Got a Small Kitchen? Get a Small Dish Rack!

5 Neat Things5 Neat ThingsJolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist and the host of the podcast “Ask a Clean Person.” Each week, she’ll round up five essential cleaning products, tools and organizational systems to help you live your tidiest lives.

Tiny kitchen people unite and let us sing to one another of the clever ways we’ve maximized space in our impossibly minuscule kitchens!

I’ll start, but it will be more of a spoken word performance because my singing voice isn’t what it used to be: An eagle-eyed Twitter follower spotted my very tiny dish rack in a photo I shared (it was full of just-washed vibrators, you see) and asked where I got it. Unfortunately, it was given to me years ago by a friend and I haven’t the foggiest notion of where it came from before it got to him. But! I have rounded up five other small dish racks for all your small kitchen needs.

A Minimalist Look

This steel-frame and wood-handled model is an attractive alternative to most dish racks. It has slots for drying plates upright, and an open section for mugs, glasses, and bowls. The utensil cup can be removed for easy washing, and the drying rack set comes with a resin tray to catch excess water. This dish rack can be wall-mounted or used on a countertop.

An R- or S-Shaped Chrome Rack

The Better Chef drying rack is available in two styles, R-shaped or S-shaped, and both come in 16″ and 22″ sizes. The racks can hold up to 18 plates or bowls, and has a utensil cup for holding cutlery, as well as a side rack that can hold six mugs and glasses. The rack also comes with a plastic drying mat.

A Super Basic Metal Dish Drainer

This rectangular chrome dish rack is about as no-frills as you’ll find: It has 12 slots for holding plates, bowls, mugs or glasses, and a removable cutlery cup for drying of silverware and utensils. The dish rack is 12.5″ x 5.5″ x 4″, making it small enough to be used as a countertop drying rack or as an in-sink unit.

A No-Frills Plastic Dish Rack

This two-piece plastic dish rack comes apart for easy cleaning, which is a nice feature especially for plastic drying racks that tend to develop spots of mold or mildew after prolonged use. It has a built-in utensil holder, and an angled drainboard that allows water to drain off directly into the sink.

An Over-the-Sink Roll-Up Drying Rack

Roll-up dish drying racks are a bit of a newcomer, and people SWEAR by them. This model has stainless steel struts fitted with silicone grips on both ends to hold it in place over your sink. The rack can be used to hold plates, bowls, glasses, and mugs, as well as heavier items like pots and pans. It can also double as a colander to wash and drain fruits and vegetables.