Saving Counter Space & Money With Rubbermaid & the Target Cartwheel App...

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Rubbermaid, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RMDishRack  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Being a mama, a food blogger, and a home cook, I find myself having to wash certain dishes and items by hand pretty often.

From my wood & bamboo cutting boards to my slow cooker insert to the various pieces of vintage and delicate dishware I have bought for my food photography, I am washing a sink full (or two or three) of dishes at least three times a week.

Yes, once upon a time I was under the impression that once I had a dishwasher in my kitchen, I would never again hand wash a dish. 

And yes, I tested that theory out for a bit and lost a fabulous wood cutting board to warping and some pretty glass dishes that really were too small for the rack and ended up on the floor of the dishwasher with chips in them.

I learned my lesson the hard way, folks.

So, now I suck it up and fill that sink with suds and hand wash those suckers.

The biggest problem I have faced with hand washing dishes is where to put them as they dry. I did buy one of those fabric drying mats, but it took up so much space when laid out & I was always precariously stacking my dishes so they would all fit on the mat.
Which kind of defeats my goal of hand washing my dishes because it is a safer option for them. Am I right? ;)


And regular dish racks wouldn't fit the big stuff- like my cutting boards and slow cooker insert- so I still found myself playing a game of dish rack Jenga with my hand washed dishes as they dried.

But then I was introduced to the revolutionary Rubbermaid Deluxe Drainer and the kitchen sink angels sang, my friends.

Finally! A dish rack that didn't take up half my counter and fit everything in it neatly... and safely, I might add. ;)

The absolutely awesome feature of this Rubbermaid Deluxe Drainer is that it has no constricting side walls! 

Plus, you can pop off parts of the drainer to fit different items. For instance in the photo above, I popped off the utensil cup on the back to make room for my slow cooker insert. 

Cool, right?

I have been rocking my Rubbermaid Deluxe Drainer for well over a week now, and I have been loving it.

Above you can see I have a vintage colander, a martini glass, my silicone baking mat, my glass drink dispenser, and the blade attachment to my immersion blender draining and drying in the drainer.  

I am still using my drying mat. But now it is folded in half chilling under my Rubbermaid Deluxe Drainer.  (Psssttt... Rubbermaid does make a Universal Drain Board that you can purchase to use with this drainer.)

And here is one of my most favorite things about this drainer- how very little space it takes up on my counter top when I am not using it!

I also love that it is protected with Microban so it resists mold and mildew. 

And what I love even more is being able to save money on a product that is going to make my time in the kitchen more enjoyable and easier.  Because I am in there... a lot.

I used my Cartwheel App at Target and saved 15% on this awesome dish rack!

And you can too- just download the Cartwheel app, load the discount, pick up your own Rubbermaid Deluxe Drainer at your local Target before May 31st, and have the cashier scan your Cartwheel bar code on your cell at checkout.

Easy, peasy! :)

What items and kitchenware do you find yourself hand washing most often?