The Best: We Found the 17 Very Best Products of 2024, Including the Top Vacuum, Leggings, and More

Sometimes it’s not enough for our editors to be instantly impressed by a product. Sometimes we want to push it to the limits in one of our three labs, our own homes, or both to see how it holds up under pressure. We cook, we wear, we smear, we clean. We evaluate and tally. Then we give out the REAL SIMPLE Selects seal. When we put that label on something, that means it’s among the 5,200-plus products we’ve formally evaluated according to strict protocols. On this list: some of our current faves.

Best Ceramic Cookware

Caraway Cookware Set

These four pots and pans are as functional as they are pretty. Our cooks loved the comfy handles and wide surface area, noting that food reliably slid out time and time again. “The nonstick quality is great, and the included pan rack and lid organizer make it a fantastic value,” a tester says. The pieces are oven-safe up to 550°F and come in a myriad of colors.

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Best Clothes Steamer

Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam Steam & Press

Small but mighty, this guy beat the competition with its smart design, efficient heating, and overall effectiveness. It removed wrinkles in a variety of fabrics, like cotton, linen, and silk, and took just 40 seconds to heat up. “It’s faster and easier to use than my iron,” one tester says. The 7.3-ounce water tank equals about 15 minutes of steaming fun, and the extra bells and whistles (including a bristle brush, a stand, and a clamp to create pleats!) sweeten the deal. Testers also enjoyed the long cord and comfy grip. $60; conair.com

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Best Disposable Spray Mop

Swiffer PowerMop

For this test, we spilled and smeared apple juice, butter, canola oil, ketchup, and muddy shoes on hardwood and grouted floors. We let everything sit for 10 minutes while we tested the mops’ maneuverability around a mock dining area. Then we got to cleaning, keeping a tally of how many sprays and swipes were needed to undo each mess. Afterward, we wiped a paper towel along the floor to check for residue. This mop was the only one to get a perfect score. “It’s the best mop I have ever used,” gushes one tester, who’s been cleaning her floors at home with it for six months. “I would recommend this mop to literally anyone.”

Check out more tester-approved spray mops.

Best Bath Towel

Italic Serene UItraplush Australian Cotton Bath Towels

After we evaluated 99 (!) towels in our lab, a tester took the 22 best home for a deeper look. “The Italic towel stood out because it has a dense, weighty feel that alludes to luxury—but it’s an absolute steal,” she says. In the lab, it earned a perfect score for absorbency, soaking up four ounces of water in 10 seconds and drying in 90 minutes. At home, stains washed right out, and softness lingered without any signs of wear. “It’s a true luxury towel that costs less than expected,” the tester says. 

Check out more tester-approved bath towels.

Best Wet-to-Dry Hair Straightener

Dyson Airstrait

“My hair came out really nice,” one tester raves. “It looked like I’d had a professional blowout.” After we tested nearly two dozen straighteners on different types of hair extensions and real strands, the Airstrait emerged as the clear winner for wet-to-dry styling, Finishing the job in around 10 minutes flat (pun intended!). Why’s it so great? It uses air instead of hot plates, so there’s no tugging or slipping. Sure, it’s spendy, but it’s oh so effective. “I love a Cher-inspired straight hair look, and this got me closer than I’ve ever been,” another tester says.

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Best Dehumidifier

Honeywell 32-Pint Smart Portable Dehumidifier

This winner impressed testers right off the bat. While it comes with lots of smart features (the app alerts you when the tank is full), the Energy Star–certified machine has just two simple settings (low and high). “I was surprised by how much water it was collecting during the summer,” one tester says. “I was emptying the tank twice or sometimes three times a day.” Tip: Use the collected water for your plants!

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Best Silicone Storage Bags

Stasher 4-Pack Bundle

“These bags are amazing. They clean easily in the dishwasher, and they don’t stain—not even when lled with tomato sauce—or smell after ve years of use,” says one tester, who’s a longtime fan. Others agreed, adding that the bags are leakproof, microwave-safe, able to stand up on their own, and available in all sorts of sizes. In the lab, we tested for freshness, leaks, smells, etc. The Stashers won every time.

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Best Dry Food Storage Containers

Rubbermaid Brilliance 10-Piece Plastic Food Storage Set

These containers really are brilliant—the lids especially. The rubber gasket keeps things airtight, the two snap-on latches add extra protection from spills, and built-in vents make for easy microwaving. (“Intensely seals,” one tester notes.) There’s even a little lip that helps you open the container. As for the containers, they don’t hold on to stains or smells. In the lab, we lled all of them with tomato sauce and chopped yellow onions and let them sit for three nights. After washing, there was no evidence left behind! A 10-piece set features ve stackable, shatterproof containers in three sizes, allowing for lots of creativity in the pantryorganizing department. (They can also go into the freezer and dishwasher.) Top marks for performance, durability, ease of use, and design.

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Best Black Leggings

Vuori Daily Legging

“The unicorn of leggings,” gushes one tester, who says the fabric feels like lotion. “So soft. So dreamy. So gently compressive. And there’s a drawstring. Why don’t more leggings have a drawstring?” she says. “Wearing them feels almost like wearing nothing at all.” The ankles have a slight cuff to prevent bunching, the waist hits above the belly button to stay in place, and the black is totally opaque even with patterned underwear.

Check out more of the best leggings.

Best Sleeper Sofa

Joybird Briar Sleeper Sofa

Our at-home testers initially found this couch to be overly firm, but after a few months of Netflix sessions, butts felt right at home. The sleeper part? That was comfy from the start. It opens and folds back up in just a minute. The sofa also got high praise for its looks—a cool midcentury silhouette with two bolster pillows—and plentiful fabric options. “I got a petproof fabric, so nothing stains,” one tester says. “I have a dog, and every stain comes out. It looks the same as it did six months ago.”

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Best Air Purifier

Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier

The air in our homes can be worse than the air outside—yikes! But air purifiers can help. To test some, we set up stations around a lab and recorded baseline levels of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. We introduced a contaminant at each station—mothballs, room deodorizer, etc.—and recorded the levels again. Then we ran the machines and tested once more. This machine, with a three-in-one filter, was one of the most effective, and impressively quiet. $220; levoit.com

Check out all the tester-approved air purifiers.

Best Stainless Steel Skillet

Made In Cookware 10-Inch Stainless Clad Frying Pan

Clocking in with perfect scores for design, performance, durability, and ease of cleaning, this pan got an A+ on every single one of our tests. We seared salmon, whipped up chicken piccata, made delicate butter sauces, performed thermal shock and drop tests to check for durability, and more. (We’re nothing if not thorough! And buttery!) “This skillet feels very well balanced,” says one tester, who’s a private chef. “I don’t see how you could go wrong with it.”

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Best Canister Vacuum

Miele Classic Turbo Team PowerLine

While some vacuums are great on, say, hardwood, they kinda suck on carpets—and vice versa. This one, however, has easy-to-adjust suction levels, so you can move throughout the house. On both medium-pile carpet and luxury vinyl tile, we scattered a quarter cup of crunched-up dry dog food and four ounces of pet hair and cleaned it all up. “The highest setting is almost powerful enough to rip the carpet o the oor,” one tester jokes. It’s ridiculously maneuverable, with a swivel head that gets around furniture and wheels that keep the chore from feeling like a workout. Also: “It sounds more like a fan than a vacuum,” a second tester notes.

Check out more top-performing vacuums.

Best Trash Can

SimpleHuman 45-Liter Rectangular Step Can

“This is the nicest trash can I’ve ever had,” one tester says. “It feels super sturdy and heavy-duty. The exterior is stainless steel and has a fingerprint-resistant finish, which is a nice touch. And I love the liner rim that keeps the bag in place.” That’s right—the can has a special rim system that secures the bag and then lifts up for fuss-free emptying. There’s a built-in dispenser for extra bags and a plant-based oil pod that neutralizes odors for 45 days. It comes in two other sizes, plus a black or white finish. “Is it weird to get excited about a trash can?” another tester asks. “I don’t care, because I did!”

Check out more top-rated trash cans.

Best Washable Rug

Ruggable Kamran Coral Rug

We gathered 28 washable rugs and poured coffee and red wine on each. Ten minutes later, we used a DIY stain remover. We also rubbed the rugs with a brush to mimic pet claws and dirtied them with potting soil. Then we tossed them into the wash. The Kamran Rug, featuring Ruggable’s beloved two-part system (a low-pile, machine-washable cover and a thick rug pad), knocked our figurative socks off. “My cat has vomited on the rug twice, and both times I was able to completely clean it,” a tester says.

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Best Stylish Blackout Curtains

Threshold Blackout Stripe Border Window Curtain Panel

Forget that weird, kinda shiny material that’s typical of blackout curtains. These are cute! Each 50-by-84-inch panel has a striped border and a solid section for a cool layered effect. “I ended up moving them to a different room because they were too good at blocking out light,” says a tester, who’s had them for more than a year. Extra points for the rod pocket and machine washability.

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Best Wireless Bra

Wacoal Comfort First Wire Free T-Shirt Bra

Bra shopping doesn’t have to be a bust! With a near-perfect score (for fit, support, quality, comfort, and adjustability), this winner beat out more than 20 contenders. One tester wore it during a 16-hour flight from New York City to Abu Dhabi. “It offered enough comfort that I could sleep without wanting to fling it away,” she says. It has a stretchy band, thin memory foam cups, and legit full coverage.

Check out more wireless bras.