It’s even heat safe so you don’t need to worry about pouring boiling pasta water down the drain. The design of the mat means water can flow freely and small food stuff (rice, etc.) can get to your drain with minimum obstruction. It’s also a nice grey that matches most stainless steel sinks quite well. OXO’s silicon sink mat is a soft, rubbery mat that sits at the bottom of your sink. If you don’t want to commit to a metal grid, there are other ways to protect your sink. These items are normally made of PVC or silicone and they are affordable, non-metal, food-safe items that you can easily remove, disinfect, wipe clean, and/or put in your dishwasher. If you want to protect the bottom of your sink from scratches, but don’t want something that is metal or hard to clean, then you can get a sink mat. Like the Elkay, they are made of stainless steel, but American Standard has fewer rubber feet so they grids look a bit nicer. These are made specifically for American Standard sinks but will fit any rectangular sink if you measure properly and find the right model. American Standard Prevoir Bottom GridĪmerican Standard (the toilet and sink company) makes sink grids as well. If you want a major brand name that offers a number of sizes and reasonable prices then Elkay is probably the best option. Their prices are pretty reasonable too, with grids around $50. Their models are made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel and have scratch-preventing rubber feet. They make all sorts of products, including a number of sizes of stainless steel sink grids. Elkay Stainless Steel Bottom GridĮlkay is a brand that I know and trust. You’ll need to be very careful when measuring an non-manufacturer grid in order to ensure the best fit with your sink. Aftermarket sink grids will be much more affordable, about $45 on average. This usually means that the manufacturer’s model will be the best fit and the best looking, but they tend to be expensive (think about $125-250). The best sink grid will be one that fits your sink well, it made of materials that will last, that looks nice, and is easy to clean. Other major sink manufacturers, like Elkay, Rohl, and American Standard do the same. In fact, some models would have included one if you bought it direct or from an authorized reseller. So if you have a Vigo sink, it could get a Vigo sink grid for it. Small attributes, like the size and prominence of the rubber feet at the bottom become large differentiators when the products are so similar.īefore making any recommendations, it’s worth understanding that most sink manufacturers make sink grids for their models. That is to say that most sink grids are practically identical to one another with the main differences coming with style, finish, and fit. Sink grids, as a product, haven’t really seen great deals of innovation. Throw it in there, clean and then do heated dry and it’ll be entirely clean and ready to go back in the sink. Your plates and other items won’t tough the unclean portion of the sink grid - the feet in particular - but they’ll be dirty and you’ll know they are.Īn easy fix for this would be getting a sink grid that fits in your dishwasher. This is a major downside as the sink grid is basically a set of corners and edges that can collect grime and food stuff over time.
A sink grid can get gross, but it’s not that easy to clean. Downsides Of A Sink Grid?Īs you might already know, the inside of a sink gets gross, but it’s easy to clean. This slows down the spread of germs and bacteria. A sink grid reduces the surface area while increasing airflow and decreasing drain times. When your cut some raw chicken and then put a knife in the sink, you might wash the knife soon after, but did you wash the bottom of the sink? A flat bottom sink means a lot of area for exposure to germs, as well as easy spreading of those germs. Also, the bottom of a sink can get pretty gross.