Reduce Countertop Chaos With A Smarter Dish Rack That Disappears When You Don't Need It

Your drying rack might seem like a small detail in the overall efficiency of your kitchen, but it can be a surprisingly large bother. As much as we might wish it were otherwise — we all have dishes to wash. Even if you are the responsible sort who dries them and puts them away as soon as they're washed, you still need somewhere to stash them temporarily while you work your way through the sink. But, a traditional drying rack — the kind that just sits there and eats up several square feet of precious counter space — is as antiquated as a hand-cranked egg beater. These days there are space-saving alternatives to that bulky old dish rack.

From collapsible to foldable to roll-up, there are countless dry racks on the market that will help to both make room on your counters and improve the look of your kitchen. A rack that is always in place doesn't just mean that you can't use that real estate for other tasks, it is also an eyesore that invites clutter. If the rack is always there, what is the point in putting away the dishes? But if you can pack it up and stow it between meals, it feels like a hack for creating more counter space – as you have an extra incentive to put things away and keep your kitchen looking lovely and spotless.

When you make the jump over to one of these modern drying racks, there are a few different styles  to choose from. Each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, but all of them are great products to make your small kitchen more functional.

We'll start with the collapsible models, like the plastic and silicone dinnerware organizer from Fafcitvz. The advantage to a unit like this is that it closely resembles a more permanent and traditional rack with dedicated spaces for cutlery and internal dividers to help you easily organize your dishes. The downsides are that the largely solid bottom can lead to water collecting in the corners, and the silicone sides can collapse if too much weight ends up resting on them, causing your dishes to scatter across the countertop.

Another option is a folding rack. These are available in metal, like the foldable stainless steel dish drainer from Yunydsm, but if you prefer a more natural look, you can also opt for something like the bamboo dish rack from Bambüsi. They are very easy to fold up and stow when you don't need them. However, the tall and narrow design is not well-suited to larger or heavier items. Plates and cups fit perfectly in the cracks and shelves, and while customers have said they're much sturdier than they look, something like your enameled cast iron skillet will tip one of these right over.

Roll-up drying racks are an interesting contender for your kitchen as well. These extend over your kitchen sink, allowing water to drain from dishes directly into the drain — no silicone mat or dish towel needed. The trouble is that the design doesn't allow you to prop up plates vertically, so you lose a lot of space. That said, if you go with something like the expandable roll up dish drying rack from Bbxtyly, you will certainly use it — even if just for those larger pots and pans your folding or collapsible rack isn't sturdy enough to hold.