5 Best Dish Drying Rack for Small Spaces | Top Picks in 2021

Conventional dish racks usually take up a lot of space. But when you have a small kitchen, every inch of the counter is valuable. If you don’t have enough room in your kitchen or want to keep the counter free, small racks are a good option. These racks are designed to be narrow and use available space efficiently. Some Racks sit inside or over your sink to maximize usable counter space. In this article, we’ll consider a few racks that are specially designed for small kitchens.

Let’s dive in!

What Type of Rack Should You Buy?

Before checking out the options, we suggest you measure available space in your kitchen. The smallest dish racks will measure at least one foot in length. So if your countertop isn’t that big or you simply need it for other things, you probably want to buy a rack that sits inside or over your sink.

If you have no place to store the rack, you may go for a foldable option. A foldable X-shaped dish rack takes more vertical space but less horizontal space in your kitchen. Additionally, it can be folded to free your countertop when you need space.

5 Best Dish Drying Rack for Small Spaces Details Review

1. Ohuhu Multi-purpose Roll-up Dish Drying Rack

This is a superb multi-functional kitchen tool that suits several kitchen tasks. With almost a thousand happy customers and over 90% of 5-star reviews, it is one of the most popular and well-liked dish racks on Amazon. It’s also ideal for air-drying cookware, bakeware, stoneware, flatware, kitchen utensils, and fragile tableware.

A sturdy and multi-purpose roll-up rack from Ohuhu, it’s able to hold a good amount of weight without bending. You can hold dishes and utensils on it, or dry wet vegetables and fruits since it doesn’t restrict airflow. You can also use it as a trivet to cool hot pans on the counter. Its silicone coating is heat resistant, so it will protect the counter from heat damage.

Notable Features:

• Measures 17 x 13 x 0.5 inches and weighs about 2 pounds.
• Constructed from silicone-coated steel, it will not rust unless the coating gets damaged.
• It’s heat resistant up to 400°C and is dishwasher safe.
• Being a multi-functionally usable rack, it can do a lot more than conventional dish racks.

Pros:

• Lifetime warranty.
• Can be stored anywhere.
• Very easy to clean.
• Sturdy and Glassware friendly.
• Can be used as a heat-pad.

Cons:

• Can’t be used as a permanent storage.
• Steel rods may bend under too much load.

2. Umbra Sinkin Mini Dish Drying Rack

There’s a chance that your kitchen is too small or you simply can’t fit a normal rack in there. If that’s the case, The Umbra Sinkin Mini rack can be a perfect solution. This rack is specifically designed for those kitchens where usual racks are, per se impractical.

It’s a popular choice for outdoor use, you can carry it easily because of the small size. Honestly, we first saw this rack on a Reddit forum about outdoor cooking. Despite this, It holds a good amount (4-5) of plates and utensils for a small family. It’s narrow, and can easily sit inside any small sink. The Rack It is made of metal wire with a durable polypropylene coating. It has four rubber feet, so it won’t slip, slide, or scratch your sink.

While old fashioned, big dish racks can sometimes be an ugly sight in your kitchen, the Sinkin Mini Dish Rack features a clean, small, and nifty design that will complement your kitchen. It’s suitable for all types of sinks, from small to large.

Notable Features:

• The Umbra SInkin Rack measures 13 x 5.25 inches. Because of its compact size, the rack will fit inside any small sink. It also takes up less space on the counter, thanks to the narrower design.
• It’s made of Durable Plastic and Steel. You can expect a service life of a minimum of 4 to 5 years.
• Rubber-coated feet provide stability and prevent scratches to the sink/counter.

Pros:

• Space-saver.
• Easy to clean.
• Great for outdoor use.
• Attractive low-profile design.
• Easily fits inside small sinks.

Cons:

• May be too small for most kitchens.
• Much of the body is made of plastic.
• Will wet the counter if used without a dish mat.

3. mDesign Compact Dish Rack and Microfiber Mat Set

This one from mDesign is another space-saving option. It has a similar narrow design to the Umbra Sinkin Rack, and it takes less space than conventional dish drainers. You can put this versatile rack inside the sink when you need space, or you can keep it on the counter.

The mDesign Compact Rack comes with a microfiber dish Mat, so you don’t have to worry about a wet counter top. If you thought of buying a mat separately, then this 2-piece set will save you a few bucks. The dish mat’s made of super-absorbent material; you can use it under the rack, or dry plates and cups on it. It’s sized perfectly (18″ x 9″) to be put under the rack, therefore it doesn’t take extra space on the counter.

This intelligently designed rack can hold up to 12 plates and nothing else, or you could store plates and cups together on it. It has a removable plastic cutlery holder on the side. It also sports non-slippery feet which provide a good grip on any type of surface.

Just like the Umbra Sinkin Rack that we reviewed, this one’s built to be portable and space-saver. Take it to a vacation, picnic, or any outdoor events you want; it’ll work equally well everywhere.

Notable Features:

• The rack measures 12.5″ x 5.5″ x 4″ (L x W x H). It weighs less than 1.3 pounds.
• It’s built from quality steel for sturdiness, with a protective coating for rust-resistance.
• It’s designed intelligently to fit inside smaller sinks as well as small countertops.
• It has non-slippery and scratch-proof PVC feet for stability and preventing damage to the sink and counter.
• It comes with a properly sized mat, a good option if you wanted to separately buy a mat.

Pros:

• Classic design.
• Rust-resistant.
• Has a relatively bigger compartment for cutlery.
• Can be used inside the sink or on the counter.

Cons:

• Limited space.
• Bowls simply don’t fit on the rack.

4. Chef’n DishGarden Small Dish Rack

Yet another uniquely designed appliance from Chef’n. You’ve got to praise their design team. They try not only to be creative but they also equally put the focus on usability.

This round dish drainer rack is designed to take the bare minimum space needed. You can either place it inside a sink or put it on the counter. It has a unique round design that seems to waste space initially but actually does the opposite. It has a great capability to keep many utensils in a small area.

The Chef’n DishGarden rack is made of plastic and silicone. Since it has no metal parts, you don’t have to worry about rust. It has a silicone drain spout for draining water while used on the counter. The drain spout can be opened and closed depending on your need. The circular, crown design fits cutting boards, plates, cups, and more. It also has two removable cutlery holder. You can hang cups and mugs on the hooks surrounding the rack.

Despite being cheap and made of plastic, it looks stylish. It’ll complement your kitchen interior and blend in with everything else.

Notable Features:

• The rack measures 13.25 x 13.25 x 6.25 inches. it weighs about 2 pounds.
• It is made of durable and strong plastic. No metal parts mean no risk of rust.
• A configurable silicone water spout allows it to be used on the counter as well. But still, use a towel or dish mat under it because water may drip from side-hanging utensils.
• A pair of utensil holders can accommodate lots of cutlery. You can remove them as well to make space for plates.

Pros:

• Stylish, round design.
• Rust-free.
• Configurable water spout.
• Space-saver, uses space very efficiently.

Cons:

• Deal breaker if you don’t like plastic appliances.
• Can’t hold too many dishes.

5. KOHLER (K-8631-0) Collapsible Dish Drying Rack

The Kohler Collapsible Drying Rack may be a little expensive answer than the others, but sometimes it’s worth spending more for a better kitchen experience.

Depending on your house needs, the Kohler can be an excellent choice. As the most efficient of the bunch it does take up the most space. It collapsible, but it isn’t nearly as compact as those like rollup or foldable ones.

This Premium rack from Kohler includes a wine glass holder, a pop-out utensil holder, multiple plate racks, and a compartment for holding cutlery. It’s capable of holding a large number of dishes, bowls, and glasses, and one of the best racks for pans and pots in the market.

A great feature of this small rack is the drainboard at the bottom. The drainer tray is basically the whole bottom part of the rack. There’s a water spout on one side, which will lead the water to sink.

Some users did complain that cleaning the drainer board was tricky. But it shouldn’t be a big problem since the plate rack is removable. The upper portion of the rack can be collapsed down to save space when stored in the cabinet.

Notable Features:

• Rim lifts up to support large items; collapses for compact storage in a cabinet.
• Wine glass rack folds upward for use; easily folds down when not in use.
• Collapsible corner utensil band.
• Stacks dishes front to back or side to side.
• Drains over sink rim.
• Open design promotes airflow.
• Angled drain board and round corners prevent standing water.
• Stands on end or side for easy storage under the sink or in slim cabinets.
• Removable grate for easy cleaning; dishwasher safe.
• The removable grate is dishwasher safe.
• Made of rust-resistant stainless steel.
• It Includes with silicone drip tray.

Pros:

• Can easily hold pots and pans.
• Have collapsible feature which can help it adjust in any place.
• It can also hold wine glasses and many other utensils.
• Can be cleaned easily.
• Allows the water to roll off easily.
• Easily folds down when not in use.

Cons:

• Drainage system doesn’t work at times.

Conclusion

We tried to include a small rack for every possible situation you may be facing. However, you may not really need a small rack. If your kitchen lack counter space, you could go for an over-the-sink rack. If you can’t do that either, you could buy a folding or roll-up dish drying rack. In short, research thoroughly before adding something to the cart.

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