I think everyone here has seen my Before and After pictures below, so I'll make a confession, then give you an opinion. lol. Although we could afford a dishwasher, I have never had one in my life because I simply didn't have the space. Until now.

We're just like you, it's only my dh and myself, and I use the DW maybe three times a week, tops. But I got so sick and tired of the clutter in my old kitchen, what I do now is handwash some items, and lay them on a towel next to the sink, then put them away an hour or so later, unless I want to dry them immediately.

I love having that extra space next to the sink!

I don't have a dishwasher, so the drainer is a permanent fixture on my countertop. Mine's red, because - well, you know me and color! I wonder how that sea shell tan color would work with your counters?

If it's still functional, keep the white one, but don't let it "live" in the sink. When not hidden by a full load of pots & pans, put it under the sink so you have a nice shiny sink to look at in the 'off' time.

Oakley - Ha confession time! I love it. I haven't done the towel thing too much but there are times I'll end up with a fork here or a cup there. The pans we normally end up washing are pretty big. I could see them getting knocked over or something. Other than sitting something else decorative there I wouldn't really use the space. We mainly use the island.

Jen - I'm starting to really like color myself. I remember when we first built I said I'd keep white walls or something really light!
I didn't even see that color on the list. That may work. Wonder what it looks like IRL. The counters are mainly brown but have black, dark brown, white, and even gray. Our Boscov's is the only place I can find them locally but they only have the white, black, red, stainless. I would order it online though if need be.

Mmqch - We must have posted at the same time. I did try putting it away right after we moved in but that didn't last long. I also don't have room under the sink anymore because of cleaning supplies and the hoses.

Shee, I had a cherry red dish drainer at one time, and it added to the darkness of my kitchen, so I switched back to white. One time I had the red drainer with the white mat. lol.

Oh, I still don't know how to properly load the dishwasher. :)

I have a stainless steel one that looks great and blends in with my stainless steel sink. But not everyone has a stainless steel sink, so. I would pick black since I love black so much and it would go with your stools.

....Jane

Next time I'm getting black! My white one gets stains on it from DH's coffee cups and I'm constantly cleaning it with vinegar to remove them. I'd do away with it and use the towel method, but it's a must have for him *sigh*

What color is your sink and appliances? I would coordinate with those and not your accessories although I have seen the scroll type dish drainers and like those best. Ballard Designs had a nice one at one time.

I have a double fireclay sink and keep a stainless dish drainer on the small side. Was a pain finding one to fit, so I hope it lasts forever. And now that I said that I think I'll go searching for a backup ... just in case.

Oakley, this is the first time I've had a working DW in more than 20 years. I think loading is an art form. When I get frustrated trying to make things fit I just let dh do it.

I'm answering real quick because DH is kicking me off the computer.... :)

Oak - Ya know I don't think my dishwasher holds very much! Instead of mine having individual spike things there's actually plate holders which I think limits how you can put stuff in. If I were to put the pans in too we'd be doing a load every night probably.

Newdawn - My sink is stainless but that's the only thing in my kitchen so I didn't really think to use that color.

Bumble - My appliances are white. the other two things that aren't decorative on the counter are black though. (coffee maker and knife set) That ballard design scroll one is the one I do like but is so small. Why couldn't they make it a bit bigger. Seriously, it's half the size of the one I have.

There's nothing wrong with the one I have. I just thought another color might help to put lipstick on a pig? ha. I know someone that would use the white one I have if I got another.

Not sure where DH went... here's some better shots.

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Sheesharee, why not get one to put in the other side of the sink? Then you free up counterspace.

Is that a cat? He/she is huge! Or those stools are pretty small, lol.

I can sooo see this style in your kitchen:

I could see a bamboo one being used too. Most look too "Zen" but some are rustic looking:

This might be easier to store when not in use:

{{!gwi}}

Dilly - the first one you posted is the one I so want to get but is too small. Where did you find the other wire ones? What size are they?

Natal - I could move it to the other side... Haha that's Sylvester aka Shorty. He's 17 lbs solid but looks rather massive.

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King of the hill, lol! He looks a lot like my Artie. Is he a Maine Coon?

Shee, I'd definitely move it to the other side. Being next to the stove would get it dirtier.

Shoot, that black one dilly showed is neat, I may have to get it for myself! lol

Natal, all I know is plastic goes on the top rack, so I've had the mind set that ONLY plastic should go up there, but the other day I said to heck with it and put a pan there to see if it would get clean. It did, so I can use it for regular things too. lol

My DIL is constantly making jokes about me and the DW. :)

Natal - Haha yeah he's always "helping" me. He was actually a feral cat we found as a kitten and brought in.

Shee, actually it is better for your dishwasher and your water bill if you run the dishwasher rather than hand wash. So load up the dishwasher and run it daily.

I don't understand why you would keep the dishrack on the counter - why not put it in the sink on the one side that you use for rinsing?

Les - We have a well. I don't use that much water to wash a couple pots or pans. My dishwashes runs forever. I just assumed it used more electricity running it more. I suppose I could put it in the sink. It would be more out of site. Everyone I know, if they have one it's on the counter.

Sorry I keep posting separate ones . . thinking of things too late.

I just tried to put my drainer in the sink and it won't fit. I'd have to get the smaller one.

That's what I meant ... put it "in" the sink to free up counter space.

My DW has tons of settings, but I always use the quick wash. They're done in 30 minutes and always clean. I think the rest of those settings are overkill.

They are darling aren't they? I found them at Kabodle. I've seen them elsewhere too.

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Dilly - I went to that site but I could only find the first two you posted? I search dish drainer, drainer, tried finding a category...

Tina - Thank you!

Shee,
I have one just like the 1st pic of Dilly's 2nd grouping of pics (does that make any sense??) I never thought about it being a dish drainer.....I use it when entertaining buffet style & put my plates/silverware & napkins in it. It came from a local store, thou.

I can't put my pots in the DW or my knives.....I do the towel thing & let them dry overnite. First thing in the am - it all gets put away & I use the drying towel as my dish towel for the day. Or I will dry them as soon as I wash to clear the clutter that will not STOP at this house!!

Smiles:)

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Apple theme:

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Someone here liked bunnies I remember:

You can find stores on Amazon or Google *Wrought Iron Dish Drainer* or *Metal Dish Drainer* and get tons of them. Yes, you may have to sort through styles you do not like.

Here are a few stores:

vintageweave.com

thekitchn.com

ward.com

Ok, ok. I'm going to remove the drainer for a couple days and try it with a towel. I'm not real into even small changes apparently. It sounds so simple to do the suggestions above but... I need to try it for a period of time.

Thanks Dilly! I'm going to search more later but so far I'm not finding any that are close to the same size. If I can't get used to the towel thing and can't find a pretty one then I'll be going back to the ugly Rubbermaid.

What size do you need?? Maybe you posted it already and I did not see it?

I'll try to use my Google-Fu and find a smaller size.

Maybe the sink space you want to use for draining is way too small. My sink has a large size bowl and a much much smaller one that is for cleaning veggies or something. The smaller bowl has the garbage disposal. I think the smaller sink is just for rinsing things before washing them in the large bowl that would be filled with water.

Dilly I don't believe I posted the size I have or my sink size.

My current drainer is 17.62 x 13.81 x 5.93 in. Got the measurements from the site above. I double checked mine and it's accurate.

My sink is roughly 14"L x 12"W x 8"deep. If I could redo I would've had the one side larger.

We don't run our dishwasher all the time either and I hand wash specific things anyway so always use a drainer. The kind I prefer is the folding wooden type which I get at Ikea but they are available elsewhere. When empty, they fold so flat they slip under my sink up against the cabinet wall and take up no space at all.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea Dish Drainer

I honestly do not know why you are worried about your dish drainer. It looks fine on your countertop, especially since your appliances are white. In fact, it looks like a lovely kitchen that is USED by actual people. Since when are we not allowed to live in our houses?

The dishes in the top rack of my dishwasher are never dry, especially the plastic cups/sippy cups that are necessary with small children. I run the DW (almost) every night, transfer the wet items to the drainer in the morning, and put away the dry items when I return from work each day. When we have a party, I tuck my drainer under the sink. (But a nearby closet would work just as well.)

If you decide to use a towel instead, remember to angle your pots/glasses/bowls to allow air to circulate to the inside. Otherwise, your pan will be dry on the outside and wet on the inside. (Sometimes I'll lay a wooden spoon under the first pan to lift it off the counter then lean all the other pans against it.) I use towels for overflow items, but the draining rack dries dishes faster.

Spitfire - Originally I was just asking for a color but the suggestion of getting a different type or dropping completely was mentioned. I was thinking like you about using the kitchen. There's not a whole lot of other stuff I keep out and it's something I use on a regular basis. That was one thing that didn't bother me enough to remove I just thought another color would look better. A small detail I know but one I was curious about. I put it away for the weekend so we'll see what I think of the towel thing!

Dlm - I do usually wash my lunch tupperware by hand also and it goes in there. Do you put pots or pans on the one you posted?

I put anything I hand wash on mine - pots/pans, my good knives, certain crystal pieces that don't fit well in the dishwasher, etc. And BTW - I keep a towel under it while things dry to catch the drips.

I had a little chuckle about 37 messages on the color of a dish drainer. Do we obsess much?? LOL

You said early on that you primarily hand wash pots and pans. Honestly, for that purpose I think you are better off using the counter and a towel. I wash all my pots and pans by hand-- as well as my better knives. Dish drainers aren't really designed for pots and pans. They don't sit well and one decent size pot all but fills even the largest drainers.

Give the towel a try-- see how it goes for you.

We do the towel thing at my house too...but it's just me and my bf and since I do most of the cooking b/c he's such a messy cook he gets the cleanup, which usually entails him putting the dishes in the sink or dishwasher, but not ACTUALLY washing them, or turning the DW on.

I've always actually hated dish drainers. Even the fancy ones just always seemed to take up space, that and no matter which kind I've bought, the lil mat ends up with a puddle of water on it, or if I leave it on the counter, wet underneath the dishdrainer. I can't stand it! But then again i tend to be a horrible dish-washer myself and usually end up half wet with water in the floor!

So a typical evening for us is me washing, and him drying...or making him wash dishes as i'm cooking, so then he doesn't get too busy and "forget" about it.

We usually either dry and put away or let them dry overnight and i put them away while doing my 'morning routine' of feeding the dogs morning treats, and drinking my coffee!

I hand wash anodized pots and pans since the finish is ruined by washing in the dw. After washing, I put them in the oven upside down to dry. I use this method for platters too. Out of sight...and often out of mind since I find them days later.

I'm reporting back about my lack of dish drainer....

I have gone without one since Friday. Sat. morning I had quite a bit to hand wash and I'll admit I found to take up a lot of room and was ready to bust out the drainer again. I can fit multiple pots and pans, pizza pans, etc. in the drainer. If I didn't have a large one it would be a different story. Anyhow, I ended up hand drying that bunch because it visually was disturbing me to see them on the counter more than the drainer. I think it's because I'm not used to it. I like how the counter looks without it much better. I don't think things dry as fast. Overall I think I can get used to it. I'm going to keep trying for now.

sheesharee -I had to have help finding this thread again, because I wanted to report that I've made the decision too:

Today I threw mine away! It was getting gross, wasn't all that old either. Going to try and get along without one. I just finished doing some dishes and so far I think it will work out as long as I don't have a whole bunch to do at once and no room on the sink like sheesharee mentions. I just laid a cloth down as suggested. The only thing I missed right away was the spoon holder, but I used the enamel food strainer that I keep in the sink all the time anyway. Or does that sound gross? As long as I keep it clean between food and dirty utensil use I guess it'll be ok.

I also like the way my sink looks, altho I always kept my dish drainer down in the sink (only have one sink)and put it up on the sink counter when doing dishes.