The Best Alternative To Traditional Bulky Dish Drying Racks For Small Kitchens

One of the most useful kitchen products is the dish drying rack, which takes away the need to hand dry every item. It's also a great excuse to leave them for a little bit (or for days) while still acknowledging you did the dishes. Basically, these modern day inventions save time regardless of how you use them. It seems redundant, then, to upgrade them any further, but there's actually a version of these that are even more useful. Instead of the standard dish racks that are placed to the side of your sink on your counter, roll-up dish drying racks can roll out over your sink basin, saving even more surface space in your kitchen. There are countless options, including the KRAUS Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack or the Roll Up Silicone and Stainless Steel Dish Drying Rack by Me Mother Earth. Whether you have a small cooking area to begin with or you just need as much countertop space as possible for other tasks, these units are ideal for making life a little easier.

Dish drying racks are handy because they give you a place to store freshly-cleaned utensils, plates, cups, pots, pans, and other dishware while they dry. Air drying is actually better for dishes in most cases, as towels can carry germs and bacteria even after just one use. Letting these remain in your rack for a little longer than usual is fine, too, as long as you don't mind the clutter. You should be cleaning your dish drying rack regularly anyways, and keeping it over-the-sink basin and near the faucet also makes it easier to rinse off after every use. 

There are a number of kitchen essentials that can double as a dish drying rack in a pinch, but what if you ditched the countertop versions altogether? While the space saving factor is certainly a huge draw for these, there's a second benefit that may seal the deal. By hanging a dish rack over your sink rather than placing it on your countertop, you're cutting out the need to clean surfaces after you put your dishes away. Whether you use a mat, towel, or pad under your traditional dish rack, these can soak through to your counters. The rack itself can also drip and leave watermarks, water, stains, and even leftover bits of food stuck to your surfaces. While they can be easy enough to clean, it does add one more task to your dish duty.

When you hang your dishes over the sink to drip dry on the hanger, the water goes back into the sink. From here, you can simply wash away any remnants or debris that fall from your dishes, including water stains. Therefore, you're basically cutting out an extra step. This could also help minimize germs and bacteria which can collect on the towels and pads that are usually placed beneath dryers on the counters. Furthermore, in a small kitchen, storage space is often limited. Another benefit of a roll-up mat is that it can be tucked away into a small drawer, where it will take up less space than a traditional drying rack. Repurpose your old dish drying rack and grab an over-the-sink option to make your kitchen more functional.