We have 3 kids under 5 and so have LOTS of plastic that I do t like to put in the dishwasher. I don’t think our habit of hand washing will die any time soon.

I have60/40 and like it for washing larger items. Although we do have a lot of unusual items that dont go in the dishwasher so my experience may not be typical. We have wet grinder etc that are big., and the stone inside has to be hand washed.

I did one big sink. the Franke Orca with the upper half rack on the right. I have a dishwasher and use it for most items but when I hand wash dishes, I use the half rack for drying dishes in the sink. Works great!

Why doesn't plastic rate the top rack in your dishwasher. We were Tupperware people since the 60's and the top rack has been handling it just fine......even in the first generation of dishwashers but particularly now There is no contraindication

60/40 or Large single.

If you are planning to stay in this house for the foreseeable future, the amount of dishes that you will generate with three kids will only multiply so I would plan for the future and install two DWs and a single sink. You will be cooking bigger meals with bigger dishes and your kids will have friends that will likely also be hanging out, not to mention entertaining and family holidays that you might host. You won't be washing little plastic dishes and cups forever. We have two and I originally thought that I would use the second as a drying rack, but I quickly got in the habit of loading everything into the DWs. There are many nights that we run both of them. My husband initially thought that it was a crazy idea, but after reading multiple threads and opinions, I decided that it was the way to go. He is a convert because he often was the one at the sink after a party washing loads of glassware. I am so thankful that we made this decision. I no longer try to wrangle all the dishes into a single DW and I no longer have to wash the overflow pots and pans. We save water and an immense amount of time. I am so happy to be rid of the dish draining rack that lived on our counter forever. It is one of the best decisions that we made in the remodel. I strongly encourage you to consider it. You won't be sorry if you are willing to forgo 24" of storage in lieu of an extra DW.

My 5 children are all school age and up. I still wash plastics. I freeze fruit in small Solo cups with lids (like 60 at a time) for lunches. We wash and reuse them. Just filled my dishwasher with plates ect. and still washed another dishwasher load of big pots (preserving beans for freezer) and small plastics and I used less than 3 gallons of water. Hand washing does NOT have to use that much water!!!!!! (unless you use a big single sink, that WOULD be wasteful) I think a 60/40 would be nice.

@herbflavor Because more recent research indicates that plastic gradually dissolves and gets spread around on your other dishes. The average American eats a credit-card amount of microplastic per week (Consumer Reports)! The American Pediatric Association recommends no plastic in the dishwasher for health reasons.

@KimWeaver It's the rinsing that makes hand washing less efficient.

acm can u help with mine

there are plenty of bpa free plastic storage containers that are mwave and dishwasher safe. Use of plastics whereby you need to fill a sink to wash solo cups out: well that's an interesting shift in the conversation. A cousin of mine is a chemist at DOW and purchased bottled water containers, and single use plastics like PLASTIC CUPS do not get re-used within his family. Interesting, isn't it?

You are right herbflavor. Single use plastic should not be reused. But I didn't fill the sink washing those just that plastic. I also washed 3 large bowls, 2 kettles, 2 strainers, and 4 medium bowls that I dried and put away immediately.

I have older plastic items and newer plastic items and the newer ones are usually thinner and more brittle. That might be why they are not recommended for the dishwasher,

herbflavor.

OP did not answer the question about the size of her sink base cabinet. If it’s going to be 30” wide cabinet for example, she really cannot get a double bowl. It needs to be 36” cabinet as mentioned for a double bowl.

I had a 50-50 sink in a mid ‘90s kitchen. The worst. I actually haven’t seen a 50-50 sink since.

My 60/40 fits (just barely) in a 30" cabinet.

I had a big 60/40 in my last house & did a big single in this house. I miss the 60/40. The 40 side was for draining the few non DW items but also always clean for washing veggies.

Good morning Ibsteen . You sound just like me and my hubby about a year ago ! here's what we wound up using-

Re: the low divide sink, I had considered it, but after talking to the sales people at a couple of pluming stores, it sounds like some customers who buy it end up not loving it. You may want to ask around.

cooks, what do you mean that a big sink can work as a 50/50, 30/70 or whatever? Would I store some dish bin under the sink and pull it out when needed? I’ve seen those fancy sink systems with interchangable parts. I want a white sink for my 1940 bungalow.

I currently have a 50/50 sink and yes, hand wash dishes. Maybe you’re right that habits are hard to change. But it takes days to fill the dishwasher while some items get re-used daily (favorite mug; blender, etc) So even if I embrace the dishwasher, I’d still be hand washing a few things each day. I prefer the drying dishes to be concealed (inside the sink) vs on top of the counter or even on top of the sink system’s drain board. Maybe I’m missing something???? Thanks!

I air dry most of my dishes and never use the dishwasher. I got a rack that sits on the counter and drains into the sink.

@ girl wonder-

New Kitchen! · More Info

in my sink the rack sits pretty low. but it keeps the clean dishes away from the wash water.

I have to double check the base cabinet width. It is part of a 10 foot island with essentially 3 cabinets, so I would assume at least 36”.

I’m a nurse, and a rule follower and I hate the thought of possibly exposing my family to the chemicals of plastics by putting them in the dishwasher, plus, our plastics (and other hand wash items) last so much longer because we hand wash. them. I do feel like handwashing in a single bowl sink would waste a lot of water for us.
This is a sink we are considering.

girl_wonder, I keep this IKEA tub in my 36" Whitehaven sink. I threw this trivet over the sink to give you an idea of the room that is available for rinsing and keeping a rack above or in the sink which I don't do. I just use a microfiber mat on the counter when necessary. Otherwise I keep it rolled upright under the sink in a stainless canister.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/grundvattnet-rinsing-tub-gray-80314285/

lbsteen - if you're going to do a double sink, I think this is the best of both worlds. We considered this one before deciding to add a separate prep sink to a single bowl wash sink.

We had a Kraus apron front sink and Kraus undermount sink at our last house and were very happy with them. We're using a Kraus again on the current remodel. Good luck!

--edit to add: I assume that since you're looking at a 33" that your base cabinet is 33"-36"?

“so I would assume at least 36””

@lbsteen - don’t assume anything with a kitchen reno. This is a big deal - there have been hundreds - probably thousands - of posts on here with people saying “I assumed the measurements were xx!”. Except they weren’t, leading to regrets and/or costly re-dos. I mean this very seriously. Check your drawings or your cabinets order for your sink base cabinet size. If you don’t have those yet, then go out of your way to ensure a sink base cabinet of 36” width is what you will be getting.

--also, Kraus says that you need a base cabinet bigger than the sink for their apron front sinks, but from our experience and from feedback on customer reviews, that isn't necessarily so. No idea if they do this with the sink you're looking at, but be aware that many sink makers state that you need a bigger cab than you might think. Might be worth getting the plumber's opinion to verify that there won't be any surprises.

I know not to assume dimensions. I’m just not near the drawings with dimensions. So for the sake of discussion here I am assuming. Our designer sent us the 33” sink. Of course I’ll verify before she orders the sink.

I use the largest dirty item for a dishpan. No need for a separate dishpan.

If you must have two bowls, go with the 60/40 which is a decided improvement over the 50/50. Most large items will fit.

No one wants divided sinks any longer. At least not my last four customers:

"One key factor to sink configuration is the width of the sink, which depends on the size of the sink base cabinet. @lbsteen, your sink base cabinet will need to be a minimum 36” width for a double bowl sink."

A 33" inch sink will fit in a 33" sink base cabinet.

I'm going to put a 33" sink into a 30" sink base cabinet next week and I've already installed them in a 27" cabinet. Sink manufacturers think you're foolishly going to need access to their leaking clips which is why they think you need a cabinet larger than the sink. You need no access when sinks are strapped, not clipped, in place. And strapped sinks don't leak.

Get a 36" sink base please. That way an Elkay Quartz Luxe fits perfectly:

@lbsteen, I have almost the exact same sink from Kraus (mine has the full-height divider and different drains, but it's the same width and 60/40 split) and I love it! I can wash cookie sheets just fine in it, and being able to separate the "dirty" side (washing hands, dumping pasta water etc) from the "clean" side (soaking fruits/veggies, draining dishes) makes my life so much easier. I would never want a single-bowl sink.

I've never felt I needed a bigger bowl, but having two is essential to me. I don't want to have a plastic basin in the sink all the time. Maybe it's different if you have a prep sink elsewhere in the kitchen, but my kitchen isn't big enough for that.

I'm someone that actually uses the kitchen sink multiple times daily. The deep double sink, equally divided, is the better choice for me. Others may use their sinks differently.

You can get double sinks equally divided and in white -- my sister did. Drop one heavy pan, though, and you have a chipped spot on your sink. Try dying fabric in it or cleaning a paint brush in it and it's stained -- while the stainless steel wouldn't be. My sister now has a stainless steel one.

Now, if I had a really large kitchen with plenty of counter space ... if I could get one of those mid century white sinks like the one my mom had when I was a teen -- those that have a double sink with a dish drain on each side and a backsplash all built into one piece, I might risk a white sink. You do, however, need a cutting board to set atop the built in drain to use it as a countertop.

https://retrorenovation.com/2015/02/19/vintage-reproduction-kitchen-drainboard-sink/

If you want one drain:

https://www.build.com/signature-hardware-937688/s1518136?uid=3561647&source=gg-gba-pla_3561647!c1707673107!a69500367114!dc!ng&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu-T-wuLi5AIViZ6zCh1Evw_IEAQYAiABEgIq2vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you want copper:

https://www.build.com/signature-hardware-906849-36/s1486077?uid=3489029&source=gg-gba-pla_3489029!c1707673107!a69500367114!dc!ng&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu-T-wuLi5AIViZ6zCh1Evw_IEAQYByABEgIKjvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you want the double white farmhouse:

https://www.build.com/miseno-mno3320fc/s1183047?uid=2832462

I can say I prefer a single bowl sink ( and it does not need to be ginormous) to the double bowl. We do hand wash a lot and use the dishwasher as a drying rack.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I feel better about a 60/40 now. Our base cabinet is 36” BTW.

I am thinking the same thing. A big deep sink uses a lot of water, I air dry some of my dishes every day and I want them in a sink. I think a big single sink looks great but, for me, I think a double will work better. I am going 60/40 too.

“A big deep sink uses a lot of water“

Actually, in my experience it uses less. In a previous kitchen, with a double bowl sink, I couldn’t lay my roasting pan to soak. I’d lean it against the divider. Then I would fill the sink bowl as high as possible with soapy water to cover as much of the leaning roasting pan as I could. Then an hour or so later, I’d drain the greasy water, flip the roasting pan to the un-soaked side, and repeat. Versus laying the roasting pan flat in a single bowl sink, not filling the sink at all, but just the pan itself, because I can, now that I am able to lay the roasting pan flat. Also, this doesn’t just go for roasting pans, but for any pot or pan with a handle. I always had to lean them against the divider at a tilt, and fill the sink bowl really high if I wanted to soak them, due to the pan’s handle.

If you prefer a double bowl, that’s great. I just wanted to point out that the water use is not less with a double-bowl sink.

A big deep sink uses a lot of water,

I always use the largest dirty pot/ container for the 'dishpan'. The only time that I fill a sink with water is when I'm canning tomatoes & fill the sink with cold water to cool the toms enough to be able to slip the skins. Or when I freeze green beans and fill it with water & ice to stop the beans from cooking after being blanched.

ibsteen. If you fill one side of your sink with soapy water to wash your dishes now you need a two bowel sink. A two bowel sink is also better if you have or want a disposal . All sink types have pros and cons. whats first on your priority list? Drying dishes out of site or being able to wash a high chair tray easier. A 60/40 in my opinion gives you both those options. You will have to find a dish rack that fits in the small sink. If you dont fill one side of your sink with soapy water to wash dishes the orca sink is a nice single sink option with a flat rack that you can take out Or the 60/40 with low divider to accommodate handles for soaking pots or washing trays. I didn’t buy the orca because I wanted a rectangle sink it has more room. I also did not buy the low divider sink because both sinks are then shallow. I bought an Ariel 34”x17” interior 10”deep stainless undermout single sink it’s in a 36” cabinet . I could put a full size dish rack in it to the side and a tub for soapy water to wash dishes and take them out to wash my double griddle or soak my extra large frypan. Sink choice is a matter of preference, habits and personal convenience. I love my huge sink it’s in my opinion the most versatile. I personally use my dishwasher as a drying rack sometimes or I immediately dry the dishes because i don’t want to look at them either. Let us know what you choose and why and then update if your happy with your choice. You may be able to help someone else decide

I strongly vote for one single big sink. I've had every version out there as we move every 5 years. As for drying dishes... they make a "rack" that rolls up when not in use. It lays over the edges of your sink space and covers about 1/2. It doesn't have any special holders for cups or silverware, you just lay everything down on it. I dry my dishes right away to get them out of sight and keep water spots off. I got the rack at Bed Bath & Beyond. Many great comments on the minimal look.

The Ferguson model Elkay Quartz Luxe has an integrated rack:

I am looking at the exact 33 inch Kraus 60/40 with low divide that you were looking at. Did you end up installing it? How do you like it?

We did! Love it. It doesn’t make the annoying echo sound when banging dishes in it like my parents cheaper sink. We have ended up using our dishwasher more after baby #3. So I can now sort of see the appeal of a single basin. But I love the larger side for high chair trays and larger dishes.

It does scratch easily if you don’t use the little racks that come with it though.

I like 100 sink! All sink, no divider. That divider gets in the way of washing big pots and drives me crazy.

I've been using my Kohler Riverby cast iron single bowl sink for about a month. I purchased an extra bottom rack to have full coverage across the bottom of the sink. I love it! I don't have a dishwasher yet due to it being backordered and I don't have a garbage disposal. When I wash dishes, I simply put a bin in the sink to wash and then place the washed dishes in the rest of the sink, then I dump the bin, drop a drying rack in the sink, rinse and stack. Everything is done within the confines of the sink. The bottom racks are helpful in keeping dishes dry when using the sink between meals. I don't use a whole lot of big-long items except for larger cutting boards, which are so easy to wash and rinse in a single bowl sink. Once the DW arrives, I think I will eliminate the bin and just wash non-DW items in the largest pot like others have recommended. The Riverby has a utility sink rack that sits on the top beveled edge of the sink, I use that rack to hold a drying dishrag and a sponge. The rack has a cup that I use to place washed silverware before rinsing, because silverware can easily slip under the bottom racks, which would be a pain to fish out.

It sounds like you’ve got a great system going. I love my single bowl too. I’ll never go back to a divided bowl.

Personally prefer 5050 deep stainless steel sink. I've always kept a plastic dishpan of some kind that would fit inside the sinks as well. Recently picked up a pair of plastic ones at a thrift store that nest well in the sink front to back with a half inch o each end to spare but are only half the width of the sink and I'm finding they work really well for collecting flatware from the table, especially the picnic table and when set in the sink you still have room to run the water for other purposes, even filling a glass.

https://www.katom.com/175-30342.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh9nYw66f8QIVBYmGCh3urwViEAQYAyABEgIXoPD_BwE

I have a 60/40 low divider porcelain sink and would not trade it for anything else.

There is no "one size fits all" and it is a myth that no one wants divided sinks anymore.