Save time--don't dry dishes

I've enjoyed using those new "disposable" plastic containers from Glad and Ziploc--the poor man's version of Tupperware. Of course, I don't dispose of them. I wash and save them like any dishes, and if they get broken, I recycle.

One thing I don't like about them, though, is that the ridges and crevices in the design (especially the lids) make them hard to dry. I usually let my dishes air dry after running the dishwasher (to save energy), but even when using the heat drying function, the plastic ware comes out wet. Using a towel to get all the little droplets out of the crevices was tedious, to put it mildly.

This all changed the day I got a dish drying rack (or drainer, as some call it). I had been thinking of one for a while. I had already realized the joy of putting a wet dish on a towel on the counter and letting it dry on its own. A drying rack was the next step. I picked up a cheap-o one at a dollar store that was going out of business, so I think I paid about 50 cents. It's the kind that's basket-shaped, with a few slots for standing up dishes and a small compartment for silverware. It has been wonderful. Whether I wash my plastic ware in the dishwasher or by hand, I can just pile it up in the drying rack, leave it overnight, and it's ready to be put away in the morning. This has saved me a lot of time and frustration.

If you'd like to get one, I recommend looking at local dollar stores or places like Dollar General first, and if you don't find one, move on to pricier stores.