast-iron cleaner through it.
The compartment behind the bar is large enough to hold dish soap, either a narrow bottle like Mrs. Meyers, or a wide one like Seventh Generation. And if you are about that Mrs. Meyers life, you can also fit another tall, narrow bottle of lotion in the sink caddy. There's a small compartment to the side designed to hold your scrub brush upright. I do wish that the compartment were a little taller, as this would do a better job of keeping the scrub brush perfectly upright, but that's a small bone to pick.
Many sink caddies have a perforated bottom above a compartment that traps the watery residue from your cleaning tools. This supposedly makes them easier to clean—and many Amazon reviewers agree. I disagree. The Joseph Joseph has a detachable plastic tray, so instead of removing a tray to dump out grimy water, all you have to do is wipe this one down.
The more stylish sink caddy: Ekobo Bamboo and Melamine Sink Caddy
I've had the Joseph Joseph caddy in my kitchen for a long time, and it has served me well. But, recently, I wondered if it might be possible to find a more stylish way to house my dish-washing tools, without sacrificing any of the utility of my favorite sink caddy. Enter this Ekobo caddy. Like the Joseph Joseph, it has a removable tray that's easy to wash in your sink with dish soap when it begins to collect grime from your dish tools. The high-low edges of the compartment mean you can rest your scrub brushes against the high back, while the lower front edge is a great place to hang a scrubby dish cloth or a chainmail scrubber. In the open space on the right side, I like to store my narrow Mrs. Meyers bottle and wedge my sponge between the dish soap and the compartment that houses the scrub brushes. For my (insanely maximalist) dish tool purposes, I wish this caddy were slightly bigger, with maybe one more separate compartment for all of my tools. But, if you keep things minimal and don't have that many tools (maybe you have a dishwasher; wouldn't that be nice!) this sink caddy looks cool, and can even add a pop of color to your kitchen if you opt for the bright yellow (note: It's also available in some lovely neutrals).
All the caddies I tried to love before
I had high hopes for the Simple Human caddy that attaches via suction to the side of the sink. The suction cups seemed super powerful, and the caddy has a bar that attaches to the side of the counter for extra support. Another nice thing about this model is that it has an extendable rubber bottom that holds your scrubbing brush, making it adjustable for different heights. The bottom of the caddy is perforated, and the excess water just drains right into the sink—an ideal situation. Alas, the suction cups failed me eventually, and every time I tried to reattach them, the caddy would tumble into the sink.
I also tried an OXO caddy that was too enclosed, with no open space to rest your sponge and one of the aforementioned drip trays that I'm not a big fan of. I also tried another Joseph Joseph caddy made of plastic. It was a solid runner-up and is half the price of my top pick, but it's too narrow to fit a bottle of dish soap larger than Mrs. Meyers and doesn't feel as secure as the other model. There is a bar on this caddy for looping a dish rag or microfiber cloth, but I didn't find it particularly useful, as I like to put my dish rags through the handles of my cabinets.
Love yourself enough to own a sink caddy. Buy my favorite one, the Stainless Steel Joseph Joseph Sink Caddy, and feel more in control of your sponge, your dishes, and your destiny.
