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joann23456

Is a sink tip-out worthwhile?

17 years ago

Just wondering whether you use yours and like it. I hear both ways from friends. It seems like it would be a great idea for a sponge, brush, etc., but just wondering.

Comments (23)

  • 17 years ago

    I only have mine because that is how my unit came. I do keep my sink strainer in there and a sponge I don't use much, but I don't like the idea of putting anything in there wet.Of course, Sometimes ANY extra storage area can be a good thing. :)And it would be wasted space otherwise.

  • 17 years ago

    I have them but don't use them. It seems to me that the best use if for a bottle brush or sponge, but I worry about them mildewing in the dark enclosed space. I've had them in two kitchens, used to keep a bottle brush in the old kithcen tip out but never remembered where to find it when I needed it.

  • 17 years ago

    Our KD advised against having a tip out because it may damage the wood if things were put in there too wet. I took her advise.

  • 17 years ago

    I could do without mine. Like everyone else I don't like the idea of putting anything wet in there,eventhough I have a stainless interior to put things on. I use it to store backup sponges and the dishwasher tablets. Mine was free, so I thought I'd take it.

  • 17 years ago

    If I had to pay extra for it, then no, it's not. I keep a nylon brush in there, but I wouldn't keep sponges, etc. Mine has two plastic removable trays that you can throw in the dishwasher, but eh... I thought they were cool before I had one, and now I hardly use it.

  • 17 years ago

    I guess I'm in the minority, but I love mine! I have a double one, and I use it to keep the cover for the disposal, several of those little brown plastic Pampered Chef scraper doohickies, the bottle brush I seldom use, and the heavy duty scrubby I seldom use. I also put my main Dobie scrubby thing in there when I'm straightening up for company. Otherwise, I leave that on my sink grid to dry. It's great to have a specific and easily accessible place for those things. It's also great not having to break my back or bump my head under the sink looking for them when I need them. I don't open it every day--more like two or three times a week--but that's enough to make it useful to me.

  • 17 years ago

    Count me in the "no" category. I thought it was a nifty idea in my last house, but (a) the inside rusted out, (b) the sponges got gross, and (c) the outside cabinet accumulated water damage. Aside from the inside, the outside, and the thing it holds, it's great :(

  • 17 years ago

    My KD advised against it because she said the closing mechanism sometimes fails and you end up with a "drooping" tip-out. Also, when my countertop guys were templating, they asked if I had a tip-out because they'd have to set the sink back further to make room for it. I wanted the sink as far forward as possible (mine is 3-1/2" from the front), so I was glad I didn't get the tip-out.

  • 17 years ago

    Mine came with the kitchen and has two stainless steel trays. I use one side to hold a bottle of eyeglass cleaner and cloth (helping to keep my countertops clutter free) and the other to hold the sponge used only for the ceramic stove top and the bottle of stove top cleaner plus the currently-in-use SOS pad.
    I hate the rusty bits that fall off the SOS pad so I use an empty plastic container nestled inside the stainless steel tray. I found that the plastic rectangular tub that comes with the Crisco package of 3 one cup sticks fits perfectly!
    I'm not sure if they sell Crisco packaged similarly in Canada yet so this may not work for everyone.
    I still have some empty space in the tip out but haven't figured out what else to store there.
    I like mine.

  • 17 years ago

    I LOVE mine. I also keep the pampered chef scraping doohickey in mine, along with crocheted scrubbies and a sponge. Went through hell to retrofit my cabinet for the install and am sooo glad to get the junk off the counter and into there.

    Get stainless; no problems with rusting. Where is all this water coming from that people are complaining about? Wring things out before you put them away. I have them in my bathroom also (going on 5 yrs) and love them there as well (stores floss and the base of my electric toothbrush).

  • 17 years ago

    I installed my own 2 years ago. I use it everyday. It is plastic and there is no issue with water damage. I store those papmered chef scrapers, a currently in use SOS pad (in it's own tray), disposer cleaning tablets, and a scrubbie sponge.

  • 17 years ago

    I use my tip out every day too. It is a double configuragion. I keep the disposal stopper, the strainer, a nylon scrubby (not often used) on one side. On the other side I keep the plastic lid for cat food tin (used every morning) and the plastic spoon for dishing out same (I wash both after every use). My tip out is plastic, so no rusting. I like having the stopper and strainer off the counter, and it is handy storage for my cat food lid and spoon. :-)

  • 17 years ago

    DH had one at the kitchen sink in the house he lived in when we met. The cabinet face was a mess, finish peeling off, etc. People with wet hands would open the tilt-out and it eventually ruined the finish. The issue wasn't with the inside of the cabinet, it was with the drawer face itself. You may say you won't use it with wet hands, but what about guests, kids, etc. I didn't put one in the kitchen for that reason. I do have them in the master bathroom, but I only use to it hold things I reach for when hands are dry (deodorant, watch, hair ties, etc.).

  • 17 years ago

    I had a tip out in a former house. Installed it myself & loved it. Great place to stash my rings, the SOS pad, nail brush, etc. No issues whatsoever with the finish on the cabs which were custom, site-built & finished. I would have one now except there isn't enough room between the cabinet front & sink to squeeze one in.

  • 17 years ago

    Ditto Holligator - I have two. I never put in anything wet. Believe it or not, I sometimes keep garlic in the second one - a tip I got here on GW.

  • 17 years ago

    We put one in when we remodeled and find it very useful. The initial one did not fit as the sink was too close to the front edge. We ordered a narrower one (1 7/8" deep) and it fit perfectly. It is plastic and we have had not problems with rust or excess water damaging the cabinet.

    My hands may be wet when I open the tip-out but never dripping wet. Front side of the cabinet still is in perfect condition even with a tip-out.

  • 17 years ago

    In one of our many cabinet consultations the local custom shop we visited mentioned that they don't do them as they found them to be unreliable over time. They were mounting the trays on the inside of the cabinet doors - which my Mom likes but we can't find any affordable ones that are small enough (tried the rev-a-shelf ones but they were huge and Ikea doesn't seem to have a version anymore).

  • 17 years ago

    Mine are 23 years old and working great. Plastic and removable so you can clean them easily, no rust and no water issues. Use them (I've got two separate ones) for the scrapers, disposal stopper, a grout brush, razor scraper for the glass stove and a couple of bottle brushes.

  • 17 years ago

    We are DIY so we did it, but I never use it even though I should but it took us months to install it so I forget it is there. I originally ordered metal but got the plastic at HD as the metal have open holes and my mom had it and the water goes through and rusts. Like the plastic much better.

  • 17 years ago

    I had them at my last house (installed them in my teenage girls' bathroom, too -- good to hold toothbrushes, mascara, hair clips, etc.) and I used them every day. My current kitchen has inset cabinets, and there's not enough clearance for them in front of the sink. All the stuff that we used to keep in there (brush, sponge, stoppers) is now either on the counter, or lost in the sink base cabinet. I've learned to live without them, but I sure missed them at first.

    Connie

  • 17 years ago

    I have them. No problem with wet hands. Mine have knobs on them so the finish on the drawer front is fine. I don't put anything in there dripping wet but it's a nice storage spot for things I don't want in the sink.

  • 17 years ago

    Me, too. I hate having things sitting around the sink. I do use a sponge but usually drop it in the dishwasher along with the dishes, so it stays fresh and clean. We also installed his-and-hers tipouts in our bath for our toothbrushes; I did have my husband drill extra holes in the sides to help them dry more quickly. No problem, but if there was I intended to have him replace the front door panels with decorative metal screening. I wanted those things tucked away.

  • 17 years ago

    I have one under my cooktop. I have...um...skewers I think in there. And the cord to the electric skillet. Don't use it a lot, but there's stuff in there so it's doing something. I'll try to get a real drawer in there when we remodel, but if I can't, any usable space is usable space.

    We have one in front of the sink, too, but the plastic tray is missing. I do stick the drain plug in there, resting against the sink. I guess I'd use it but more important to me is getting the sink as far forward as possible. But again, if it doesn't impact sink position, it's space! I wouldn't keep damp things in there, or frequently used items. And I didn't think enough of it to replace the missing tray (even though they are pretty cheap).