10 Dish Drying Racks That Are Better than a Tea Towel

updated May 1, 2019
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(Image credit: Susanna Hopler)

Whether or not you have a dishwasher (you lucky ducks, those of you who do!), you still need a handy dish rack. Why? What if you just have a few things to wash and you need them sooner rather than later? What about those precious items that can’t go in the dishwasher? Or again, what if you don’t have a dishwasher? No matter what, precariously stacking dishes and knives on a tea towel just won’t cut it.

Instead, consider pick up one of these dish racks. They’re all so pretty, you won’t mind leaving them out on your counter — with or without dishes.

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  1. Aqua Dish Rack, $15 at World Market: With its simple and sweet design, this little option has room for eight full-sized dinner plates and features a basket for utensils.
  2. Gold Dish Rack, $50 at CB2: This wall-mounted piece hits the gold standard when it comes to drying racks, literally. Your freshly washed dishes will shine just a bit brighter while sitting on this rack.
  3. Slat Drying Rack, $5 at The Container Store: Less is more — a whole lot more chic with this modern bamboo and chrome drying rack, which lets plenty of air circulate around dishes as they dry.
  4. Grundtal, $27 at IKEA: Hang this rack over the sink and the water will drip right into it. Or if that’s not an option, the removable bottom tray can catch any excess water.
  5. Bamboo Stack Dish Rack, $30 at Bed Bath & Beyond: Thanks to this rack’s double-decker design, you can stash cups and utensils on the bottom and bigger plates and bowls on the top.
  6. Yellow Corkscrew Dish Rack, $40 at Crate & Barrel: A drying rack has never made us want to do the dishes more than this sunny yellow version. It’s got plenty of storage space, plus a pour spout to catch and drain drips into the sink.
  7. Copper Wire Kitchen Foldable Dish Rack, $39 at West Elm: Have you wished a dish rack could look as good as, say, your coffee table? Behold the coolest rack in town. This copper foldable rack hits all the marks.
  8. Boon Lawn Drying Rack, $25 at Target: You may have seen the green version of this drying rack at various baby showers. New moms love this thing for its ability to dry a lot of little pieces at once. You’ll love this more sophisticated clear version for the same reason.
  9. Stainless Steel Drying Rack, $70 at Williams-Sonoma. The Cadillac of drying racks, this piece cuts no corners. It has 10 plate slots, five cup hangers, a three-compartment flatware caddy and a seven-slot bamboo cutlery holder to protect knives as they dry.
  10. Compact Dish Rack, $30 at The Container Store: Ideal for tiny kitchens, this compact rack may look small, but it sure is mighty when it comes to standing up to the drama of your dishes.