Norpro 18 by 16-Inch Microfiber Dish Drying Mat, Black

For the longest time, we just had a dish towel on our counter to put any dishes on that we hand washed. It wasn't a great setup because the towels weren't absorbent enough to prevent water from getting onto the counter and it was just not a very pleasant look in our kitchen. I decided I had had enough and started shopping on here for dish drying mats. There are a number of choices out there but I found these after a lot of searching. I wanted microfiber mats as opposed to silicone ones so I could easily wash them in the washing machine. I was also delighted to find these in black because we have brown fake granite laminate counter tops and all black appliances so I felt these would complement our kitchen colors nicely. I ordered two black ones and eagerly waited for them to arrive.You know you are an adult when you get excited about buying items for your house! When these arrived, I couldn't wait to use them! I removed them from the bag they came in and noticed a strong plastic smell, like many items that are stored in plastic. This was no big deal for me so I threw them in the washing machine with my towels and let them dry on the drying rack. After just one cycle in the washing machine, the plastic smell was completely gone. They took several hours to dry but once they were dry, I set them up on our counter and, what a difference they made! Each of these drying mats is approximately 16 by 18 inches and made of 100% polyester. They are thick and extremely absorbent. I use one under my bamboo dish drying rack and one for any pots and pans or other dishes we hand wash. They aren't huge but they have enough space for us to lay out any dishes to air-dry. I have been using these for almost a month and haven't had any problems with water seeping through them. They also air-dry nicely so they aren't constantly wet and I wash dishes several times throughout the day. There is a loop on the back so you can hang it up like a potholder. I wash them every couple weeks to clean them up and haven't noticed any funky smells at this point.I am so happy with this purchase and, as long as I continue to have a good experience with these mats, I would buy them again in the future when these mats wear out. I have included a picture so you can see our setup and how well they are working for us. They not only work better than ordinary dish towels, they are also aesthetically pleasing and I'm so much happier with the setup in our kitchen! I haven't tried out other mats but I'm very happy with these and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a good mat that is easy to clean, reasonably-priced and looks nice on a kitchen counter!

Bought this over 3 years ago and still works like new. Fits perfectly in under our drying rack, soaks and dries quickly. Haven't ever had a smell issue build up and if it ever starts looking dirty we toss it in the wash. My picture is of the item fresh out of the dryer, it looks good as new.

I bought this to put under my teak shower stool, which I ended up using outside the shower, rather than inside it. It's a nice little pad that keeps the stool from scratching the floor. I love it. Perfect size and super nice quality. Glad I found this one. It's just like some others I have in ivory that I do use for dishes. I think the black looks great. There are a lot more uses for this pad than just as a dish drainer.

It sits under my drying rack and catches the drips. I've washed it once - in the load with my regular laundry - and it held up fine. Too soon to say how durable the materials are or if it will develop a musty smell; so far it is as invisible and functional as I had wanted it to be.

I was looking for a microfiber mat to put on my window sill to absorb the water that leaks in when it's raining. This is how I came across this wondrous drying mat. I have an old Rubbermaid rubber drain tray which is no llonger being manufactured. The drain on it empties out to the sink as any drain should. The new one empties out toward you which is so ridiculous as I have yet to see a sink where this can be used. I take such fastidious care of this old drain board. Puddles of water are wiped off at the end of every day along with the lint and crumbs that accumulate. It is slowly getting discolored and then to my amazement I read about this mat being used by others instead of a drain board. After reading the very positive reviews I thought this must be a select group of people as how could this be. The mat must get soaking wet and particles must stick to it. I ordered it for my window but when I received it(in black) I put it on top of my old drainboard under the dish rack. It fits perfectly. The water gets absorbed very quickly and only gets damp not soaking wet because of the excellent absorbtion, If I leave the house for a few hours it is dry when I get back. It dries overnight, it's MAGIC ;-) Any lint or food particles are easily wisked off with my hand but the fantastic Scrub Daddy sponge works the best and leaves the mat absolutely spotless and this is on black which shows everything. .Microfiber is a fantastic fabric.I can now keep my obsolete Rubbermaid drainboard as it is well protected. I can't recommend this this little miracle mat highly enough. If you've gotten this far and read my entire review I thank you for your time for "listening" to my drawn out story about a simple small black mat that has made me very happy.

It absorbs well but don't get the black one as I did. It attracts and magnifies even the tiniest bit of particles, which are then difficult to wipe away on the spot. Better to get a beige or multicolor one if you don't want to spend time try to sweep away visible specks just after you laid it out. Material is not as smooth as these mats usually are. Not worth the price