This Transforming Dish Rack Is a Must-Have for Tiny Kitchens (and Dorms, too!)

If you live in a small space and haven’t exploredcollapsible organization solutionsfor your home, what are you waiting for? Collapsible products have been a game changer for how I navigate my home, fromfoldable food storageto laundry care. What makes it so unique and convenient is that it expands exactly how you need it to, and when you’re done, itcollapses so compactly that it can be stored in a small areawithout creating more clutter.

Small-space dwellers have no doubt felt the pinch of a tiny kitchen, and I’m always looking forproducts to make the lack of room a bit easier to bear. Especially when it comes to one of the most dreaded chores of the space: washing dishes. For those of you who dry dishes after washing, I applaud you. For the rest of us who don’t, I’d like to introduce you to the collapsible dish drying rack.

One major benefit to a collapsible dish rack that can’t be overlooked is that it saves so much counter space. Unlike a standard steel dish rack, it doesn’t take up room in the sink or beside it, nor does it clutter shelf space when it’s stored between uses. The collapsible dish rack functions in the exact same way as mycollapsible laundry basket, but on a much smaller scale. It measures roughly 14″ by 12″ and folds easily into itself (unlike the laundry basket, which had a strategy to flatten). It collapses from 5” to 2” high, making it possible to file between, slide under, or stack on top of other household items. Mine sits atop a shelf in my laundry room, leaving my kitchen counter free for other uses, like preparing meals.

TheHome Basics collapsible dish rackis split into two sections: one for dishes and drinkware, and another for utensils. There are non-slip feet below the aerated base that keep the dish rack raised to allow air to flow through, and speed up the drying process. I’m a faithful dishwasher user, but that doesn’t mean Inever手洗我的菜。我只运行我的洗碗机I have a full load, which means it could take days to fill it. Instead of allowing dirty dishes to pile up, a good method of maintaining my clean kitchen has been to wash the few dishes that accumulate in the sink between coffee in the morning and whatever meal I’m having for dinner. Before I go to bed, I can put away the dishes and the rack and wake up the next day to a clean space. (Or leave my mug in the rack all night for quick retrieval before turning on the Keurig in the morning.)

Portability is another strong plus for the collapsible dish rack. When my little brother heads back to his dorm for the fall semester, I’ll be letting him borrow my dish rack while he’s away. Even though there’s a cafeteria on campus, he has a mini fridge and microwave in his shared dorm suite, and rather than keep dishes in a drawer of all places, he can dry and store them in the rack instead.

Overall, the dish rack is incredibly handy for small spaces and you’re missing out if you haven’t taken advantage of it yet. I can’t imagine going back to using my old steel dish rack after falling in love with how much extra space I have in the kitchen without it. Sorry, not sorry: I’m taking the more innovative route to my home organization.

Buy:Home Basics Collapsible Dish Rack, $25.49