In a perfect world, every item used in the kitchen could go in the dishwasher and come out dry and ready for the shelves. In reality, many items must be hand-washed, which means they must be air-dried. For years, people have used the clunky, leaky standard dish racks that take up plenty of space on your counters. However, those who are serious about tidier counters as well as ensuring that dishes dry thoroughly and quickly are catching on to how great a roll-up dish drying rack like the Seropy Over The Sink Dish Drying Rack can be.
What to know before you buy a roll-up dish drying rack
They save space when in use and when stored
Standard dish racks are massive and monopolize too much counter space. A kitchen that has tons of counter space suddenly looks small once a big dish rack takes over a corner. Roll-up dish drying racks are designed to go over your sink, taking up zero counter space. What’s more is that when you aren’t using them, you can roll them into a compact shape and store them away in a cabinet. Clunk stationary dish racks can’t be stored. They take up space, whether you’re using them or not.
They dry items better
Regular dish drying racks have one inherent design flaw: their base sits very close to their bottom tray if not directly on it. This doesn’t give your wet items any room to air dry from the bottom, meaning they take a long time to dry. In the end, what you usually have are items that are still damp after a while and countertops that are seemingly always wet. No matter how many dish towels you put beneath the rack, you still find water on your counters. Because a roll-up dish drying rack sits over a sink basin, it allows for plenty of room beneath for proper ventilation and efficient drying. Plus, they keep your countertops dry.
They have many uses
There are other things you can do with a roll-up dish drying rack besides dry dishes. They’re also excellent for placing wet produce like heads of lettuce or boxes of berries. Patting these down with paper towels just leads to a lot of paper waste. Using a coriander means one more thing to clean. But if you simply place your rinsed fruits and vegetables on the roll-up dish drying rack, they can air dry.
Roll-up dish drying rack features
Material
The best materials for a roll-up dish drying rack are stainless steel, plastic and silicone. Stainless steel is a good option because of its resistance to rust. It is also strong and won’t bend beneath the weight of heavy items. Food-grade silicone is hygienic and won’t harbor bacteria. Silicone is also quite sturdy. Plastic is the best option for those seeking something budget-friendly and easy to clean.
Anti-slip edges
Be sure that your roll-up dish drying rack has wide anti-slip edges. These are what make direct contact with the sides of your sink. Materials like stainless steel and metal can be quite slippery, so you need anti-slip edges made of a material like silicone to make sure your rack stays put. The larger the anti-slip area is, the sturdier the item will be.
Silverware caddy
You might want a roll-up dish drying rack with a silverware caddy. Air drying silverware can be tricky since these slender items can easily fall through the grates of a drying rack. While that isn’t an issue with a counter rack, it is with a rolling rack that goes over your sink. Fortunately, many roll-up dish drying racks have a silverware caddy that has small perforations to allow for airflow.
Roll-up dish drying rack cost
Roll-up dish drying racks come in several sizes. Smaller options can cost as little as $10 while larger racks can cost $25.
Roll-up dish drying rack FAQ
How do you prevent a dish rack from rusting?
A. Materials such as stainless steel, silicone and plastic should not rust and are safe to be left damp after use. If you have a metal dish rack, be sure to pat it dry regularly to prevent rusting.
What size roll-up dish drying rack do I need?
A. Measure your sink basin and find a rack that is at least 1 inch larger lengthwise. At least an inch of the edges of the rack should sit over the counters to keep it sturdy.
Which roll-up dish drying rack should I get?
Best of the best roll-up dish drying rack
Seropy Over The Sink Dish Drying Rack: available at Amazon
Our take: This stainless steel rack is durable and rust-resistant.
What we like: Made of stainless steel, this roll-up dish drying rack won’t rust and can support up to 70 pounds so you’re free to load it up with hefty pots and pans. Its 15 steel tubes are held in place by anti-slip silicone edges.
What we dislike: The tubes pop out of the silicone parts sometimes.
Best bang for your buck roll-up dish drying rack
Kitsure Expandable Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack: available at Amazon
Our take: The length of this rack is adjustable, helping it fit into sinks of many sizes.
What we like: This versatile dish drying rack has a stretchable design so it accommodates sinks of many sizes. It has a handy silverware caddy for keeping those smaller items separate and soft silicone anti-slip edges to keep it in place.
What we dislike: Expanding the tubes takes a bit of arm strength.
Honorable mention roll-up dish drying rack
Zulay Kitchen Large Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack: available at Amazon
Our take: With silicone-wrapped steel rods, this rack is durable and stable.
What we like: This roll-up rack is a generous 20.5 by 13 inches and can hold a good number of dishes. With steel rods wrapped in silicone, it’s durable as well as slip-resistant. The silicone wrapping also makes it resistant to high heat. Plus, it’s available in several colors.
What we dislike: The dimensions are awkward for some sinks.
Julia Austin is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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