Where to hang damp dish towel n kitchen without ruining cabinet finish

7 years ago

My new kitchen is in progress (still needs new light fixtures, backsplash, painting, hardware, faucet, etc.). I'm a little anal - I have 2 dish towels I use daily. One is to dry hands and the other is to dry dishes. In my old kitchen I kept the one to dry hands on the oven handle. My old and new ovens are stainless steel and we have very hard water. The old oven continuously had water marks on the stainless steel (and even the oven window) from wet hands grabbing the towel - and the water marks never fully wiped clean. In my old kitchen I kept the towel to dry dishes in a drawer that had a rubberish shelf liner that had holes in it. However, over time that drawer started getting damaged from the moisture.

I have thought about putting a towel rack at the far end of my island (opposite the oven), however I feel like the continuous water dripping off hands will ruin the cabinet finish (which has bead board) and leave drips on the furniture baseboard around the island. Same if I stick one on the inside of the sink cabinet door. But maybe I wrong - maybe the finishes hold up to moisture???

I also thought I could possibly buy some type of tile and have it cut to the size of one of my drawers and lay the towel for drying dishes on the tile (sort of like a coaster for drinks), but not sure if that will have problems (i.e. the drawer still getting damaged from moisture).

Finally, I'm wondering if a it would look weird if I used a free standing towel holder on my countertop near my sink (just like you would buy for a bathroom).

I do not want to use paper towels - just seems like a waste and don't want to leave them sitting out.

Any ideas or pictures would be greatly appreciated :)

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JudyG Designs

7 years ago

My daughter has one of each of these on either side of her sink. Cute.

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Comments (22)

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Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc
7 years ago
I usually put something under the sink like these two from re-a-shelf. One mounts on the door and you can see that the towel stands away from the door a bit. The other mount inside the cabinet and slides out.
christy25 thanked Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc
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Janet H. Designs
7 years ago
Here are some nice looking countertop towel holders from Bed Bath and Beyond for $25...brushed nickel or oil rubbed bronze.
christy25 thanked Janet H. Designs
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When I originally posted, I hadn't expected so much response... and so much to think about. THANK YOU everyone who has weighed in on this... I FINALLY have some photos to share (renos always take way longer than expected - at least in our house). As you can see we have limited space. The toilet sits quite close to the tub and, while I really like the idea of hooks, I don't think we'll have the space for it here (however, I DO plan to do this in our newly renovated ensuite). We will have a corner rack (not pictured) going in so the only space we really have is above the toilet (oh, we also have a rob hook on the door). I am a FIRM BELIEVER in closing the lid before flushing and when not in use (I'm a warden when it comes to enforcing this as well! lol). That said, I've probably answered my own question about where we'll be hanging a towel bar. Now I just need to decide if we go with a train rack or a traditional bar. I honestly hadn't even considered a train rack as I was thinking about a traditional towel bar and adding a display shelf for decorative things above... but perhaps the corner shelf is enough for 'decor' and a more functional, towel rack should be considered. As you can see we don't have any where to store towels in this bath as there is no cabinet and we currently have to use our linen closet in the hallway... perhaps this is something I should look into a bit further... great suggestion!
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PRO
Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc
7 years ago
BTW............beautiful kitchen!
joanbllt
7 years ago
You might also hang a small towel bar or even two from the bottom of a cabinet next to the sink
christy25 thanked joanbllt
leelee
7 years ago
Yes, your kitchen is going to be lovely. Personally, I prefer to keep a paper towel holder right by the soap dispenser. Save once-used towels in a bag to wipe up spill on the floor, then discard.
christy25 thanked leelee
makaloco
7 years ago
My dishes air-dry, so I don't need a dish towel. Hand towel is on the oven door handle, but I never know what to do with the microfiber cloth I use to clean the counter. Usually it ends up draped over the faucet or the edge of the counter, ugh! I won't put anything damp inside cabinets or drawers for fear of attracting insects. A small, attractive countertop holder would be ideal to keep the towels near the point of use and in the open air to dry quickly.
bungalowmo
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I hang one on my fridge handle & another on the oven handle. When I'm actually using them, they always end up laying on the counter or table for easy access.

Not that big of a deal to me. No special hanger required.

I also never dry my dishes...the air does it, so I wouldn't refer to mine as "dish towels", per se'
Work smart...not hard!
christy25 thanked bungalowmo
Bette P
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I'm not fond of hanging wet towels inside a cupboard, not enough air circulation to dry. What type of hardware are you putting on your cupboards? You could put long pull handles on the fronts of the two cupboards below your sink, or one on the end of your island. They make them in transitional or traditional styles, not just modern. Funny how it's the practical things that are used everyday that seem to get 'missed! Beautiful kitchen!
christy25 thanked Bette P
abbyjean
7 years ago
Interesting suggestions here! Thanks for asking this as I would love to find a new place in our kitchen, too.
christy25 thanked abbyjean
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Kitchen Distributors
7 years ago
There are a number of great solutions you can pick from, Madden, Slick & Bontempo showed a couple options above that are common and offered by a large number of product and cabinet manufacturers. Your best bet would be to look in your local home goods store (Bed Bath & Beyond) and also contact your cabinet manufacturer to see if they have any recommendations.
PRO
Stone Harbor Hardware
7 years ago
My grandmother had a towel rack similar to the ones that Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc suggested, only hers was mounted between the end of the cabinets and the refrigerator. As far as I know, she never had water issues with it.

Another option would be to install some hooks for the towels. A small hook could go under the upper cabinets near the sink.
christy25 thanked Stone Harbor Hardware
PRO
Kitchen Distributors
7 years ago
Or if all else fails, just hang them on your oven handle!!
christy25 thanked Kitchen Distributors
bungalowmo
7 years ago
When all else fails....go back to what Grandma used...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Towel-Rack-Swing-Away-3-Arm-Kitchen-Hand-Towel-Rack-Chrome-Vintage-Style-/221537087068?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3394a3ae5c
christy25 thanked bungalowmo
hatetoshop
7 years ago
There doesn't appear to be many options for keeping moisture and drips away from cabinets and appliances. Like you, I too am anal -- one towel for hands, the other for dishes and drying food surfaces. I keep them on the oven handle, but as soon as they feel wet, I hang them in the laundry room, then grab a clean towel. You are going to love using that new kitchen -- it looks great!
christy25 thanked hatetoshop
christy25
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you all for the suggestions :) Madden, have you ever had a problem with the door paint/stain getting damaged? - like flaking or bubbling, over time? I think the door ones would work for the dish towel. I actually let my dishes "air dry" in the dishwasher, however some dishes have grooves where water collects and still need to be dried. Also, I don't stick pots in the dishwasher or certain decorative things - those I hand wash & hand dry :) Judy, that towel holder is cute! I wonder where I'd fine something unique like that (maybe not a pig one though - LOL). Do they go on top of a back splash or does the backs plash go around it ? Otherwise, I might just try the free standing towel rack for our "hand towel".
PRO
Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc
7 years ago
I haven't had any complaints. You could do the 1st one I posted and put one on each door under the sink. If you only used the outer rungs, the towel would not touch the cabinet door at all.
christy25 thanked Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc
Nancy Dziki
7 years ago
I put two small nails on the side of the cabinet next to the sink. At the time I was thinking the nails could be easily removed without leaving a large hole if I decided I wanted to hang the towels elsewhere, but I really liked the location, and the nails weren't obtrusive when there was not a towel hanging on it. Functionality = excellent. But over the last 12 years, with constant dampness, we have darkened the wood on that side of the cabinet. Now it's time to remodel the kitchen and I am wondering what to do. It's as if the towel needs to hang in mid-air to dry. I'm thinking about just putting a few cup hooks on the underside of the wall cabinet next to the sink so I can reach up and hook them easily. I would reject putting damp towels in a cabinet or drawer unless there was a small fan in there to move the air around. (Houzz has an example of this in See an Amazing $400 Laundry Room Remodel for a Family of 8.) I also would not want any wet towels touching any part of the cabinetry. Maybe if the side of a cabinet was covered with a thin sheet of tempered glass it would be waterproof enough to repel the water. I would make it a little longer than the edge of the cabinet so the water doesn't go up in between the cabinet and the glass. I haven't tried this, I think it would work though. See my water damage? But this is after 12 years with no additional protection, so if you have old cabinets that need to be replaced soon, you may want to add a coat of Helmsman Polyurethane and give it a try!

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mrsory
7 years ago
If I were you, I would mount a hand towel rack on the side of the island and then use a marine grade polyurethane to protect the wood. It may have a different sheen then the rest of your cabinets, but with the towel constantly there, no one will notice and your wood will be protected.
Andrea Engelhardt
6 years ago
Does anyone know of a wax or oil to put on the front of the kitchen cabinet doors? I am always splashing water on them when I do dishes in the sink.
Veena
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Hi Christy,

I hang my damp kitchen towels to the kitchen window frame next to sink, I usually wring the towel before hanging though. And am happy for now...but just thinking to get ikea towel rack, as the one I have is kind of broken..

so far no issues and have been using past 4 years. No problem with opening/closing of blinds too!
nprashu
3 years ago
Christy this is a very old thread but what was your back splash for this kitchen? This is my color scheme and I’m struggling to pick a nice non-white backsplash