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Original poster

Kitchen Help! Draining grooves on worktop by sink or not?!

28 replies

Kdubs1981 · 25/01/2022 17:37

I'm currently trying to make decisions about our long awaited kitchen! We have a large island with a sink in the middle, double Belfast. Pale/ white Quartz worktops.

I need to decide if I want drainer grooves? I've heard mixed reviews and that they can get yucky.

Does anyone have any experience/advice? I need to make a decision and have total renovation fatigue

OP posts:
skippy67 · 25/01/2022 17:45

It's a no from me. We had a new kitchen installed 6 weeks ago. The guy who came to template for our quartz agreed with me when I said I didn't want them. He said they don't drain, and collect gunk.

Sheepareawesome · 25/01/2022 17:47

If you want yucky black mouldy stripes by your sink go for it! Otherwise I would give them a miss.

JustJam4Tea · 25/01/2022 18:35

Don’t bother. They don’t drain and get gunky. Also I wouldn’t want a sink on an island.

SWS17 · 25/01/2022 18:36

Don’t bother. Looks so much nicer without. We have sink in island without grooves and there’s no issue

WutheringHeights66 · 25/01/2022 18:38

I have them but my granite is dark and I rarely wash up, almost everything goes in the dishwasher bar the odd large pan. This has been an eye opener to me.

Callmejudith · 25/01/2022 18:48

No grooves!

FawnDrench · 25/01/2022 19:05

It's a no from me.

SoftSheen · 25/01/2022 19:07

We've got grooves on a white quartz worktop and I like them!

Mosaic123 · 25/01/2022 19:11

No. Just buy a microfiber mat and you can wash it. Or put it away when you want it to look sleek.

halulat · 25/01/2022 19:12

We have them but they don't really drain. Wouldn't bother again.

CrystalMaisie · 25/01/2022 19:15

I have white quartz and grooves. It’s 10 years old, never had gunk or black lines. I like them and would have them again.

MaggieFS · 25/01/2022 19:19

We've got them and they work fine. Also wipe them down when I wipe down the surfaces so they aren't gunky.

Where the hell does your water drain to if you don't have them?

PeterPomegranate · 25/01/2022 19:22

We’ve just had quartz worktops put in. We don’t have grooves but we do have a flat slightly lower section (don’t know the name!) so the water gets directed into the sink.

PeterPomegranate · 25/01/2022 19:23

Bit like this

www.planetgranite.co.uk/blog/silestone/silestone-recess-drainer/

GreenLunchBox · 25/01/2022 19:26

I've got grooves. They don't drain, but I don't dry stuff on the island anyway so it's just for show I guess.

Not sure why it would go black or moudly, though.... don't you guys clean?!

turnaroundtime · 25/01/2022 20:51

It's granite or granite type stone. How are you people getting mould? How does mould even form on granite. Just wash yourself cloths regularly and wipe your bench people

Yebbie · 25/01/2022 20:58

I have white quartz and groves and they are fine, I wouldn't be without them! We do put most things in the dishwasher so only ever do a little bit of washing up of DC's bowls/plates that can't go in dishwasher and our knives etc and just pop them on the groves without a rack. Once they've dried and I've put them away I just wipe the groves down quickly when I wipe the rest of the worktops. Never had mould, gunk or any issues cleaning them, just takes a quick wipe.

minipie · 25/01/2022 21:01

No grooves here (we have marble)

We don’t wash much up, we put a teatowel down for draining and then hang it up when the stuff is dry and away.

Because there are no grooves it then becomes extra worktop space.

Original poster
Kdubs1981 · 25/01/2022 21:04

@skippy67

It's a no from me. We had a new kitchen installed 6 weeks ago. The guy who came to template for our quartz agreed with me when I said I didn't want them. He said they don't drain, and collect gunk.
These are my thoughts!
OP posts:
Original poster
Kdubs1981 · 25/01/2022 21:05

Thank you all! So helpful. Feel more confident in my "no" now!

OP posts:
eleflump · 25/01/2022 21:06

We dont have grooves - think the quartz worktop looks nicer without and nowhere then for my DH and DS's to wash their dishes and leave them for the washing-up fairy to dry and put away....

RoyKentsChestHair · 25/01/2022 21:08

I got a double sink so I could drain in one and not have all the washing up on show (too lazy to dry and put away as well as washing it!)

WaterLilly42 · 25/01/2022 21:16

I would say no, we're regretting them now on our pale quartz worktop. The lime scale collects in them and they look grubby. The only solution to get them clean is a really strong lime scale remover we bought online but its so strong we don't like to use it much.

CasperGutman · 25/01/2022 21:19

We have them. They work fine. I just checked by slowly pouring a litre jug of water in the middle of the drainer, and it all went in the sink. Yes, the last of the water stayed on the surface (of course - only the grooves have a slight slope on them,but everything between is flat).

I didn't try the same test on the bit without grooves, on the other side of the sink.

On a material which was at all porous, or if I washed up a lot, I'd get a sink with a proper draining board. But for our occasional washing up needs the grooves work fine.

Oh and the washing up fairy (a.k.a evaporation) works just fine for drying things up here! 😉

22Newnames · 25/01/2022 23:22

We were advised not to by the workplace shop. They said if you have grooves that space can only be a drainer. If you don’t have grooves it can also be work surface when you want it. He suggested a separate drainer from John Lewis for about £30 which you keep under the sink and just get out when you need to.