apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Container Store's Stainless Steel In-Sink Dish Drainer. No wasted counter space! It works best with a double sink, but if your single sink is deep and you wash fast, you can have all the clean dishes in the rack before the dirty water hits their bottom edges. (And if you don't meet that deadline, just rinse again after the sink drains.)

What about Simple Human? They are quite fantastic. http://www.simplehuman.com/products/dishracks/index.html

I have the Very Modern stainless rack (above), which I bought purely for its looks, being sick of plastic. It does not handle glasses well, but I mostly do pots and pans anyway (other stuff goes in the dishwasher). I did have to replace the stupid metal tray at the bottom for a clear rubber one that actually drains into the sink. Apparently I should have waited for the Rohan to come along.

Another vote for the Container Store's Stainless Steel In-Sink Dish Drainer. I have a double sink and little counter space so it has worked wonderfully.

I can't find it on their website, but Bed Bath & Beyond carries a drainer (similar to what usually goes under the dish rack) that is slightly more ribbed and tilted than most. For one person, it's enough to just stack dishes and glasses up on that without the rack at all. I have no counterspace, so it's great to lean up against the backsplash when not in use.

the only built in counterspace in my kitchen is next to the sink and its only big enough for a dish drain. as much as I would like to use that as real counter space, thats unrealistic.

i like to cook. when i cook i make dishes. its a much better use of that space to have a decent sized dish rack that i can quickly wash and store my dishes in while cooking, then have them piled all over this and that to dry and still taking over my limited amount of space.

while the dish drains may get smaller and more compact - the dishes and pots and pans don't. give me a real dish drain any day!

My new apartment came with a built in drying rack. It's amazing (you can see it on my flickr account in the new apartment set)!

It doesn't look like it's too hard or expensive to make if you have a few feet of wall space above the sink. I imagine you could use all types of materials too. Mine is a "distressed" look, which I know all aren't into.

I don't think I'll ever be able to clog counter space with a regular drying rack again!

lynnea - I couldn't agree more. I love freeing up the extra counter space. Here's mine:
http://img399.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dryingrack2he7.jpg

I agree on the Simple Human Compact dish rack...It's the best thing ever!! So cleverly designed. We've never had trouble fitting a whole meal's dishes in it, and the water runs straight into the sink, never hitting the counter! I looked into some of the others on the list when we moved into our tiny-kitchened apartment, but the simple human one was better by far.

Umm, I'm not typically one to get too excited about dish racks, but this one is...special?

I just bought Simple Human's U-Frame Dishrack last night at Bed Bath and Beyond after extensive dish rack research.

We've been using a two-tier dish rack for years and replacing the tray every time it got depressed in all the wrong places.

My requirements for the new dish rack were that it be similar in size (we're a family of four with no dishwasher), drain on the side (rather than the end), and have a sturdy tray. This unit met all those requirements.

It must still undergo field testing (I ran a few water tests this morning and it performed as expected), but my husband likes it, and he's not easy to please.

I have this OXO dish rack. Cheap, funky looking, blends in with my white kitchen, expands as necessary.

I have an expandable over the sink dish drainer that I got from BB&B. Something similar from the Container Store. I really don't like using it, but it's better than those Rubbermaid plastic drainers with the mats for the counter.

Also, for the most part it holds most of my dishes in one wash. Drying glasses, cups and mugs can make it difficult to stack the other dishes. Overall, I think it's good for people that don't have to do alot of dish washing.

I have the bamboo dish rack (#2 on list) and dislike it. The bamboo gets gnarly after a while and it doesn't come with a plastic tray. The simple human dish racks looks awesome, though. I may trade up!

I have a metal looking one I bought at Target when I moved last year, I want to say I didn't spend more then $10 on it. I luckily have a dual sink, so one side is just for the dishrack and I never put it on the countertop, which is huge as that was the only countertop I had when I first moved in there.

I have very limited counter space, so I laid a dish towel down and put my wet, clean dishes on that. This "system" encourages me to dry -- although sometimes I leave them overnight. Anyway, it's easy to replace the dish towel, and, of course, dish towels are washable.

The IKEA Stromling rack http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,677419,00.html

Dishracks are like books -- inherently ugly and best kept out of sight except during the moments when you're actually using them. Especially in soft-water places like New York, where drip-drying is fine.

So the only good dishrack is one that hides behind closed doors in the over-sink cabinet, with the bottom of the cabinet opened up for drainage and ventilation. Make me one of those, please, Simple Human . . . Ikea . . . anyone.

I second the OXO - we have tried several and this is the best. It is adjustable, relatively easy to clean, and I think quite attractive. Go OXO.

I bought a Simple Human dishrack, and loved it until the plastic thingy underneath that catches the water and channels it into my sink broke off after like three months (how?? it just sits there on my counter!) I ended up taping it back on, but will be throwing it away rather taking it with me on my upcoming move.

i've used the Marc Newson Dish Doctor for 4 years, and just gave it up for the Ikea ORDNING.

i really liked the dish doctor, except it was very hard to clean through all the prongs, and it never felt super clean because water kept pooling in the draining holes...

i like stainless steel after my conversion, it drains better and is easier to keep clean.

I have been using Karim Rashid's amazing La Tina dishrack designed for Guzzini for many years - found it in a shop that carries loads of Guzzini stuff near Kolonaki square in Athens. It used to come in many colours but of course I have a green kitchen, so green it was for me...hehe. Now it is only available in white or orange (in their website at least). It is not the easiest to clean but I love it. The plastic is great quality too and it was something like 25-20 dollars. I remember carrying it into a paperbag in the plane from Athens to Thessaloniki and the strange looks I got when people peeked in the bag, LOL.

This is the one I have, although I bought it elsewhere and can't remember where that was, but its the same thing:

http://www.organizes-it.com/poextdishrack.php?t=2&rtnFile=dishracks&rtnDisplay=Dish%20Racks

Excellent for one person but that's it. It holds enough for one meal and some extras and keeps counter space free because it sits right in the sink, by elevated enough from the sink bottom so you can wash on the clear side and put the dishes in the rack and the clean one's don't get dirty.

I found this yesterday at the Container Store. It's by a company called Casalinghi, and it's called the Snips Sesamo. It folds up like a little suitcase.

http://www.snips.it/cucinaENG/sesamo.htm

http://www.snips.it/imgENG/cucina/Sesamo_big.jpg

http://www.snips.it/imgENG/cucina/Sesamo_small.jpg

http://www.snips.it/imgENG/cucina/Sesamo_small2.jpg

I have very little counter space in my apartment and couldn't bare to see it go to waste on account of dish drying (especially considering how much i hate dish washing). I have something similar to this: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=7&langId=-20&productId=85944 that hangs on a rail system and folds flat against the wall when not in use. My actual rail system and dsh rack has been discontinued, but I love that even when dishes are drying I can still use the counter space I have.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=312399157&size=o
Our solution was found after coming to Japan for 10 days. Everything is perfectly sized for tiny apartments, and a dishrack that was under 12 inch wide (that's all the space available on the left side of the counter) was found for only $3! (the infamous and fantastic 300 yen store).

I realize this is really obscure, but if you have Japanese friends - this is really the best solution. It is a tiny dishrack, very minimalistic and non intrusive, and fits plates, glasses and cutlery for 2.

Don't ask me why I left cupboards open... I was proud of all the organizing that has happened :)

I prefer the ORIGINAL OXO pop up dishrack seen here. I've had it for about 3 or 4 years, it's fantastic and looks even better. It seems to be of more dish-holding fortitude than the other OXO mentioned above. I managed to get mine below recommended retail price at the Crate and Barrel Outlet. It, with the utensil rack, usually comes to $45. I got it for $20. Now, if only Bodum would come out with one--that's the only reason i'd trade up.
Cheers--

Books, ugly?

You would really hate my place, wall to wall books!

I also bought the very modern stainless rack by Polder because it was the only dishrack whose appearance didn't make me want to kill myself. Like the other person who posted here, I also had to buy a plastic drain board since this model does not drain. Then, after just a week or so of regular use, rust appeared in the joints and edges so I returned it to the Container Store.

You don't need a special dishrack to put it in the sink while the dishes dry. The Rubbermaid will do and I think it comes in two sizes. My New York sink was quite small. A dishrack looks a lot more organized than the towel technique. And white dishes on a white dish rack can almost look sculptural.

In Italy, they keep the dishrack in a cabinet over the sink, and it drains into the sink.

Here are photos from an aprtment we stayed in in Florence -

Here is the dish rack open

http://bp1.blogger.com/_D8X9hATEJWI/RqzpoHiLcHI/AAAAAAAABl8/3qRbDBx8r38/s400/drying dishes italy 1.JPG

And closed !
http://bp1.blogger.com/_D8X9hATEJWI/RqzpsHiLcII/AAAAAAAABmE/JUpknubljwM/s400/drying dishes italy 2.JPG

i have the Very Modern Stainless number. i agree that the tray is a waste of space. i have a double sink, so i set the rack over one sink while i wash in the other. i hang the rack in a just big enough space between the fridge and the cabinets.

Ok - so what's the deal with the ORDNING from IKEA, I like the thing, but how the heck do you keep water from draining all over the counter? I never in a million years thought I would have so much trouble finding a dish drain mat to go with an IKEA product. Most drainboards drain off the short edge rather than the long edge - interesting I say.

I bought 2 cd racks from Ikea, like the Inreda

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30105369

and I put it on the bottom of my sink.

Hey ShizzleDizzle,
Did you ever find a drain mat to fit your Ikea dish rack?
I'm stumped.

I've tried all of the above... stainless, rubber, clear plastic, folding bamboo.. even resorted to using thick dish towels on the counter for a while, which works pretty well and you just pop them in the washer every week. However I've found the holy grail of dish racks...

http://www.organize.com/bamboo-dish-drainer-drainforest-better-houseware.html

Not only is it sculpturally beautiful (swoon) and "drainforest friendly" it works well and is finely crafted. The bamboo is above average quality. The prongs and legs are stainless steel and very strong and stable. It's slender, which if you have a tiny kitchen and a small amount of dishes would be just perfect. I bought 2 of them and bolted them together with galvanized window repair straps available at all hardware stores for about $3... For me 2 together is the perfect size. I love seeing it and using it everyday... Retails around $43. Cheap for a well designed rack that gets used daily.