Wet countertops under dish rack.

I have this basic Rubbermaid dish rack wdrain board. Looking for a new solution here because it is a recurring problem of wet countertops/drying mats.The dish rack has a tray and I put towels and/or drying mat underneath in a wide berth on the counters.

I like the convenience of having a counter top dish rack right next to the sink, where I can do the quick wash and half dry and then onto the rack and air dry. My roommate doesn’t seem to want to dry at all.(working on that) If I leave it like that with the hopes of it just self drying, it pretty much turns into a mildew mess in 3 days time.

Do I need to try different dish rack, drying mats? maybe a restaurant counter rubber one?

Any help on this is appreciated.

I have one of these. I’ve had mildew issues with drying racks too. I haven’t with this - I often put a kitchen towel under it when using it on the counter (it also can fit over the sink but I only do that with pots.

https://m.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/204870-over-the-sink-roll-drying-rack.html

There are firm rubber mats made for this, that are raised on one end and have a lip to drain into the sink on the opposite end. Or, if the tray you have is stiff enough, elevate one end by keeping a plate or small board under it.

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I take the minimalist approach and don’t use a tray or towels. Once I’ve filled the rack I slide it to one side and wipe up the water with a sponge.

Yeah I might try to elevate it, wet stuff still over hangs some through.

Ughh what a mess I discovered because got busy and forgot for a week. Total biology experiment.I just tossed the towels and worthless drying mats.

There’s got to be some solutions out there. Thanks for trying to help you guys and any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks Thimes, I thought about an over the sink, and I think if I pick my spots when I want to dry stuff it could work some of the time. I don’t want it taking up the basin w dishes glasses when I have to get in there.

I have one like this from the same company . Water drains back into the sink . I got mine at B. B. and Beyond . http://www.simplehuman.com/slim-wire-frame-dishrack-stainless-steel

I have this drainer, but I bought mine at Costco:

You put the lip over the sink edge so the water drains right into the sink. It’s tilted slightly so no water collects in the tray.I have the utensil holder clipped to the same side as the tray lip, so the water drains onto the lip and into the sink.

Is a built-in draining board not normal in the US? Here in the UK 90% of kitchens have something like this, with a dish rack sat on the draining bit. No mildew problems, ever:

http://kitchensinksandtaps.co.uk/ibis-150-stainless-steel-sink/3046

Very uncommon here in the US. If someone was installing a sink unit of that size it would be much more common to have 2 sinks (side by side) rather than having the drainage area.

drainboard sinks used to be quite common. porcelain over cast iron.

then came the modern kitchen with stainless steel sinks - much less common in stainless.

Hi Robin Joy,

Thats more commercial restaurant style, which would be great. I would love to have a single deep sink w/attached drainboard.However I live in an apt with crap/worn built in countertops/cabinets. Uggh don’t get me started on the stove either. Well the rents cheap at least. If I am going to stay here for awhile I am seriously considering demoing the existing countertops/cabinets and going all modular commercial SS. I would just put in a 24in wide single sink w/ 18-24 inch drainboard and a SS 24 depth X 36 length work table and really like a Garland or Bakers Pride Space saver gas oven. I would have to drop $$$ 2 to 3 k total with everything ,but resale on this commercial restaurant stuff is good, so I might just do it! Man decent deal on the Bakers Pride right now. What a little gas power house it is…would love it!

Really? i’ve never seen one, but it’s a great idea, I think, as long as there’s room for two sinks too

I have a stainless steel counter top with 2 sinks. Originally, a matching design dish rack comes with the second sink, but the size is a bit too small, and we prefer using the sink instead. Well, there isn’t much mildew unless we leave it unclean for really long time, but the calcium built up is fast. I think the Simple Human solution might work, but the best way is to be diligent and to clean it often as @Babette suggested.

The dishwasher is right next to our sink so I put wet dishes in there to dry. . . is yours close enough to use?

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I also bought a Kitchen Aid drying rack from Costco (like this: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-Stainless-Steel-Panel-Drainboard/dp/B00NMARTM2). It is elevated and sits on a sloped mat underneath that titles and drains into the sink. The mat also easily slides out if you need to wipe or wash it. Haven’t had mildew problems with this, and is great. A bit large, but for a lazy dryer like me, allows me to pile up more dishes!

Been using a couple of big bar mats to passively dry items that don’t need to go in the dishwasher

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Bar mat, you say? Rubber or textile material? I ask because we use dish drying mats that are made of textile material and I wondered if there might be a better solution I have overlooked.

The textile dish drying mats work well, though they have the disadvantage that there’s no airflow beneath the items placed on them. Not a dealbreaker, because I simply pick up items and finish drying them with a dishcloth. But not everyone in my house will do that. :wink:

Rubber as far as I can tell

These work okay

Purchased from a site on Amazon.

Thicker than some mats out there. It’s 1 cm thick but

What I was hoping for and its hard to tell from pictures was a this style mat that I’ve seen in some bars. It’s 1.75cm thick

image

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Thanks for sharing. A bar mat of this sort could be a candidate after the dish drying mats we have are ready to be retired. We used dish racks forever but they take up valuable counter space when not in use.