My Dish Mat Takes Up So Much Room on My Countertop, So I’m Snagging This Foldable One

Ever since we moved in together, my partner and I have had an unspoken agreement: I cook, and he cleans. We both feel like winners in the scenario, since he can’t cook and I hate doing the dishes, but we’ve run into a small yet irksome issue. I tend to produce a lot of dirty pots, pans, and mixing bowls when I cook, so when it comes time to clean up, my partner tends to overload our meager drying mat with sudsy glassware and cutlery, piling items on top of each other like Jenga pieces until all of it inevitably topples over. 

After a few too many broken wine glasses and chipped cookware pieces, I knew there had to be a better way to protect our dishes as they dry. I went in search of a better solution — one that wouldn’t require us to dry each dish by hand. This fold-up mat from Umbra checks all the boxes, and it’s only $17 at Amazon.

Umbra UDry Microfiber Dish Drying Mat

Even though we have a small dishwasher, my partner prefers to wash most of our dishes by hand to avoid damaging them. After noticing all the effort he puts in to wash them, I finally found a mat that’s spacious enough to fit all of our dishes without contributing to countertop clutter. This one-of-a-kind dish mat comes with a convenient attachment that keeps items in place and stops them from sliding around or toppling over. The plastic piece features 20 slots, which are ideal for plates, pot lids, and cutlery, and you can place it either in the middle or on either side of the mat, depending on your preferred configuration. 

At 24 by 18 inches, the mat is spacious enough to fit all of our dishes each night. And since shoppers swear by the material’s absorbency, we can expect our dishes to be perfectly dry by the time we wake up the next morning. While some dish mats and towels collect mildew and bad odors, the Umbra UDry “absorbs the water from the dishes really well and doesn’t leave a smell,” according to one Amazon shopper. Plus, since the mat prevents excessive moisture from puddling up, our cutlery and cookware will remain protected from rust stains or water spots. 

The rack adds a modern visual appeal to the kitchen, but if you’re short on space or prefer a clear countertop, it conveniently folds up in seconds when you’re done using it. It’s also easy to clean, since the plastic rack attachment is removable and top rack dishwasher-safe, and the mat itself is machine-washable.

If you, too, are tired of playing a nightly game of dishware Jenga, snag this two-in-one dish mat and rack from Amazon. The now-$17 tool dries items efficiently and prevents piles of dishes from catastrophically collapsing, and thanks to its unique foldable design, you’ll never again have to decide between cluttering the countertop and tediously drying cutlery and dishware by hand.

More Dishwashing Essentials to Shop at Amazon:

OXO Good Grips Dish Brush

Scrub Daddy Scrub Mommy

Cisily Kitchen Sink Sponge Holder

Zeppoli Classic Dish Towels, Set of 15

Kitsure Dish Drying Rack

At the time of publishing, the price was $17.