Kitchen

ETA August 2, 2011: Please note, this item is no longer available. We apologize for any inconvenience. If you’re interested in sink accessories, you may also like the Sink Drainer Cutting Board or Spongster.

1) Product Name: High and Dry Dish Rack by Dan Black and Martin Blum.

2) Background Research: I’m a victim of the classic New York apartment sob story: my kitchen is so small, I can barely do anything! With a corner sink – and an awkward space next to it – I’ve had a dish rack dilemma Continue Reading…

1) Product Name: Grab and Dry Terry Dishtowel Gloves

2) Background Research: The day I was tall enough to reach the kitchen sink, my mother made it my responsibility to wash and dry the dishes. Occasionally, I could use a crisp dollar bill to bribe my little sister to dry, but usually it was a one-woman job and one that I loathed. Fast-forward 10 years and even though I now reside with my boyfriend instead of my mother, I’m still the dish girl. Fun (not so much for me) fact — I’ve actually never lived in a house or apartment with a dishwasher.

3) Hypothesis: I’m making a bet that these dish towel gloves will max out after drying 10 items (a mixture of glasses, plates and bowls).

4) Experiment: While preparing for a house guest to arrive last Monday, I had to quickly get rid of the heap of dishes sitting around my kitchen. Now, unlike most people, I only have a countertop as wide as a cutting board and therefore have create a designated “dish drying area” by placing a towel over the stovetop. It’s a little lumpy, but it does the job. However, it takes a couple of hours for the dishes to dry and I only had 30 minutes. Behold the bright orange dish drying gloves! This time I used the lure of extra Modern Warfare II playing time to bribe my boyfriend to wash so that I could try out the newly acquired cleaning helpers.

5) Results: At first, I was in love. With my little mittens, I could actually keep up with his washing speed! The dishes weren’t as dry as if I had used a towel, but it was good enough for me. Yet, soon enough I realized that while I was removing water, I was actually adding tiny bit of orange material to every dish.

The gloves lasted until about 10-12 items before they became soaking wet. I tossed them over the sink and in a couple of hours they were dry and ready for more action.

Conclusion: 1) For optimum results, take the time to wash the gloves before using them. When I used them the second time to dry a sink full of dishes, the pilling was significantly less frequent. 2) Bribery is always the best policy. 3) While the grab and dry gloves are cute (in a blindingly bright, hunting glove kind of way) and pretty fun to wear, nothing beats a dishwasher.