How to keep a kitchen sink area tidy...
My question is - how do people avoid there sink areas looking like our CURRENT ONE does today (see the raw image of our mess) with tons of stuff draining, washing up gloves/liquid/sponge etc. We do have a dishwasher and will in the new kitchen but you can put everything in there.
So - where do you hide all your washing up paraphernalia? Do you have a sink on the island and manage to keep it tidy?
Comments (31)
Jonathan
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Need to tidy up mens beauty care bottles and lotions
Comments (9)I love mirrored "open top" boxes - get them as tall as the tallest products. They make a small area look sleek and brighter , and he can still just grab and drop back when he has used stuff. I'd get a row of maybe four identical , about as narrow as a shoebox size or smaller so that they just sit along the top nicely together. weddingbee a few years back shows how to make them of you can't find any locally. If your back wall was papered I'd be papering the boxes to match and then they wouldn't be so noticeable. (I'm a one for wallpaper!)...See MoreFeature/Brick Wall in Kitchen/Dining Area.
Comments (21)From what i'm reading, I think you have only two choices on actual brick walls. The one with the cooker is an outside wall isn't it?? .....and then the one with the clock. Totally depends on how much work you want to make for yourself. If you just want to 'dip a toe', then go for the one with the clock. If you want to go all out then do the one with the cooker and hob. However..........and we have done a few of these now........that is Victorian houses...........Lyme plaster is a pain to work with!. Once you touch one bit 10 minutes later you've got a patch 3'x3', then you get bits that feel like they're welded on! Also, we have found on many of the houses that we have done full renovations on, the Victorians were fond of an 'anything goes' brick size approach! So be prepared to unearth allsorts and more importantly, be prepared to have to re-point most , if not all of the brickwork with Lyme mortar and then seal it! It isn't for the feint hearted. Here's an old Chimney breast that we did a few years ago in an Attic Bedroom. ( Before and After ) and finally ones on a Chimney breast from a different house. That's me in the photo !!! Have fun...See MoreHow practical are travertine tiles for kitchen/living area floor
Comments (6)Hello Lyn, I have travertine in my own kitchen at home, it's been installed for around 14 years now and I must say it requires more maintenance than a porcelain floor. It was sealed at the time of installation and has also been striped back and resealed a few years ago. I live in the countryside and I have dogs, so there are occasions when the floor gets muddy and it really doesn't show the dirt. At first I was really careful but I've become more relaxed now as I've realised that as time goes by It doesn't matter as the floor looks better as it gets older. If you want something that will look as perfect as the day it was installed , I would suggest that you don't go for travertine. If you don't mind scratches and it changing as it ages then Travertine is fine. Hope that helps? Karen...See MoreSink on kitchen island - how to make it look tidy?
Comments (2)Adding a slide over surface could help hide things in the sink ? Either a wooden or composite type surface that's larger than the sink but doesn't interfere with the tap (and new soap dispenser ) try TK Maxx or similar for a good selection of wooden and composite type chopping boards maybe ? Adding a hanging rail for dish cloths over a washing up bowl stored in the under sink cabinet might keep things handy - and can be rinsed and emptied as an when needed . A large jug can look pretty and hide a washing up liquid bottle too perhaps ?...See More
A S
5 years agoWe mainly use a dishwasher which automatically minimises the amount of dishes which need to be washed and drained. We also don't have a draining rack for plates/cutlery so if we do decide to hand-wash dishes they are immediately dried and stored away. I personally find that having a drainer at the side just tempts you to leave the dishes there (as is its intended purpose) but again adds to the clutter.
We have a utility room close by where we store away DW tablets etc. For cleaning sponges, etc we simply keep a 'joseph joseph' sink caddy/organiser to the side of the sink.
edwardallen
5 years ago
Alix W
5 years agoHi Edward, I am not a tidy person, so I sympathise! I have done two things to make my sink a bit more presentable. The most important is that we have a high surround round our island which means that from the dining area ALL the kitchen clutter is hidden. I love it. I know it wouldn’t work for everyone, but it works for us. Also works sociably as people lean in it with a glass of wine while we cook. (Purpose is totally undermined in this pic by all the clutter in the dining side, but hey ho). Second thing I’ve done is to buy a nice pot for washing up liquid, scourers etc. I’m *never* going to be the kind of person that’s puts them away underneath, I’m afraid. Still working on the drying rack. I agree - dishwashers aren’t great for everything.
minipie
5 years agoJonathan
5 years agoedwardallen
5 years agoThanks Alix - that’s a great idea!
Jonathan - you can put them in if they fit, but it’s not really practical as an oven tray or frying pan pretty much takes up the whole top rack (see photo) and you can (in ours at least) fit them amongst the frame of the bottom drawer, or if you can, the dishwasher blades hit them.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to just shove it all in there and close the door but I find 1) it doesn’t fit, 2) they often don’t clean properly without a good pre soak in the sink (so you might as well wash up) or 3) it feel rather a waste to put the dishwasher on for two giant pans you’ve managed to squeeze in.
But I’m open to ideas, hence this post :)
Angie
5 years ago
Sonia
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI have a DW so that helps keep clutter down. I have one of those 1 1/2 sinks which has a mini sink in the middle. That’s where my washing up liquid etc goes. Hand wash goes on the drainer. I agree that baking pans do not come out that clean in a DW so they are hand washed, as are ceramic pans and plastic containers. I use a washing up bowl, but when not in use it gets chucked in the pantry. We always either dry up straight away, or certainly before bedtime. Also keep windowsill clutter to a minimum if possible. Here’s mine, but it won’t look this tidy after dinner tonight!
Emily
5 years agoSonia
5 years agoHere’s my sink after dinner! However this lot will soon be dried and put away before bedtime. Just wanted you to see you’re not the only one!
edwardallen
5 years ago
Daisy England
5 years agoSonia
5 years ago
Sarah
5 years agoI decant washing-up-liquid into a more attractive dispenser which I think helps to make the sink area more tidy and smart. See this one from Ikea which I have... but there are endless other options to suit your kitchen. Same goes for hand wash and lotion (which I always need as I don't use gloves either). We don't use a bowl or drainer, we try to put things straight into the dishwasher or dry and tidy straight away... but of course it doesn't always happen haha
edwardallen
5 years agoJonathan
5 years agoA S
5 years agoEmily
5 years ago
kazzh
5 years ago
LTS
5 years agoThis is our sink. I rinse/fold the cloth & lay it over the rim that separates the two bowls. The washing brush lays in the small bowl. The washing up liquid is stored under the sink. We have a dishwasher but if we do need to wash anything we just lay out a bit of strong kitchen towel (we don’t have any drainer grooves) on the worktop, wash & dry immediately. I only ever use rubber gloves when bleaching the sink, afterwards I rinse & dry them with kitchen roll & put away underneath the sink. Hand wash stays on the worktop as it s used so often.
Emily
5 years agoEveryone has showed such lovely clean sink areas! Well I’m having a good clean before Christmas tree goes up and decided to take Hoover apart to clean and it was a gross job! Just stopped for a coffee before I bleach clean sink from cleaning up and took a pic of gross dirty sink! So satisfying cleaning something that’s become very dirty though!
edwardallen
5 years agominipie
5 years ago
Ribena Drinker
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoIn our new kitchen we got a double drawer dishwasher, so we always have space for dirty stuff.
Our tea towels and hand towels live on a pull out rail in the left hand cupboard (where the rinse aid and washing tablets also live) and washing up brush, washing up liquid and sponges & cloths, live under the sink in a drawer in the right hand cupboard.
Everything gets done in the dishwasher, other than roasting pans, saucepans etc, which get hand washed, drained for a while and then finished off with the tea towel and put way more or less right away. Other than that, there's only our expensive wine glasses, that get washed and dried immediately. All of which tends to keep the area quite clear all the time.
I would say that the greatest difference has been made by the double dishwasher, we always used to have dirty stuff hanging around waiting, either for the dishwashing to finish, or waiting for it to be emptied of clean stuff.
Paul
5 years agoedwardallen
5 years agoLinda Nadia
3 months ago
Daisy England