Is A Drying Drawer A Worthwhile Alternative To A Drying Rack?

Everyone loves a clean and tidy kitchen, and clutter-free countertops play a big part in that. While it's easy enough to stash groceries and appliances out of sight, wet dishes are another story. Washing them — whether by hand or in the dishwasher — isn't the issue. The challenge is figuring out what to do with them while they're still wet. You could dry them by hand (time-consuming), run an extra dry cycle in the dishwasher (some things still don't get fully dry), or stack them on a drying rack next to the sink. But that last option adds visual clutter.

Enter the Dryer Drawer. Designed with the sole purpose of drying dishes, this innovative kitchen appliance chugs quietly away within the hidden confines of a deep drawer in your kitchen. Think about it: the dishes that were causing your clean kitchen to still look messy — gone. Not just out of sight, but out of mind. In a couple of hours, everything's dry and ready to be packed away. All that's left to do is wipe away any excess water at the bottom of the Dryer Drawer. Easy peasy. Now, if only it weren't such a splurge, especially when a basic drying rack gets the job done just fine.

Similar to the Finnish drying cabinet, a genius storage method that dries your dishes at the same time, the Dryer Drawer is also aimed at drying dishes behind the scenes. But unlike its Finnish counterpart, it actively assists the drying process. And it does so from inside a drawer, rather than a cabinet above your sink. The Dryer Drawer uses a small, quiet fan to circulate air around wet or damp dishes inside a large vented container, speeding up the process through convection rather than heat. The moist air is then expelled back into the kitchen, and to prevent mold growth, the drawer stays slightly ajar while doing its job thanks to a retractable pin. 

It fits neatly inside a deep kitchen drawer, removing drying clutter from countertops and eliminating the need for towel drying, which can spread germs. It's especially handy for items that don't dry well in dishwashers — like plasticware, for example. As for drying time, it typically takes between one and four hours. The Dryer Drawer measures a little under 20 inches wide, 17 inches deep, and about 9 inches high. Standard deep drawers (typically around 10 to 12 inches tall) should accommodate it with a bit of room to spare on the sides and front to back. 

There's no installation required, either. Just plug it into a 110V outlet using the included 8-foot power cord. If you're short on time, hate countertop clutter, have a drawer to spare, and can justify the nearly $400 price tag, the Dryer Drawer might just be a worthwhile alternative to a drying rack.

Reviews confirm that the Dryer Drawer dries dishes effectively. However, @design.build.remodeling pointed out in their TikTok video that it feels a little on the cheap side. Then there's the lack of a rack. Without one, you're left with no option but to pile wet dishes on top of one another. Overall, it does what it's supposed to do, but there's plenty of room for improvement. 

If you already own a dishwasher, adding a Dryer Drawer might not be the most practical choice in terms of cost or space. Most dishwashers come with heat or air-dry settings, which usually add about an extra 30 minutes to an hour to the cycle. How effective it is also depends on how well you packed the dishwasher to begin with. Another, less resource-heavy alternative is to let your dishes air dry in the dishwasher by leaving the door slightly open. At the end of the day, you're probably better off sticking with a regular drying rack or switching to a stone drying mat. Either way, you'll need to make peace with the visual clutter. If your curiosity is piqued, just note that the Dryer Drawer's 30-day return policy only covers unused items. To see it in action, you'll need to find a local stockist to demo it for you.