has anyone invented a very shallow tray to go above dishwashers etc?

[PeppermintMocha]

This would be so useful.

I have a gap of about an inch or so above both my dishwasher and washing machine, underneath the work surface.

I shove baking trays, cutting boards, pizza trays, wire racks etc in those spaces, and it's handy - but smaller things get pushed to the back at times, and I have to use a ruler or something to pull them forwards (it's too narrow for my hands to go in). And it just looks a bit untidy.

If someone invented a sort of thin tray that's exactly the size of an appliance top, with a one-inch 'front' on it, or maybe even sides as well, that would be so handy for pulling things out, and also hiding them!

I was thinking of trying to bodge something up myself like that, but it would be a lot easier if someone had already invented it and sold them ready-made.

It's never even occurred to me to put anything in this gap. So I don't think there's a market for trays!

You could get a joiner to make something really simple with wooden beading at the edges so things don’t fall off.

Same as you chopping boards etc but the gap is so slim and I always thought it’s another way for the heat to escape

Yes, I have thought this too! My friend has a purpose-built kitchen and asked the joiner to fit a thin drawer in exactly this situation. That would be ideal, but I don't see why you couldn't just buy a flat tray and put everything on it.

the flat trays just aren't big enough! I'd need it 60cm x 60cm to use the space properly (it's so shallow you can't stack much, so you have to spread it out). If I could find one, that would work - I want it to look nice, kind of almost built-in, fitting properly - and since most dishwashers and washing machines are a relatively standard size, someone might have made one.

I think only people with very very small kitchens probably think about using that space, so maybe it's quite a limited market.

I hadn't thought about heat escaping, though. It's been fine with trays on top, but it doesn't block anything fully that way, which I suppose a drawer sort of thing might.

probably would be very easy for a joiner or someone with DIY skills. I have no room for making stuff so never really got into that. Every extra tool I buy for some project has to have a space found for it...

I figured ikea or someone would have already got in on the market!

You could just order a piece of wood the right size online, and glue a rim round it?

You can buy 60 x 60 garden trays on Amazon, they seem to only come in black

So you can get trays that clip together, that go insider other drawers (for cutlery or pencils etc). Not sure if mine were from Lakeland or IKEA, but I use one on top of my dishwasher to store the dishwasher tablets. It's 2" deep, but maybe the makeup storage trays might be shallower...

oh thanks, I'll have a look at the clip together ones.
and garden trays are a good idea, might even check garden centres to see what they have.

the garden trays would be great, but are all 5cm or 7cm deep, and the space is really only about 28mm, just over an inch. But I'll keep googling as so far it's just the same main brand that keeps coming up.

I believe the plastic top of a washing machine can be removed so it can fit under a lower than normal work top using a height reduction kit from the manufacturer.. Might be the same for a dishwasher. This would make the space bigger top to bottom.

Would a separate upside down w.m lid fit, you can buy them online

that's a good thought; I'll have a look online

You can also get drawers that fit under your base cupboards where the kickboard is.

yes I've seen those - I'd like to get some when I get the kitchen redone (or maybe even retrofit them). Would be nice for pans etc, although at the moment, the spare floor tiles are behind the kickboards, so those would have to be relocated...

well for anyone who needs it, turns out that Ikea does have a potentially suitable solution - just they call it a memo board, rather than a dishwasher storage tray! Sodergarn - it's a 60x60 board with a 1 inch lattice sort of border around it. Fits very nicely, though the extra couple of mm on the bottom means that I can't fit quite as many trays in

Would there be enough space for something like the IKEA komplement pull out tray (they fit with the Pax wardrobe range)?

I think they were too deep, as I looked at those and they are nicer looking than the tray that I ended up getting (which is a noticeboard turned on its side!). It works OK though

I keep bees and use a framed metal queen excluder. If you google you’ll probably find one! It’s metal mesh on the base so no problem with heat escaping.