Drainer grooves, yes or no??

[sunny67]

Two weeks to new kitchen being installed and I can't decide about these little buggers!
We've got a 11/2 bowl under mount sink going in a silestone worktop but to go with or without grooves is bugging me. Kitchen designer says some people like them and others don't. Any thoughts??

We have them and I think they're a waste of time - dont really work well but better than not having them I guess. What is your alternative?

We don't have a posh kitchen by any standard but we don't have any drainer grooves on our work surface.
Water just seems to creep all the way down (maybe it's not 100% level) and eventually drips onto the floor.
It drives me potty, as it's so slow that you don't really notice when you put a few things on the rack to dry but go back 30mins later and you get a wet foot.

We just went with a dish drying mat (which is like a thick tea towel) but I only have few things to wash up because of the dishwasher. Works really well and I just hang it over the radiator to dry...would never have a drainer again

I found them very difficult to keep clean - even though it's only water dripping into them they seemed to get mucky, and you really have to dig in to each groove with a sponge to clean them. Wouldn't have them again - drainer mat underneath the rack is better.

The drainer grooves dont act like a draining board as such so they are not successful in that sense. Their purpose is really to stop the water creeping along the counter top, wetting everything in its path and eventually ending up on the floor. I have them on one side of the sink and not on the other. Any pots and pans that are left on the wrong side of the sink create a big mess down the front of the cupboards. My new kitchen will have them on both sides of the sink. I think they are a must.

No, don't have them. I did in my old kitchen and they just have water in them all the time. However, I now have two full size sinks, one with a drainer in it. I had a 1.5 before. If you only have a half bowl for the second sink, where will you drain anything? I found this annoying so in this kitchen two decent sized sinks was high on the list. Can you get a bigger second sink at this late stage?

Yes. We got them in the granite worktop because I didn't want to have a plastic or metal drainer

Definitely get them - dint give it a second thought

The kitchen I inherited doesn't have them. Granite.

Top drawer is wrecked from slow dripping in over 12 years.

My last kitchen we were told it would add around £400 to granite. Money well spent IMO

Shallan, that's something that I was wondering about. If they got mucky and being difficult to clean. The sink we have now is a normal composite 1 1/2 bowl with drainer. The half has a bowl with holes in that sits inside, to catch peelings etc while still letting the water out. It never ceases to amaze me how mucky that gets when it only has water going through it!!
Mrsladybirdface, love the name:-) where did you get the drying mats? I was thinking of using tea towels. TBH with having a dishwasher I don't have loads to wash up. Some glasses and a few things that aren't dishwasher proof. I don't use a rack I'd just plonk whatever I'd washed straight on a tea towel. I can see that not using anything to soak up the water would make a mess.
Without the grooves it will give me more useable worktop where I need it most.
Thanks for your replies.

Now I'm going back towards them! I'd be gutted to end up with damaged doors.
I can't have two full size sinks as the whole design would need to change, dishwasher moved meaning drawers having to go so it's not possible.
Maybe grooves but always using a tea towel to drain onto as well.
How can something so small cause so much thought!!

I got my drying mats from home bargains for 1.99 no water gets through and I have wood worktops so need to be more careful

Thank mrsbird, I'll have a look for some

We considered this when we had new kitchen with granite worktops put in last year. The granite people advised us against it.

Instead, everything gets put in the dishwasher or is washed up in the utility room where there is a huge stainless steel sink with draining boards either side. The sink in the kithcen is only used for prepping vegetables or rinsing out the occasional glass.

Sunny 67, I'm going through the same predicament. Wondering will I regret not getting grooves in my stone worktop. Did you get them after?
Any advice on whether to get drainer grooves in the worktop? People say that they don't serve a purpose and get mucky? I would love your opinions please.