The $13 Amazon Find That’ll Keep Your Sink Sparkling Clean
When it comes to ranking chores, nothing comes in lower than having to clean up after your clean-up methods. Washing my mop after washing my floor? No thank you. Rinsing the vacuum filter after tackling my carpets? I’ll pass. Cleaning my sink after scrubbing my dishes? Nope!
That last one adds a special dusting of salt to the wound, particularly because I have a sink area that always gets soaking wet when I do dishes. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the arc of my faucet head, but that’s a complaint for another day. All you need to know? Twenty minutes of dishes leave my countertops looking like a small lap pool and I’m constantly forced to spend another portion of my precious child-free evening hours sopping it all up so I’m not left with mold, mildew, and water stains.
Perhaps the above gripe is why I was so excited when the Ternal Sinkmat came onto my radar. Genius in its simplicity, this must-have invention buttons easily around your faucet head to make quick work of soaking up excess water, either from a dripping faucet or an overly enthusiastic dish washer (hello, it’s me!). The secret to its functionality lies in the super absorbent design, which combines a sponge-like core with a mesh back and a microfiber-cloth coated exterior to quickly wick up any excess moisture around your faucet head and sink basin. Once you’re done washing dishes, the mat can easily be wrung out and hung to dry (if necessary) or tossed in the laundry occasionally to be kept fresh.
While designed with a single-hole faucet in mind, the Ternal Sinkmat comes in a variety of lengths (ranging from 9 inches to 24 inches), so you can definitely make it work if you have a bridge faucet or other style. The mat comes in two hues — a rich black and steely gray — both of which coordinate nicely with most sink setups. The snap closure allows you to attach the mat to your faucet in either direction, giving you a super snug fit in front or a bit of an overhang over your sink basin to keep things extra dry.
Reviewers love the Ternal Sinkmat’s simple yet effective design, praising the piece for solving one of the biggest dishwashing pain points out there. “These work perfectly!,” says one happy customer. “I’ve looked for a long time for a way to keep water spots from getting on my stainless steel sink by the faucet. I was always wiping that area to keep it looking nice. These work perfectly. I am very happy with them and would recommend them to all my friends.” Another reviewer also sang its praises: “I purchased the Ternal Sinkmat because my husband and I had just bought a new home and wanted to keep the granite countertops clean. This was, without a doubt, the best kitchen purchase! The product is handy, easy to clean, and most importantly, functional. It’s large enough to fit dish soap, lotion, hand soap, and our sponge holder without making our sink space look cluttered.”
Beyond just preventing a lot of spillage around your sink, the Ternal Sinkmat is actually a worthy investment in the soundness of your kitchen. Excess water can be super damaging to your cabinets, particularly if the waterproof seal around your faucet or basin has seen better days. The resulting mold and mildew (not to mention wet wood) can compromise the integrity of your cabinetry, forcing you toward fixes that wouldn’t be necessary until decades down the road with proper care. Your countertop material is also a consideration, as many finishes (like marble, stainless steel, and more) can experience permanent stains due to excess water. Personally, I intend on snagging a Sinkmat ASAP for all these reasons and more — after all, if there’s one thing I can get behind, it’s spending less time cleaning up after my clean-up efforts.