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The Dish Drying Mat Review and Giveaway

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Yes, you did read that correctly.  Dish drying mat.

Is it crazy that someone would love a dish drying mat so much that they would do a review and giveaway?  Well, possibly.

But this is a good dish drying mat.  And it certainly ain’t your mama’s dish mat. 😉

 

I have 4 children.  And we homeschool, so we’re here all day long.  I can’t even describe the ridiculous amount of dishes that I wash on any given day.  And yes, we do have a dishwasher.  But it’s always full.

So the dishwasher holds all of the dishes from breakfast and lunch and some from supper.  Since I cook from scratch most of the time, there are always pots, pans, mixing bowls and casserole dishes that won’t fit in the dishwasher and I’m always stuck washing them by hand at the end of the day.

Typically, I wash enough dishes that I completely fill my wire dish rack and also a dish towel that I’ve thrown on the counter to hold the last few that won’t fit in the dish rack.


(My counter looks like this almost every single night.  No kidding.  It’s craziness.)

But I’ll be honest: I’m always grossed out when I come downstairs in the morning and realize that the dishes on the kitchen towel are still wet from the night before.  Eww.  That screams bacteria to this used-to-be-registered-nurse-germaphobe.

Enter: The Dish Drying Mat.

I’ve honestly never owned a real dish mat.  Feel free to call me frugal, as I just couldn’t consider paying $7+ for something that a dish sits on to dry.  But if I had only known, I would have forked over the money for a real dish mat a long time ago.

Why This Works for Me

Like I said, I hated the dishes still being wet in the morning.  They just never seemed to dry.  But the Dish Drying Mat solves that problem.  It has:

· A unique weave that channels water away
· Foam thickness allows wine glasses to dry without tipping over
· Breathable microfiber enables air to flow all around the items
· Faster drying then a tradition kitchen towel
· Superior absorbency – it holds 4 times its weight in water

Best of all?  My counter isn’t completely soaked under the mat like it is when I use a dish towel.  You literally can run your hand under the mat and it’s completely dry.

 

 

Also, the manufacturer describes it as laminated.  Really?  A dish mat?  What does that even mean?

Per Schroeder & Tremayne – the manufacturer:

…it refers to our patented process for secure{ing} the layers for {of} the dish mat together – microfiber side 1, foam, microfiber side 2 are all flame laminated together. This process enables the dish mat to be machine washed and dried repeatedly without the layers separating.

Our competitors glue the layers together. BUT, during washing, the glue will lose its hold to the layers, causing the microfiber to easily separate from the foam inside. Depending on the amount of glue this could happen after only one washing.

 

 

So Easy to Use

The Dish Drying Mat is ultra easy to use.  If it is still damp when I’m ready to put it away, I just drape it over the oven handle for a couple of hours.

The weave is the same on the front and the back, so either side offers the same ease of use.

Thankfully, there are no special laundry considerations.  Simply throw it in the washing machine.  Just remember not to use fabric softeners, since the material is made of microfiber.

It really couldn’t be more simple.

 

Other Uses Besides Dishes

I will shamefully admit that I am notorious for not watering our house plants. And when I do, they are so parched that the dirt hardly absorbs the water I pour into the pot.

Then the water flows everywhere.  Again.  <sigh>

But, no longer! Thanks to my fab dish mat. I simply put it under the pot for an hour or so (or until I remember it’s under there) and let it do its thing.

 

This dish mat is also a fabulous baby changing mat. I’m sure this was never part of its intended use, but it works for me! It folds up easily to fit in a drawer or diaper bag and is ultra absorbent. Everything this mama is looking for.

 

Dish Mat Sizes & Colors

The dish mat comes in 6 different colors:
-cream
-coastal blue
-black
-red
-sage green
-gray

It also comes in three different sizes:
-Original:  16” x 18”
-Jumbo:  18” x 24
-XL:  18” x 32”

The mats you see featured in this post are the 16” x 18”.  I definitely could use the larger sizes for dishes.

 

Want to Win One?

Are you interested in winning one of these dish mats?  You’ve got plenty of chances!  I’ve teamed up with a group of my best bloggy friends are we are all giving three of them away!

Each entry below qualifies as an entry for this giveaway.

You have a couple of options for entering:

1. Leave a comment below telling me what you would use it for.  Everything from dishes to parties to plants is acceptable.  Think outside of the box if you need to!

2. Subscribe to Mama’s Learning Corner newsletter.  (Emails are only sent when the site is updated with new content and once at the end of the month.  Your email address is safe with me-I hate email spam too.) The sign-up form is the white box in the right side bar.  Leave a comment in this post letting me know you registered.

The comments section will close at 9pm EST on Thursday, October 20, 2011.  Three winners will be chosen on October 20th and each winner will receive one dish mat in the color black.

If black is not your favorite color, my bloggy friends are giving away different colors on their sites as well.  So click on over and enter every giveaway!
A Slob Comes Clean –Coastal Blue
Spell Outloud — Coastal Blue
Many Little Blessings –Sage Green
Finding Joy — Sage Green
Jimmie’s Collage — Gray
Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers — Gray
Raising Arrows –Red
Crispy Not Crunchy — Black
Feels Like Home –Red
An Oregon Cottage — Cream
RULES:  Prizes can be shipped only to continental US addresses. You will be contacted by email and must reply within 48 hours to claim your prize. If you do not claim your prize, another winner will be chosen.

DISCLOSURE: I received free dish mats for this review and was compensated financially for my time.  The experience and opinions are 100% mine.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Dori

    Anyone can use one of these! I think I could use it underneath the dog’s water bowl. Or as a floor mat in our 1/2 bath that my kids use all the time. Either way, I’ll put it to good use!

  4. Cathy

    I would love to try this mat for dishes. I, too, always have dishes piled in the sink or around it. This looks neat!

  5. Shannan

    This would be a perfect solution for us. We travel full-time in an RV and with 2 children, the dishes stack up fast. And of course, in an RV, I hand-wash everything. I go through several dishtowels each day, this looks like it might solve my problem! Love it!

  14. Ran

    I’m afraid it would be in constant use for drying dishes…I’m trying to teach my older kids to cook, and we make such a mess! It would be great to have a tool to make clean-up easier, instead of cleaning up after the clean-up!

  16. Charla Nira

    I would use it for drying dishes, and putting my strainer when done. I have been using my metal racks and just letting the water drip onto the tile below, I would no longer have to do that.

  18. Linda

    Dishes for sure and for drying produce. I always wash my lettuce leaves and lay them out on towels to dry, these will be so much better!

  19. Jillian

    I’d love to replace the ugly plastic tray that came with my dish drainer with one of these. Thanks for the chance to win!

  28. Yemi Brown

    I just read about my daily life, except we do not have a dish washer. I feel like I’m spending most of my days doing dishes. I would use to dry my dishes. If it had a camera on it and could tell me who kicked who at the ‘school’ table I’d probably use it that way.

  34. Martie Hawkins

    I’d use it for dishes, fruits and veggies and possibly one under the puppy bowl where she tends to spill/drip water. 🙂

  36. Shere

    Thanks for the giveaway! I would use it mostly for dishes, of course, but I can think o rmayn other uses as well!

  37. Shere

    Thanks for the giveaway! I’m excited to maybe win one of these, it would be put to good use for sure!

  38. Terri S

    I would love using this for my dishes, and black would match my kitchen appliances!

    Thanks so much!
    Terri S
    ponyxpress9 at yahoo dot com

  44. Alene

    I milk goats. I wash milking equipment. I don’t have a dishwasher. The combination of these facts means I often have breakfast dishes to wash while milking stuff is air drying in the dish drainer. Do i leave the breakfast dishes ’til later? (NO!!! I can’t STAND sinks filled with dirty dishes!! My one nod to OCD.) Do I put away the milking stuff before it is fully dried? A FAR from ideal plan… Do I wash my milking things onto a drying mat, leaving them to sit undisturbed until fully dry? Sounds like an EXCELLENT plan! If only I had a drying mat….

  46. Nancy Mosley

    These look like awesome drying mats. Thanks for the chance to win. I know that I could definitely use it in the kitchen to dry dishes, but they’d make great Christmas gifts, mats for under pet bowls, washing veggies/fruits, and messy homeschooling project. Thanks!

  55. Laurie

    I can think of so many uses. For drying dishes, putting under plants, under the dog’s food and water dish.

  57. Rebecca

    I would definitely use for the handwashed dishes. And a place to put washed produce so the counter doesn’t get all puddly.

  59. Andrea

    I’d love one! We had to get rid of our dishrack when we moved into the much-smaller apartment that we live in now, so I’ve been using a towel.

  63. Amy Skogerboe

    Homeschool with 5 kiddos and also have the eternal mountain of dishes! :-} Would love to have one of these in my kitchen!

  64. Pam in Missouri

    Definitely need this for dishes. We have a dishwasher but there is always something left over. Plus I hate to leave things sitting in the dishwasher forever if we’ve just used a few things for a snack or meal of leftovers.

  65. Leigh Owens

    I would use this to set my dishes on to dry, instead of using towels. I don’t have a dishwasher and my kitchen is too small to ever get one, so this would come in VERY handy!

  77. Debbie

    As a home school Mom of six children, we dirty a lot of dishes throughout the day. This mat would seem like an answer to prayer in the dish department. I love that you are giving it away in black! It would match my kitchen so well!!! Thank you for the opportunity to win one of these.

  78. April

    I would use it for setting fresh foods on that I had washed. I always end up with a mess of water all over my counter!!

  79. Robin Westhafer

    I am a Fla. home school mom and have been following Oregon Cottage
    now for some time. It is amazing how a black dish mat has brought me to you!
    After I win one, I will begin to give them as gifts!
    Thank you for your offer!

  80. Becky Honey

    I would use it for our neverending suppy of dishes we have around here. We homeschool and it seems that dishes grow around here just when you believe you have everything washed we find more dirty dishes….

  81. Kristin

    I’m thinking that these would dry our dishes a lot faster than the thread worn bath towels we currently use. Keeping up with dirty dishes for a family of eight is no easy feat to begin with, but the clean dishes piled on the counter is definitely not going to win us a spread in any home decor magazine!

  83. Sheila

    with a family of 8 we would use it for dishes, amoung many other things along with a mat for water activities and kid tea parties

  84. Darla Douglas

    How great!!!! My daughter is going to love this if we win,she hates to dry every day about 3 times a day.LOVE,LOVE, LOVE IT…….

  88. Loralee

    We only have 2 kids and no dishwasher (Well, actually, we have 2! LOL) I would LOVE to get rid of my 20 year old grungy plastic dish drain! (They don’t make the kind I need anymore!) Thanks for the chance to win one!

  89. April

    I would love this for drying my 10 month old’s sippy cup and of course all of the other dishes that we use during the day when the dishwasher is full. Thanks!

  91. Minette

    I have a dish drying mat that I use for ‘overflow’ dishes but would love to have one to replace my cheap-o drain board. My kitchen is black & red/ladybugs…so this is perfect :o)

  94. Kathy

    I would use mine to air dry dishes. The rental we are living in has a huge marble island and the hard water dripping off our dishes is staining it 🙁

  97. Jennifer

    I know it’s boring, but I would really get most use out of it under my non-dishwasher items! It could replace my old, thin dishcloths!! 🙂
    Thanks for the chance!!

  98. Deanna Johnson

    Pick me! Pick me! HaHa
    I would LOVE this mat for drying our dishes, baby bottles, sippy cups and pacifiers, my plastic drinking tumbler that I hand wash only. Would love it & appreciate it!
    Deanna (mommy of four under 6)

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