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You're probably cleaning your kitchen harder than you have to. waterproof shelf liner
When it comes to a tidy home, organizing your drawers, cabinets, and refrigerator can set your kitchen up for long-term success. Like containers and dividers, shelf liners keep your kitchen clean and functional. Cleaning up spills is easier with a shelf liner, and it also protects surfaces from wear and water damage, preventing damage before it's done. Shelf liners can even spruce up the look of your kitchen, adding a pop of color or pattern. We'd go so far as to say not using them is a mistake!
With durability, versatility, and value in mind, we asked designer Jasmine Morgan, CEO of Adroit Interiors, for tips on finding the best shelf liners. Our list includes Morgan's recommendations as well as three that our editors have tested and recommend.
This liner's material is flexible but durable.
Because it's perforated, spills can still reach the surface it's lining.
As our best overall pick, the Gorilla Grip Shelf Liner stands out from the rest because of its wide variety of color and size options, as well as its superior grip. It’s made of a durable material that provides protection and cushioning for delicate items. They'll fit nearly any shelf or drawer, with an array of size options that are also easy to cut and customize. Plus, there are more than 20 colors and patterns to choose from, so you can find one that matches your kitchen’s style. Morgan recommends a shelf liner without adhesive, which she finds easier to remove, and the texture of the Gorilla Grip liner holds in place well but will peel right up with no residue. Once in place, these should last for ages.
The only downside of the porous mesh texture is that this liner doesn't protect shelves from spills, liquid or solid.
Dimensions: From 12 inches x 10 feet to 24 inches x 30 feet | Material: Vinyl
Cork has a natural grip, and it resists mold and mildew.
It can be tough to fit in place without cracking.
Made from the bark of cork trees that continue to grow after harvest, this liner is an eco-friendly alternative to plastic. The material is naturally absorbent but is resistant to mildew and mold, so it’s a solid choice in damp kitchens. Since there's no adhesive and cork is naturally flexible, it's easy to remove and clean.
Because it's rolled up, this liner will have a natural curve until it's weighed down. Food & Wine editor Mary Claire Lagroue uses it at home and stuck it to her kitchen drawers with double-sided tape to keep it from lifting. She says it hasn't buckled or shifted, and the cork's natural grip helps keep kitchen tools, boxes of tea, and spice jars in place without sliding when she opens and closes the drawers. While the cork was easy to cut, Lagroue warns that it can crack if you try to squeeze an even slightly oversized piece into a drawer. We recommend making careful measurements before you break out the scissors to ensure a perfect fit. Dimensions: 17.5 inches x 12 feet | Material: Cork
Food & Wine / Mary Claire Lagroue
This removable, reusable liner can be cleaned in your clothes washer.
It's non-adhesive and can slide when you pull off heavy dishes.
Whether your cabinet shelf holds ceramic dinnerware, drinking glasses, flour, cooking oil, spare sheets, off-season home decor, or anything else, it needs a layer of this shelf liner. The grippy-textured vinyl won't leave behind any sticky goop, and if it gets dirty, you can put it through the clothes washer for a serious deep-clean. That should also give you an idea of just how durable it is.
The downside of the lack of adhesive is that this liner isn't as secure. It can slide around, especially with heavy items or stacks of dishes.
Dimensions: 12 inches x 20 feet | Material: Vinyl
Sturdy polypropylene will catch any spill, and the cut-out corners ensure a snug fit.
It's cut to fit one specific size and style of shelving.
Wire shelves are very cost-efficient and can look lovely, but storing small items on them is impossible without adding liners to keep things from slipping through. These liners have scalloped corners that conform perfectly to the round legs of modular wire shelving, so you won’t have to worry about anything falling off once you install them. The notched corners ensure that these liners won't scoot around on your shelves, and the sturdy polypropylene is entirely liquid-proof.
This heavy-duty liner option fully covers and protects even the largest wire shelves, from 14-by-24 to 24-by-48 inches. However, the custom corners mean that the liners don't come on a roll that can be cut to fit — you'll have to choose the exact size to match your shelving. They're also made only for wire shelves; you can't really use these in wooden cabinets or drawers.
Dimensions: From 14 x 24 inches to 24 x 48 inches | Material: Polypropylene
This liner is designed to protect your fridge and keep produce fresh for longer.
You can cut the sheets to fit but may not be able to repurpose the scraps.
Reducing household food waste saves money and is good for the environment; these BPA-free, food-safe shelf liners enable you to do both on an ongoing basis. Sure, they protect refrigerator drawers and shelves from spills, but they also keep fruits and vegetables fresher. The plastic is infused with zeolite, a type of clay that absorbs ethylene gas. Ethylene makes produce ripen faster, which means the Grand Fusion shelf liners literally add lifetime to (some, not all) food.
These liners come as a two- or four-pack of single-size sheets rather than a roll, which isn't our favorite thing. You can cut the sheets to size, but you'll wind up with leftover chunks you can't use for anything.
Dimensions: 17.7 x 11.4 inches | Materials: Plastic, zeolite
The Gorilla Grip Drawer and Shelf Liner is thick, easy to clean, and comes in a large variety of colors that can be cut to fit, making it easily customizable. We also appreciate the natural moisture-resistant and eco-friendly Hold Everything Cork Drawer Liner, which is made from an especially sustainable natural material.
Most shelf liners are some type of plastic, often vinyl. Plastic can be rigid, as in sheets meant for metal shelving, or it can be thinner and more flexible, as in rolls you can cut to size. Plastic liners come in lots of different colors, and since they'll usually be protected from sunlight inside a drawer or cabinet, the vibrancy is unlikely to fade.
Cork is a good option if you're looking for an all-natural material. Made from tree bark, the soft material is moisture- and mold-resistant and won't ever scratch delicate glasses or dishware. Cork can be harvested without cutting down the tree, making it a truly renewable resource, though it's not quite as flexible as plastic and can crack as you try to manipulate it.
Some shelf liners stick to shelves with glue or another adhesive material, which Morgan warns against. This can leave permanent stains and makes it difficult or impossible to replace, clean, or change liners. Most of our top picks use a tacky-textured plastic instead, which uses only friction to hold itself in place and is entirely removable. For holding heavy items like dishes, cookware, and appliances, look for an extra-grippy material: You don't want your liner sliding off the shelf with a stack of dinner plates.
A lot of shelf liners come on a roll and are meant to be cut to length. That means the most important measurement is the depth of the shelf; look for a roll that matches that to minimize the amount of cutting you'll have to do. Other liners come in fixed dimensions that are pre-cut to fit standard shelf sizes. Either way, you'll want to measure all your cabinets, drawers, and shelves prior to choosing a liner.
They aren’t necessary, but they’re very useful. Morgan says shelf liners help to “avoid damage to expensive surfaces, like kitchen cabinets and wood shelves, by creating a slick surface for items to easily be placed on.” She also says that “some liners are also made to protect areas from water damage,” such as under the sink.
In higher-traffic areas, they can catch crumbs and other particles, making cleaning much easier. In wooden drawers, shelf liners can also protect the blades of things like kitchen shears from being dulled by the hard surface.
Contact paper is paper with adhesive on one side, which comes in all sorts of colors and sizes for all sorts of purposes. You can use contact paper as a shelf liner in your kitchen, but the adhesive is apt to cause damage, and it isn't removable for cleaning. Contact paper is typically used more for decoration than for protection, and you might find it on walls, furniture, and even tabletops outside the kitchen.
Nearly all shelf liners can be spot-cleaned with a damp cloth. “Most shelf liners are specifically made to have a glossy wipeable finish, so you can easily clean them," says Morgan. If there are crumbs or a larger spill, you can pick up a non-adhesive liner to shake or rinse out over the sink. Some liners can be washed in the dishwasher or even a washing machine for clothes, but you should check the instructions for your brand.
For liners without adhesive, all you have to do is lift it up. For ones with adhesive, Morgan says that “it’s possible to remove shelf liners that have some sort of adhesive on the back by pulling up one corner, slowly pulling it up, and using Goo Gone or vinegar for any areas that are particularly sticky.”
non toxic shelf liner Ariane Resnick is a special diet chef, certified nutritionist, and bestselling author who loves a home to be as clean and organized as possible. You can find more of Ariane's writing at Simply Recipes, The Spruce Eats, Clean Plates, Huffington Post, Verywell, and Livestrong.