Useful tips to always have a shiny, clean dish drainer/rack

The dish drainer/rack is a very useful addition in our kitchens, because it allows us to store dishes, glasses and utensils without necessarily drying them after each wash. This results in a considerable saving of time in tidying up the kitchen after meals, whether we wash our dishes by hand or use the dishwasher.

Continuous contact with water, however, also means cleaning the rack frequently, due to the accumulation of stains and limescale deposits, which are very visible and annoying, especially on metal models. So how can we make sure that our dish rack is always clean and shiny?

We suggest below some very effective natural remedies which will give excellent results:

Creativo

First of all, we recommend disassembling the rack to wash it, so you can easily reach all the parts and make sure they are perfectly cleaned. This operation will also make the drying step easier, which needs to be thorough to prevent the formation of mold and rust.

We will now explain how to clean different types of dish racks, depending on the material they are made of:

• Wooden dish racks: this is the most difficult type to clean, due to the delicacy and porosity of the material it is made of. We suggest you prepare a solution of water and white vinegar in equal parts and spray it directly on the surface, leaving it to act for about 30 minutes. This type of dish rack must be perfectly dried after washing, because it is very easy otherwise for mold to take hold; we therefore advise you to let it dry in the air, preferably in bright sunlight.
• Metal dish racks: in this case, the greatest risk is rust, which is also easily avoided with careful drying. You can clean it daily with an anti-scratch sponge and a little dish detergent, but for more thorough cleaning, it is best to use baking soda. Make a thick paste by mixing it with warm water and spread over the entire surface with circular movements. Leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse off with plenty of water. In the case of stubborn dirt, also add white vinegar, which will help remove hard encrustations. Dry immediately with a soft cloth.
• Plastic dish racks: plastic dish racks also have a porous surface, so they tend to accumulate a lot of dirt, which is difficult to remove. We therefore advise you to combine the cleaning action of bicarb  with the sanitizing action of lemon juice. Sprinkle the surface with baking soda and rub it with half a lemon; then leave this to act for about 30 minutes. In case of very stubborn dirt, scrub off with a brush. Rinse and dry immediately.

What kind of dish rack do you have? How do you usually clean it?