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1. An over-the-sink dish rack featuring two or three sturdy tiers of dish-holding strength, a pot lid holder, cutlery holders, knife nooks, utensil hooks, AND adjustable capabilities. You're not buying a dish rack; you're basically getting a whole new kitchen.
Promising review: "I never buy anything without reading the reviews but rarely write one. This arrived today and my life may never be the same. 10 minutes to put together. All the bits and bobbles well wrapped and packaged. One of the horizontal bars had a slight bump in it but I faced that minuscule irregularity towards the wall. I have so much more counter space. My clean dishes don’t have to go on a musty mat. The onion peels just fall right down the garbage disposal. My quality knives are comfortable and close at hand. It holds two broad wooden cutting boards and a pizza peel with ease. Feels really well balanced. The suction cups are a little small but seem to be holding well. AND my husband never had an excuse to leave the sponge in the sink again. I’ll update of my delight shifts but I am very pleased with this purchase today!" —Susannah
Get it from Amazon for $49.99+ (originally $55.99; available in three colors, and two or three tiers).
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2. A bestselling roll-up dish rack with more extra uses than I can really list here: vegetable dryer, extra cutting board surface, dish drainer, and, of course, the extended counter space that you so desperately need.
Promising review: "I really like the design of this — it’s much more aesthetically pleasing than countertop dish racks. We have a large farm sink and just leave it on half of the sink all the time, with plenty of room to still wash. I love that I use it not just for dishes but resting produce or colanders on it. One of my favorite Amazon purchases ever!" —Kelligan05
Get it from Amazon for $22.98+ (available in three sizes).
3. A Simplehuman dish rack with a drainage spout, wineglass hooks, and a plastic silicone-lined tray reviewers say is capable of holding the impossibly large amount of dishes you go through on a daily basis.
Promising review: "I never thought I would love an intimate object, but that day has come: this dish rack is fantastic. I bought it on sale because I was very dissatisfied with our old, plastic, impossible to keep clean, dish rack. I never thought a new dish rack could change our kitchen significantly, but it has happened. It's big enough for our largest cutting boards and pots. No more balancing or hanging things over the edge and dripping on the counter. The silver holders are actually deep enough that we can safely place knives (most knives, not the 10" or break knives) in the holder without worrying about them getting pushed out and onto feet, or taking up real estate in the main body. Because the water spout (which is a revelation in its own right) can change sides, we were able to orient the rack to best fit our counter space. We did end up with the wine glass rack in a harder to reach position, but we use it less frequently, and the ability to slide stems into the frame negates that issue for up to two glasses. This is truly well-designed product. I love it." —C. Chartier
Get it from Amazon for $79.99+ (available in two sizes and two colors).
4. A KitchenAid dish rack with a deceivingly cavernous amount of space, so next time you use 10 dishes to make one (1) omelet, you can be sure they'll all fit, and be dry for next time.
Promising review: "I was hesitant to spend so much on a dish rack, but I have no regrets. We don’t have a dishwasher, so I use this a lot. It drains into the sink, so it doesn’t get grungy. There is enough room for a day's worth of dishes for our family of two, including pots and pans. I often just rinse it by spraying it down, but it is also easy to disassemble and do a more thorough clean. I am trying to get my parents and sister to switch because after using this one I miss the cup and utensil sections when washing their dishes." —Rosie S.
Get it from Amazon for $50.89+ (available in three colors, and in compact and expandable versions).
5. A plastic dish rack that does the job and does it darn well, and is available in 18 adorably vibrant colors that may give your kitchen the ~quirky~ sprucing up it deserves.
Promising review: "This is perfect for my weekly dishwashing and perfect for the limited counter space I have. Was able to fit all my dishes from the week, my air fryer basket, AND the baking sheet I used for biscuits. I don’t eat much and usually reuse dishes like my coffee cup for work and whatever I used for food (like fruit, not meals) so I typically don’t have many dishes, but this fits everything!!! AND IT’S PURPLE 🥰💜 " —Vani
Get it from Amazon for $25.44+ (available in 18 colors).
6. A rustproof two-tier dish rack that's strangely aesthetically pleasing, in addition to being easy to clean, holding all your dishes with ease, and improving your life as only a quality kitchen storage product can.
Promising review: "In total awe of a dish rack! Yes! I just said a dish rack. It is easy to put together. It is amazingly sturdy enough because it's not even heavy. I had a bunch of cups, plates, pots on it and it held up nicely. No plates dropping or sliding off. Easy to clean too. It has a place for everything. A place for your utensils, a place for your cutlery, a place for your cutting board, and of course a place for your cups and plates. And for every place there is a drainer that slides right off, scrub and rinse and slide right back in again. Cleans easily. It also holds small pots nicely. Would I recommend? Heck YES! Definitely a great buy." —D.L.R
Get it from Amazon for $28.99+ (available in six colors).
7. A compact aluminum dish rack if you have a tiny apartment kitchen and can't afford to have a bulky contraption taking up more real estate than necessary.
8. A double-decker dish rack that's much of a home decor project as an ingenious space-saving device, since it houses twice as many dishes with just a sliver of counter space.
Promising review: "My apartment has no dishwasher, so I knew I’d need a lot of drying rack space. Did my friends think I was nuts to spend all this money on a dish rack? Sure! Do I love it and are they are envious now? Absolutely! I love all of the details that the designers thought of for this product. I’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t have a dishwasher." —Tea H.
"While I have a dishwasher, not everything can/should go in there. It’s been a challenge to find a decent sized dish rack that didn’t co-opt lots of counter space, so in the past I attempted to make do with an in-sink rack and a bunch of drying mats. My kitchen started to look like a strange art project as a result. This rack’s shape and the ability to hang things off of the side (looking at you, metal measuring cups), really helps speed the drying time and makes everything look a lot less like someone just tossed a bunch of wet dishes in a pile. I never thought I’d spend this much on a drying rack, but it’s worth every penny." —Dqmda
Get it from Food52 for $88 (available in two colors).
9. A Crate & Barrel black dish rack emanating classy farmhouse vibes — and not only that, it's formulated with black carbon steel and wooden handles to make it easier to tote around.
Promising review: "This is a beautiful, substantial dish rack that looks fantastic in my kitchen. I was hesitant at first to spend so much on a utilitarian item like a dish rack, but I'm so glad I bought it. It holds a large amount of dishes and drains them well. The large slats allow a lot of air circulate around the dishes, so they dry very fast. The dish rack itself dries very quickly. I love the heft of it, and the wood handles and black finish make it almost like an art piece. It's beautifully designed and functional. I love it." —Amy W
Get it from Crate & Barrel for $49.95.
10. An extendable dish rack, because there are two-dish mornings and then there are days of utter culinary chaos that require a little more space for the aftermath.
You have the option to also receive a dish tub, soap dispenser, dish organizer, scrubber, or utensil holder with your dish rack.
Promising review: "I needed a new dish rack and preferred to get one that would be able to store under the cabinet when I needed more counter space. I also have been obsessed with finding one that has a drain spout, since I usually end up with water on the counter with the traditional drain racks that just have a lip that drains into the sink. This had everything I was looking for, and though I would have preferred a white and silver one, I am satisfied with my purchase. Easy to expand and condense based on how much space you need. The silverware piece can be placed just about everywhere. I really like it has the rows of prongs for plates/cookie sheets/cutting boards/anything else that fits. This was you can arrange your dishes in any direction. I really like the flat section for drying cups/glasses/mugs. I have been able to pile pots/pans on top of dishes with no problem. Glad I purchased and I look forward to getting more things by this brand." —Mil
Get it from Amazon for $49.95+ (available in stainless steel or plastic).
11. A tiered, expandable draining mat that triples in size whenever you need some extra space, then magically folds back up for maximum draining convenience.
Promising review: "I just moved into a new house without a dishwasher and I am always running out of space on my drying rack. This is super helpful. When I’m not using it I just fold it up and when I do dishes I pull it out and it provides a lot of space to put dishes. Much better than laying out several towels on the counter." —J. Domine
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
12. A collapsible dish rack ideal for small spaces, dorm rooms, camping trips, or lovers of convenience who will marvel with delight every time this little number folds up flat and out of the way.
Promising review: "Really happy with my purchase. This dish rack is perfect. Like that it is easy to store away when I'm not using it. Gets dishes nice and dry without worrying about sitting in puddles of water underneath. Has a drain in back to dump excess water too. Overall great buy." —Sannamae
Get it from Target for $20.
13. An adorable pink (!!!) dish rack that comes with a drain board, utensil holders, and two tiers of shelving to make putting dishes away a moderately pleasant activity rather than an exhausting chore.
Promising review: "We bought this for our small apartment kitchen and it looks fabulous! Feels like a decoration when not in use due to the pretty rose gold color against the black. Even with dishes in it it looks elegant! The extra little shelf on the back is great for cups and there's plenty of room for all eight our plates and lots of silverware! Helps cut down on having to wash towels after drying dishes too!" —Scruffy
Get it from Amazon for $39.95.
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14. A compact, mini dish rack for small countertops, or the occasional errant dish or two that you seem to need to use right as you switch on the dishwasher (dang it!).
Promising review: "I bought this for the kitchenette in my tiny 190 sq. ft. apartment before I even moved in. I figured it could be an in-sink drying rack to keep the 'counter' clear. Even with the world's smallest kitchen sink, it fits. I keep it on my 'counter,' though. I can literally not do dishes for a week and everything will fit on this dang thing. It's magical. It's amazing. It's wonderful. It's perfect for small spaces. Buy it, NOW!" —Rich
Get it from Amazon for $28.04.
15. A combination dish rack and drying mat that's the best of both worlds if you can't decide between the two — no dangerous games of stacking required.
Promising review: "Never thought I’d write a review of a drying rack, but this thing is amazing! Having a small space between sink and wall, I’ve literally tried everything. This does everything it says and more — I put dishes I hand wash on it at night and in the morning the dishes are not only dry, but the microfiber is completely bone dry! Easy to wash, easily folds for storage if needed, and holds pretty much all the plates, etc., I need it to. Sturdy and good looking, too. There seems to be confusion over size and the mini is absolutely 20x13." —Lisa M.
Get it from Amazon for $11+ (available in two sizes, and in an over-the-sink version).
16. A collapsible dish rack that folds flat to create its own drain board, so previously dreaded dish day and the subsequent cleanup could literally not get any easier.
Promising review: "I absolutely love this drainer! I live in an apartment style condo and counter space is at a premium. The fact that it folds flat for storage makes it easy to stash away when not needed. Although the silver parts look like they could be metallic, they are not. It is all plastic. It can be configured into whatever shape you need at the time. I highly recommend!" —ddayzz
Get it from Amazon for $42.95.