Do I need a Draining Board with my Kitchen Sink?
What Is a Draining Board?
A drainboard is a fixed platform attached to your kitchen sink. It allows water to drain into the sink while dishes are resting on it.
It is a kitchen accessory that helps you to dry your dishes. The design of draining boards allows water to flow into the sink. The edge of this accessory rests over the kitchen sink's lip, and the surface of the board is slanted, allowing water to flow towards the drain. This prevents water from accumulating on the board and making a pool, which may cause bacteria or rust if it's contaminated. Thus, drainboards goal is to direct water into the sink from the countertop.
A drainboard comes in a variety of materials. Some have cushioned or rubberized base so that the board doesn't get scratch and marks. Other types of drainboards are made from a special material that has the ability to discourage the growth of bacteria while fighting odours and stains. You can also call a drainboard a drainer.
Advantages of a Draining Board
Recommended product: Cody 950x450 Single Bowl w Drain Board Sink
Cody 950x450 Single Bowl w Drain Board Sink
Suitable for under-mount
Dishwashers have widely changed our way of washing dishes. But still, they are not helpful for washing some crockery items. Although many households have dishwashers, some people like to wash crystal glasses by hand. Moreover, drainboard kitchen sinks are best if you have fragile items that need gentle washing. The ripped or smooth sloped surface of the drainboard encourages water to flow directly into the sink. Moreover, drainboard sinks are available in the best quality stainless steel and Corian.
Hold hand washed items: Not only are they an ideal accessory for drying your plastic containers, wine glasses, and pans or pots, a drainboard is also great to place your hot pan. If you are the one who struggles to drain water off spaghetti or other food because of not having a place to put a heavy pot, you need an integrated drainboard to help with the task.
Food Preparation: A drainboard in your kitchen sink is also a great place to put a cutting board while preparing food. You can easily remove the garbage of peelings from the drainboard. If inexperienced assistants and young children are helping you out in the kitchen, you can ask your helper to take the position near the drainboard. Hence, you don’t have to worry about the damages your helper can cause to your expensive countertops, such as dropping a sharp knife while cutting veggies, or putting cutlery down.
some people like to rest their pot against it while they mash their potatoes because when doing it on the bench it can cause heat stains or chips, especially on a stone bench.
Storage Space off the Benchtop: Some people like to put their sink caddy on their instead of having it on the bench, or storing their dirty tableware before they start washing up.
Hold Dish Drying Rack: This is the old school use of the draining board, holding a dish draining rack that has a section for plates and kitchen utensils, kitchen dish, make sure you find one with non-slip rubber stops if you can.
Disadvantages of a Draining Board
The biggest disadvantage is that if you're getting a nice stone bench, most people don't like the look of having a drainboard and they want to show off more of their stone bench.
Another reason people don't like the drainboard is that it takes up just that much more space which means you might have less space for your sink bowls.
Alternatives To Getting a Draining Board
Here are some alternatives that have worked for other people and maybe they can work for you, we see a lot of people that get kitchen sinks without a drainboard get a bunch of accessories:
Do I Need a Draining Board?
This is a very common question that people ask, if you're redesigning your kitchen or choosing a kitchen sink before your builder goes to build your kitchen you'll come across a wide selection of sinks. some with a drainboard and some without.
The main question that you need to ask yourself is how often will you be using the dishwasher. If you're using it everyday then you're less likely to require a drainboard, because it's mainly used for people that prefer to handwash.
Here are some comments of people that we've asked whether they personally felt like they needed a drainboard or not.
What Are Others Saying about Draining Boards?
- "We don't have a draining board so it forces the kids to dry the pots with a tea towel straight away haha"
- "Not everything fits in the dishwasher, so we definitely need one. We also put our pots and pans on there to dry"
- "Get a double bowl with a removable draining board, so that you can put it away when you have guests and saves space"
- "I rented a house without one, and absolutely hated it because we had to put a tea towel down where it would've gone, or a nonslip dish drying mat, so that we could dry our pots, would've been nice to have a drying rack that didn't go on the bench"
- "We just got our kitchen done. I swear by a drainer even though I use the dishwasher every day. The pots etc are hand washed"
- "We got a double bowl sink and use a roll mat on one side, so we never needed the dish draining board, most of the dishes go into the dishwasher"
- "Our stainless steel sink had a double bowl and drainboard, and we used the drainboard all the time especially for our pots"
- "We use our drainboard drip tray for our pots and pans, we don't have a kitchen dish rack with a cutlery drainer though because all our cutlery goes into the dishwasher"
- "We found a little caddy that sat on the bench at the edge of the sink and drained into the double bowl so that if you just had a few dishes you could wash up rather than doing a full load in the dishwasher"
- "Our stainless steel draining board gets used to putting our sink caddy which has our sponges and dish washing detergents, much prefer that than having it on our bench.
- "We have a removable dish drain board on one bowl and a cutting board on the other bowl, we use it to cover any mess before guests come over, most of our dishwashing goes into the dishwasher"
- "We use have a dish drainer rack that sits on our drainboard, and we use it as a plate rack because sometimes we just have a few plates and don't want to do a full dishwasher run"
- "We didn't have much space so we preferred to have no drainboard for more food storage areas and learnt to work around it, the roll mat comes in really handy though"
Factors You Must Consider When Purchasing a Drainboard Sink
Look For Material
Look for the right material before purchasing drainboard kitchen sinks. You can find various types of material, including stainless steel, cast iron, or porcelain. Remember to think about how often you will use the sink and the frequency of cleaning.
Porcelain sinks get stained easily. This means you need to wash them constantly. You can use a mildly abrasive cleaner for cleaning purposes. If you use the sink rigorously, purchasing stainless steel sink will be a smart decision. They make the ambience of the kitchen different and are way too easier to clean.
Size
You also need to consider the size of your sink and drainboard. Your budget also plays its role here. This is because the size of the sink is directly proportional to the prices. Don’t forget to think about the frequency of use while choosing the right size. If you call yourself chef, you might need a large drainboard sink, which should be around 22-33 inches long. It is best to pick a large sink if your countertop has enough place for it. But make sure to avoid big drainboard sinks for small kitchen as it makes the kitchen look clustered.
Single or Double Bowl
Everyone looks for a spacious sink. Thus, if your kitchen has enough room, plus you have the money, purchasing a double-bowl sink will be a good idea. It will allow you to separate the unwashed dishes from the clean sink area and make your dishwashing task much easier. This helps you to save a lot of time while you are doing dishes.
If you want to experience the other option, choose a large single bowl sink; this gives a big washing space but doesn't have any divider. This is the best option if you have to clean large pans and pots often.
See all of our Premium Sinks with Draining Board.
More Kitchen Renovation Tips
Browse through our articles for more tips and tricks in helping you plan your Kitchen renovation:
Related Posts
