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  1. #1
    nupe is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default The kitchen sink area

    So I'm rethinking the whole kitchen sink area. I have stainless steel sink and granite counters. We use the dishwasher daily. Typically run at night, empty during breakfast. I would love your suggestions before I buy too many random items!

    Where to dry hand washed dishes and knives?
    It took me forever to find the PERFECT dish drying rack. I use it to dry large pots, and knives etc. I don't like it for cups and little things that are dishwasher safe as I feel strongly that some people in my house are haphazard hand-dishwashers (DH and inlaws when they visit). My inlaws use my dishrack to drain vegetables too. So in other words it is just one more thing to clean, and it's hard to clean. And mine is dark grey and shows calcium from hard water. So I want to replace it with something easier to clean. This is what I have now, but without the wine glass holder. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stor...ord=dish+racks

    I have the rubbery things with ridges and I can rinse that off pretty well, so that is what I'm using now. But I have to be on the watch to make sure no one else gets water under it. http://www.amazon.com/Polder-Multi-P.../dp/B006RBH56S

    I have 2 layer cloth placemats that I use (dedicated) for the funtainers because I wanted all the pieces together!!

    For wine glasses I use a plastic grid with tray (from container store a LONG time ago) that is the width of a wine glass and holds about 4 of them at a time, and can be run through the dishwasher, which I do at least weekly.

    I could use bath/beach towels and I have for overflow. But I want something dedicated to the dish area.

    Do I want something like this that's washable? And I can wash weekly? http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stor...mat/1018568578
    But then what do I use for knives?

    Hand drying towel
    I used an over the cabinet bar but then my cabinet got water marks on it, not sure how to prevent that, so now I use a bathroom towel bar on the counter, and that works okay. Similar to this but with a larger base: http://www.amazon.com/Gatco-1546-Cou...untertop+towel Suggestions? Favorite hand/dish towels? I have some W-S towels that are in good condition except for they are grungy gray (no longer white) and everytime I go to replace them I don't because they will just turn grungy too. I use tide free and Charlie's soap with vinegar rinse.

    To hand wash dishes
    To prerinse dishes before dishwasher I prefer to use a brush. I have a long brush that has lasted a long time but it's bristles are smashed. I have been able to run it in the dishwasher and have tried and thrown away many other brushes. It's time to find one better than this one. To wash dishes I have been using a sponge, but I then have to microwave it daily and other people who use my sponge forget to rinse it and squeeze it. Wondering if I would do better with something in microfiber that is thinner that I can dry over the double sink partition. Like this? http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produ...-NoFacet-_--_- And then I can launder the cloths daily!

    Napkins
    We already use cloth napkins and washcloths. We use actual napkins but I think the kids prefer washcloths. I got a large pack recently at Costco. I think I'm happy with this one. We use reusable for lunch at school too. Kind of pricey but we've been using them for years and they are "separate" from the at home pile. http://www.amazon.com/Fabkins-Everyd...s=kids+napkins

    Counters
    For wiping the counters I use handiwipes and another kind that can be recycled...but I think I should switch to microfiber cloths, suggestions? The yellow pack at Costco?

    Thanks!
    Nupe
    DS1 2004
    DS2 2007

  2. #2
    KrisM is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Default

    For dishes, most of ours go in the dishwasher. For things I hand wash, I have one of these drying pads: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stor...ord=drying+mat. It hangs on the cabinet under the sink when not in use. I wash, set them on the mat, and then dry and put away and hang up the mat. I have a microfiber towel that is used to dry and it hangs inside the under sink cabinet.

    I use thin dishtowels for paper towels. They're about washcloth sized, but in the kitchen section. I have a couple dozen and use them to wipe counters, clean the appliances, etc. I have a kitchen wet bag on my stove that I put them in. I use a clean dish rag when I start washing dishes and when I'm done, I stick it in the wet bag. I go about 3 days between washing and it works well.

    I rinse dishes for the dishwasher by just holding them under the running water for a second. I just need to get chunks off and do not need to scrub them to put them in.
    Kris

  3. #3
    egoldber's Avatar
    egoldber is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Default

    I used to use a drying rack, but for the last several years, I just put things that need to air dry on a hand towel on the counter. I have many hand towels (20ish) and I use the ones that are not in the best of shape for this. When I put the dishes away, I just replace it with a new one. I don't dry things with a towel at all, I just let them air dry. I air dry virtually everything this way (see pans, below ). I do dry my good knives with a cloth.

    Pots and pans I usually put on top of the cook top to air dry.

    I use small, thin washcloths to wipe my counter.

    I actually don't like microfiber very much. It's very rough and catches on my hands. And I find that stuff gets embedded in it and won't come out.
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  4. #4
    hellokitty is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Default

    We only run the DW once a day, unless it's really busy. Howeer, I cook a lot, so it's inevitable that I have to hand wash a lot. I agree that it's a pita to find the right DW rack. I've noticed the simply human has some nice ones. We got luck, bil/sil gifted us a stainless steel dish rack from Frontgate. I use that daily, in fact, I even leave it out when ppl come over, b/c I pretty much always have something drying on it. I only use a towel to physically dry off my kitchen/dinnerware if we run out of space on our dish rack. However, we hang all of our towels on our oven handle, b/c if we hung it on our cabinet, then we would also have water damage.
    Mom to 3 LEGO Maniacs

  5. #5
    Twoboos is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by egoldber View Post
    I used to use a drying rack, but for the last several years, I just put things that need to air dry on a hand towel on the counter. I have many hand towels (20ish) and I use the ones that are not in the best of shape for this. When I put the dishes away, I just replace it with a new one. I don't dry things with a towel at all, I just let them air dry. I air dry virtually everything this way…. <snip>
    Same here! I feel like a rack or special drying mat is just one more thing to clean/keep track of/clutter the counter. We do have a couple of the drying mats but I stopped using them. I have tons of dish towels (I feel I may have a problem with them, LOL) so I am always swapping them out.

    I LOVE these dishtowels from IKEA. I bought a couple on a whim and wished I had bought more. A friend went to IKEA the other day and I had her buy me 10 more! They really dry things well and because they are thin they dry fast. Plus they make my cooktop shiny.
    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10100909/
    "Every mother needs a wife." - Amy Poehler, Yes Please

  6. #6
    urquie is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    I love this drying mat! Costco used to sell it in a two pack, item #598143. It has been discontinued, but still shows up in a few stores. FYI - the image on amazon is one mat, folded in half.

    I leave it out all the time and have never had to hang it to dry.

    eta: forgot to include a link - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846
    Last edited by urquie; 01-16-2014 at 03:31 PM.

  7. #7
    jgenie is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Default

    I have the drying mats from Costco. I use dish rags for washing dishes. I buy them at Target - checkered with a scrubby fabric on the inside 4 or 5 to a package for about $1 each. I also have these kids washcloths from Ikea that I like for wiping down the table. I have a ton of dish towels (25+), cloth wipes that I purchased to use as kid's napkins, and regular cloth napkins. I keep one of these drying racks in my laundry room which is just off my kitchen. I hang wet kitchen linens to dry every night before I go to bed and then when the rack gets full I pull off the dry linens and chuck them in their own pop up storage bin in the laundry room. I like using fresh linens every morning. I run a load of kitchen linens once a week.

  8. #8
    cono0507 is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default

    I guess we are rather minimalist at my house.

    We have a drawer full of these cloths. They are used for washing dishes, wiping down counters, kitchen clean up, etc. The laundry room is just off the kitchen and I keep a laundry basket in there and just throw the clothes in there as I use them. Probably 4-6/day.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


    Then I have a drawer of dishcloths - probably 15-20 of them. I'll lay one on the counter when I need to air dry dishes (things dry quickly here so it is only an hour or two). These are also the same towels I'll use for hand drying, etc, in the kitchen. They get tossed in the laundry daily or nearly daily too. No other drying rack, mat or anything.

    Similar to these, and others I"ve picked up at Home Goods, Target, etc...
    http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produ...g_Billboard-_-
    Last edited by cono0507; 01-16-2014 at 01:10 PM.

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