We are doing a pull out trash by the sink (double cans), and then a larger pull out 4-can recycle in the island on the other side of the trash pull out- but we are considering using it multiple ways. Since it can hold either 2 large cans or the 4 cans, we are thinking we'll put in 4 cans - one for trash, once for recycle, one for dishclothes and one for whatever else we find we need more room for!

We just put a small basket on one of the shelves. Perfect for baby bibs. I can't imagine you would need something as large as a trashcan/recycling bin for a few dish clothes. If you have the space to spare though, it seems like a reasonable idea.

If you incorporate this into your design, keep in mind that a large amount of wet, dirty dishrags will begin to stink in about a day or so, but just a few collected at the end of a day won't. Maybe just a plastic or Rubbermaid container in your utility cabinet can hold the dirty rags - you can find them in all different sizes.
You have a neat idea, though. :o) Maybe I can do something like that (I already have a very small plastic bin with no other purpose).

If you rinse the dishrags out with clean water and let them dry overnight before tossing them in a bin, they usually don't smell (in my experience). I try to avoid throwing wet dish rags into a bin because you're right that they can stink.

My solution for temporary storage of damp dish rags and towels may not work for everyone, but it's worked for a long time in my relaxed kitchen:

I hang them over the rungs of a painted stool. Everyone knows not to use the towels on the stool, they're air-drying until I make the next trip down the hall, and the towels are available if there's a spill on the floor--no need to use a clean towel.

If you have space on the inside of the sink or utility cabinet, or on the door (inside, of course), an inexpensive toilet-paper holder would be the perfect size for a dish rag or towel. I've seen vintage kitchens that have towel bars that pull out beside the sink, like this.

Lol, liriodendron, you posted while I was googling towel bars! I found this, one, too.

I have one (green) that hung on my grandmother's back porch, just outside the kitchen door--no stinky dish towels were allowed in her, kitchen!

We have this Ikea pull out unit in our laundry room vacuum cleaner cabinet. I believe it cost about $20 but I don't think they make it anymore. Each basket can be taken off and carried. I would love to find a similar sidemounted pull-out with just one basket for our sink cabinet. We go through a bunch of dishcloths each day and I would love something like this as a temporary holding spot (our laundry room is upstairs.)

{{!gwi}}

I can find a 2-tiered sidemounted product from Richelieu for a lot more $ and it's unclear if the baskets lift off (see link below).

We used to have a 3-prong pull out towel holder under each of our kitchen sinks but I found them awkward to use (the prongs were too close together and it took too much fussing to get the towels on.)

Here is a link that might be useful: 2 tier pull-out basket

Thanks to aliris19's posting about Lee Valley organizers, I found this. Still lots of $. But it seems versatile and I don't think I'd have to clip on all 3 baskets if they interfere with other items under our sink.

Here is a link that might be useful: another sidemounted pull-out basket option

Zelmar - I have the Ikea cleaning closet fittings too, but mine have 3 tiers. I never noticed it pulled out until I saw your post and then went to the closet! I use the top one for plastic bags (just keep cramming them in) and the bottom 2 for cleaning stuff. I never thought to pull it out.... I guess you learn something new every day :)

I'd just lay out the dishtowels for drying and then toss them in the laundry room or laundry basket on my next trip passing by. If you leave them in the kitchen, you risk forgetting to put them in the next load. I would not want to accumulate linens with bacteria and whatnot on them for any length of time, esp in the kitchen. The container that holds them would need to be cleaned often as it would be bound to collect germs.

dianalo, I just ran upstairs to take a closer look at our Ikea pull-out and it has another set of clips for a 3rd basket! I probably took it off because I like to keep our vacuum cleaner attachments in the lower wider basket and the center basket didn't leave enough space for them. I totally forgot about the 3rd basket and it must be floating around somewhere.

Yes, I'm constantly learning something new here and this is why I'm still hanging around years and years after our kitchen was (nearly) completed.

We go through several dish cloths, towels, & bibs each day, but our laundry room is close to the kitchen so we walk the dirties there as needed. In our last house though, I kept a small plastic basket under the sink since our laundry wasn't so close. The basket was just big enough to hold a days worth of soiled things(about the size of a dishpan, and it had holes on the sides for air circulation. It worked pretty good and saved us from constantly running back and forth to the laundry.

I have an open door to the laundry room right off the kitchen. I love it!! I just pitch the things straight in; good for the arm too. Kinda fun. And with a front-mount washing machine it's not noisy in the kitchen at all.

Zelmar - Lee Valley is just the greatest company! I have loved everything I've bought from them over the years.

In my 1930 Colonial, the kitchen has an adorable built in closet with a door that matches all the home's interior doors. It's about 21" wide x 18" deep. There's a very old chrome towel bar attached to the inside of the door. There are about 4 or 5 shelves and a notch for a broom and mop. In between two of the shelves is a little door to the laundry chute. I love this cabinet. It's cute and charming AND functional. I dry my towels and when they're dry, I drop them down the chute. Whoever built my house was brilliant.

I have always had a mini laundry basket (really quite small) in the sink base cabinet. In our new old house, they have a pull out dish towel bar mounted inside the cabinet with 3 prongs for drying wet towels.. I love these and plan to reclaim it for the remodeled kitchen.

We're considering a cut in floor under one of the sinks--would make a perfect laundry chute (that is, IF we move our basement laundry area so it's positioned under the kitchen). No more heaving the dirty linen down the basement stairs!

This cabinet was not in the original plan but became a necessity to correct a major design flaw. But, I like it. It provides a place to hang wet towels (I think it's a rev-a-shelf pull out towel hanger - attached to the cabinet back) to dry, and there's room in the back for my 'older than the hills' mesh bag for soiled towels, etc. waiting to go downstairs to the wash. No stinky. :)

Currently, the cabinet face is open, but I think in the future I will install a cool screen to hide my towels, but still provide air circulation.

We don't use paper towels, so we generate a lot of dirty towels by the end of the day. I keep an old wire mesh chicken egg basket by the door and chuck 'em in there. They go down to the laundry every other day or so, and we haven't had trouble with smelliness or mold. The wire is coated, so there's no rust and lots of ventilation.