5 New Kitchen Products That Can Actually Improve Your Health

The kitchen can be the busiest — and often the germiest — place in the house. To keep it as clean as possible, you can’t beat hands-free functionality for help to prevent the spread of bacteria, dirt, etc. That's one of the great things about the Beckon Faucet with Touchless Technology; simply turn the faucet on and off with a wave of the hand and you can prep, clean, and cook without worrying about cross contamination.

I'm a big believer in a colorful kitchen and, no, beige is not what I mean by color, but it can be easy to get intimidated by paint choices. If you're still on the fence about adding a splash of color to the kitchen though, I think the new Paint Shield from Sherwin-Williams will totally seal the deal. Available in 550 colors, it's the first EPA-registered paint that kills greater than 99.9 percent of Staph (Staphylococcus aureus), MRSA, E. coli, VRE, and Enterobacter aerogenes within two hours of exposure on a painted surface. Talk about a healthy — and beautiful — kitchen!

I'm a big fan of laminate because of its eco-friendly nature, durability, and style, but I absolutely fell in love with the new Cipollino Grigio design which looks like a large-scale quartz design with striking movement in a warm, sophisticated slate grey. Then my mind was really blown when I heard it also had antimicrobial protection. Wilsonart's enhanced antimicrobial protection is built directly into the laminate to protect the surface against damaging microbes such as mold, mildew, and bacteria that cause odors. Perfection personified!

The need for clean drinking water isn't a hot new trend; it's a basic necessity we should all have access to and feel secure we're getting. Pentair has been offering innovative commercial water filtration systems for 80 years and now has brought that expertise to the home. Its new residential EverPure filtration systems easily fit under the kitchen sink and provide not only clean, great-tasting drinking water straight to the tap, but also reduce contaminants, like pharmaceuticals, BPA, and over-the-counter medications, that may be found in drinking water.

When living in a small space, you often have to sacrifice a lot. That's why I loved this new 24" Glass Door Refrigerator from Bosch, which offers 10 cubic feet of space, but is also ENERGY STAR rated with LED lighting, has a HydroFresh drawer to extend the life of fruits and veggies (less waste and more saved money? Yes, please!), and a wine rack and sealed crisper. Oh, and the glass door makes it easy to keep clean, plus I discovered a dry erase marker can be used on it to make shopping lists, leave notes or reminders, etc.