I'm somewhat obsessive about keeping a clean sink area. Seeing as I don't own a built-in dishwasher, keeping standards high can be difficult, but I think it's about to get a little bit easier with my discovery of IKEA'S £4 dishdrainer that's designed to be neatly hidden after use.
The concept of the IKEA SPJUTLILJA is simple: it's a slim bucket-shaped dish rack that you can use to quickly and efficiently put your dishes away once they are dry. It's tailor-made for small kitchens like mine and is compact enough to be easily packed away after use, too, so that I can have that clean-countertops look I've always dreamed of.
As a renter, until I can employ one of the off-worktop dish rack solutions of my dreams, this excellent £4 buy is going to see me through. Here's a closer look.
Despite its very enticing £4 price tag there are a few features built-in to this handy little buy that go a long way to helping keep your kitchen clean. The first of those is handles, so that you can take this mini bucket from the sink to your cupboards and cutlery draw with no difficult manoeuvring neccesary.
And if you're eagled eyed, you will have noticed that the SPJUTLILJA also has no holes for draingage. That's great news for carrying it around your kitchen but you may think is a lot less useful for successful drying.
That's where the textured surface on the bottom of this drainer comes into its own. The grooves and edges are designed to keep your dishes lifted above the base of the drainer, where the water will gather, leading to dry dishes that are quickly ready to be put away.
As well as being ideal for compact kitchens (like mine!), this drainer also doubles up as a handy travel piece if you own a mobile home or like to go camping. As per IKEA's website, it is only suitable for the washing up of 1-2 people due to its small nature. But if you wanted a supplementary putting away drainer for your larger family kitchen, it could work for that too.
If you're lucky enough to have a dishwasher, this drainer could be another supplementary piece to help you lift everything out of your appliance and put it away around your kitchen too.
Keeping a sink area tidy is a topic of constant discussion here at Ideal Home. Just last week our Editor-in-Chief Heather Young was singing the praises of this inexpensive stone rest, which is perfect for keeping the area dry and banishing damp.
Lots of editors on the team also swear by Joseph Joseph for their sink essentials. Their dish drying racks have genius features, including multi-levels and carry-away cutlery holders. Here's a few of the tidy-sink picks that the team couldn't be without.
Alternatives
This sleek tray is designed to absorb water from soap dispensers or dish brushes so that the area around your sink stays splash-free.
This clever two-tier draining rack offers plenty of space without taking over the sink. It even has a clever draining spout to tip excess water back into your sink.
Cutting corners with a soap dispensing brush is a genius move. The super sleek steel stand also looks chic around a sink.
With these clever buys, you'll be closer to a cleaner sink at all times of the day – I guarantee it!
