How To Keep Dish Towels From Falling

Kitchen Fix: Where to Hang the Dish Towels

Keep these hardworking cloths handy and dry. And even find room to show off the ones that no one is allowed to use!

Becky Harris

October 19, 2017

Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected." I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.

It seems simple enough to find a spot to hang your dish towel in the kitchen. But you need it handy and you need it to dry. And on a shallower level, it's nice if it looks nice too. These hardworking pieces of cloth are small but important to the operation of a kitchen, so let's take a look at the options.

Sink edge. This looks adorable for photo styling, but unless you have a divided sink with the faucet aimed at the other half, it can be impractical in terms of the dish towel getting wet every time you turn on the faucet.

Sink with a towel bar. This is the ultimate solution for those willing to go out and replace their sink. But not everyone is, so we'll keep looking.

Browse kitchen sinks

Wall rack. This is a good solution for storing and displaying dish towels that are out of rotation (this one is in a walk-in pantry).

If you want to use something like this for damp towels, make sure that the wall has a moisture-proof finish or that there's enough clearance between the rack and the wall to allow quick air-drying.

Dishwasher handle. Most dishwasher handles have a handy space to hang a light towel. And since dishwashers are usually placed right next to the sink, this is a no-brainer — at least for those who have a dishwasher and don't get annoyed by the towels slipping off when they open it.

Range handle. If you don't have a dishwasher, a nearby stove handle can serve in its place.

But let's be honest, if you do have a dishwasher and you still hang towels on the range, this is probably where you put the beautiful tea towels you want to admire — the ones that no one is supposed to use. I know it's where I hang my special, favorite Charley Harper tea towels. I pity the fool who dares to dry anything with those.

There's nothing wrong with hanging some towels in good spots just to use as pretty kitchen accessories. (In searching for photos for this story, I probably came across more kitchen towels hung for display purposes than I did kitchen towels that people actually use to dry things.)

Rack on the end of a cabinet. If you have a cabinet or wall that ends near the sink, this could be a good solution for you. Note how these pegs don't extend into the passageway. Placing the rack like this, or in a low-traffic area, will keep you from bruising your hip every time you pass by it.

Towel ring, bar or hook. You probably have a towel hanging near your bathroom sink for drying your hands; apply the same logic to the kitchen. Install a hand towel holder on the side of an upper cabinet or on a wall close to the sink. Some people like a separate towel just for washing hands, while others use dish towels for any sort of drying.

Again, make sure that the finish on the wall or cabinet you choose can stand up to moisture from a damp towel.

Over-the-sink bar. Similar to the last solution, this keeps your towel handy for washing your hands. And a backsplash can take on the dampness.

Ladder. I know you are thinking, "Yeah right, Becky, do you really think I have room to spare in my kitchen for propping up a ladder?" Of course I didn't. But how could I not share the beautiful Danish simplicity of this kitchen?

I don't even know if that sink is actually plumbed — and I don't care because taking a yoga breath and looking at this photo may inspire us to go clear some clutter or downgrade some of our ugliest, most worn-out dish-drying towels to housecleaning towels.

Towel bar on an island. Attaching a towel bar to an island is an easy way to get some good towel-drying action going in a handy spot. Take a good look at your island and determine if it's a candidate for a towel bar. Don't forget to factor in the room the mounting hardware will require.

You can use the same idea on the end of a peninsula, a counter that serves much like an island but is attached to one wall. Note the way the countertop extends over this towel bar. This prevents the bar from being a hip-bruiser.

Kitchen Layouts: Island or Peninsula?

Pullout dish towel cabinet. A current trend is concealing the dish towels in a pullout drying rack. I've heard a lot of people air their concerns about drying towels in a cabinet. One solution is to invest in quick-drying dish towels rather than traditional tea towels. Antimicrobial bar mop dishcloths, microfiber dishcloths and towels with waffle weaves are good quick-drying options.

Under-the-sink rack. Locating a metal rack under the sink makes great use of this tricky space and keeps your dish towels handy.