J-cloths.
They give some but not a lot of traction, so minimize objects slipping around.
Also, pick up the gritty bits that inevitably fall to bottom of drawers.
Can be easily removed, washed (if you do that), replaced.
Nothing! I feel like this is a holdover from the fifties. I really appreciate being able to wipe down the shelves as needed--same with the drawers--and not have to remove/replace a really pointless piece of material. I don't get the point, really, of shelf liner or drawer liner.
I found some nice cork shelf liners at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I've had them on my shelves and drawers for 4 years now and they still look great! They also are (supposedly) naturally resistant to mold and mildew. Perfect for a kitchen!
I also didn't peel the backing off as I had to deal with the aftermath of the previous owner's shelf liners. Adhesive EVERYWHERE! Anyways, the liners flattened out after a week or so and don't budge.
I'm really glad you asked this, A Ross. I have seriously unattractive cabinet shelves -- 1950's era pressboard -- so "don't use any" just isn't an option. I lined them with Williams-Sonoma cork about 5 years ago, but the cork is not durable and cannot be cleaned. Replacing them has been on my project plan for about a month now. ;o)
On a similar note, a friend once had some cork flooring underlayment left over from another project and used it inside kitchen cabinets. It was not durable at all and was removed after just a few months. Of course that particular material is designed to go under flooring, but my friend thought it was worth a shot since it was already on hand.
I found precut vinyl flooring on Lowes/HD is a great solution for it. They have 6'x9' roll on clearance often because it is considered 'leftover'. Cheap, easy to cut, have foamy bottom layer, and waterproof.
It really depends on your interest, budget, etc. You can go cheap and use the self-adhesive "shelf liner" plastic stuff that one would find at Target, the hardware store, etc.
Or you could go to an upscale kitchen supply store like Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, or similar places and buy what they offer.
Another option is to visit a local restaurant supply store. They have tons of this stuff.
When I moved into my place, the previous owner had installed the cheapo adhesive stuff and I left it that way.
I use those rubber(?) liners that keep stuff from shifting around in the drawers. For shelves I use the smooth stuff so that I can easily move items around.
I like shelf liner in drawers but not on cabinet shelves (no idea why I make that distinction), we have some fun options in the shop here: https://food52.com/shop/search?q=shelf+liner
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They give some but not a lot of traction, so minimize objects slipping around.
Also, pick up the gritty bits that inevitably fall to bottom of drawers.
Can be easily removed, washed (if you do that), replaced.
Or you could go to an upscale kitchen supply store like Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, or similar places and buy what they offer.
Another option is to visit a local restaurant supply store. They have tons of this stuff.
When I moved into my place, the previous owner had installed the cheapo adhesive stuff and I left it that way.