Washing dishes by hand? Better break out the drying pad!

Many households will use some sort of drying pad to hold wet dishes so that they can air dry properly. But many of these aren’t able to catch the water dripping off the dishes, leading to wet countertops and potential messes.

Don’t think you are off the hook by putting a towel underneath the rack. Over time, that towel collects and HOLDS most of the water, leading to mildew. And as you know, mildew is not only unpleasant to deal with (smells bad, looks gross, etc.) but is also a health concern at high concentrations.

Towels are also just inconvenient. They have to be constantly washed and tend to be mismatched with the look and feel of the kitchen. Towels are good for many things, but drying dishes isn’t one of them.

Plastic drying pads can create environments were bacteria thrive, not to mention how bad they are for the environment.

With that in mind, it’s no wonder why the Dorai Home Dish Pad caught our attention. Their dish pad is described as an “eco-chic” alternative to the traditional drying cloth, and it’s touted as one of the best dish drying mats out there.

Basically, it’s more eco-friendly than your standard drying rack or water-catching towel and promises to cut the mildew concentration down to zero.

We love it for those reasons alone, but how does it hold up as a high-quality product? And are any of these claims valid? 

We aim to answer that question and more in our Dorai dish pad review. We’ll be giving you a general overview of the product, the pros and cons of it, and wrapping it up with our own conclusions.

Without further adieu, let’s jump right in!

Dorai Dish Pad – Comprehensive Review

Dorai Dish Pad – The Basics

Dorai Home’s dish pad is a diatomaceous earth dish drying mat (Diomat or DE for short). Its composition and design promote rapid water evaporation from the initial onset.

Which is just a bunch of fancy words meaning that it’s a pad made from natural materials that allow water to quickly dissipate.

The time of evaporation is dependent on how much water is placed on the pad, but light amounts can evaporate in as little as 4 seconds.

This greatly hampers bacteria growth by eliminating the moist environment where mold thrives.

How is it Eco-Friendly?

As we mentioned, the Dorai dish pad is made from diatomaceous earth (DE). Also known as the grass of the sea, this is a naturally occurring mineral made from fossilized remains of tiny aquatic organisms called diatoms.

DE is very versatile and can be used to support teeth and skin health, improved digestion, and boost immune function. 

It’s designed to be a chemical-free alternative to common household and hygiene products.

Though you won’t get these benefits without consuming DE (and we don’t recommend eating the dish pad), it’s important to note that you won’t be exposed to any harmful chemicals by using a DE-made product.

Which we are always thankful for!

The use of DE as the primary material also means there’s no usage of non-sustainable resources, which helps to preserve nature. The pad is also made from recycled paper and contains woven mesh silicone.

Pros

The Dorai dish pad has a variety of useful features going for it that make it stand out from other similar products.

Here’s a quick table summarizing the key points:

PROS
– Dries super quickly (within seconds) – Protects your plates with silicon mesh – Great for smaller countertops – Provides a clean, modern look for your kitchen – Easy storage

Let’s talk drying time. This pad dries very quickly.

We’re talking seconds here. The reason is due to both the DE and composition design of the pad. DE is already pretty amazing at evaporating water, but the layout of the pad takes it to a whole new level.

When you increase the surface area, water evaporates at a faster rate.

“The surface area affects evaporation because if more area is exposed to air, allowing water molecules to acquire more heat energy from the surroundings. Due to the increased heat energy (kinetic energy), there is a more rapid movement of the water molecules which helps them to overcome the force of attraction and evaporate.”

From physics.stackexchange.com

That’s pretty much what this pad does. It utilizes a larger surface area through millions of pores, which causes water to evaporate quickly.

This pad does not “store” water; it keeps it on the surface until it dissipates. Which is pretty darn useful, in our opinion.

If there’s no water build-up, then you don’t have to deal with mildew. And since you don’t have to worry about mildew, then you don’t have to wash it. The pad only needs to have adequate airflow to ensure total dryness and keep it clean.

Simple, easy, and effective.

Let’s move on to how it holds dishes. The pad uses silicon mesh as a buffer to the DE-infused surface area. This mesh is soft and pliable, allowing dishes to sink into the material and hold them steady.

And since it’s soft, you won’t have to worry about scratching or damaging cups, plates, and other kitchen utensils. Although we caution against laying sharp materials like knives into the mesh blade first, as that could cut the material and reduce its effectiveness.

The size of the pad makes it great for both small and large countertops. It doesn’t take up much space, giving you more room to use for your other kitchen tools.

The pad is also easily foldable.

Just fold the connected parts into each other and it’s ready for storage. We recommend hanging the pad so that it can completely dry out before its next use.

We should mention that the pad’s design is clean and modern. It’s gray and slightly tan colors allow it to easily blend into a variety of environments. It fits especially well in minimalist kitchens, although we believe that it can be placed in most kitchens and match the feel.

And here’s a small bonus: the pad can be used for produce too. 

Just place your produce on the pad and let the pad work its magic. No extra work is required.

Cons

Here are some things that we noticed regarding the Dorai dish pad.

Here’s a quick table summarizing the key points:

The pad only comes in one size in the following dimensions:

Length: 19.91 inches or 50.57 cm

Width 15.21 inches or 38.63 cm

Height: 0.52 inches or 1.32 cm

It’s not super small, but we wouldn’t call it large either.

For lighter dishwashing sessions, you won’t have a problem using the space provided. But if you wash a lot of dishes by hand, or if you wash a fair amount of large pots and pans, then you’ll find yourself struggling for room.

If you need more space, you’ll need to purchase more pads. But the pads are a bit on the pricey side at $69.99 each. The price is reflective of a high-quality product, but we understand why some users were disappointed with the size in comparison to the price.

And while the pads are very good at evaporating water, they can still take on water when exposed to large amounts of it. If the pad is constantly saturated in water, it can grow mildew (albeit at a much slower rate compared to other drying towels). 

Finally, stains can be a problem when not dealt with quickly. The company states that stains can be removed with sandpaper or peroxides, but users noted that once the stains set in, they couldn’t be removed with the recommended solutions.

Conclusion

So, is the Dorai dish pad a hit or miss? Is it worth the buy?

After doing this review, we say that this is definitely worth the buy.

If we had to give it a number, we’d rate it a 9.0 out of 10. We believe that it’s the best dish drying mat and it pairs well with the Dorai Home Dish Drying Rack.

Even among the users who voiced complaints about the product, none of them stated that the product didn’t work as advertised. The pad is great and, better yet, totally eco-friendly.

We would like to see more pad sizes come out and discounts/deals on these products in the future, as we believe that eco-friendly products shouldn’t be kept behind a high price point and lack of flexibility. Everyone deserves the chance to live a greener, better life.

All in all, the Dorai dish pad is a solid investment. Many other reviews share our opinion, too.

We recommend picking one up today to give it a try for yourself. If you like them, then consider checking out my review of the Dorai Coasters.

And if you decide to try those out too, you can pair them with some high-quality compostable cups.

And if you end up not liking the Dorai products, no worries. You can always return them within 30 – 60 days depending on where you purchase them.

Wrap Up

Hey, you made it to the end! Thanks for reading our entire review!

If you enjoyed this review and want to see more like it, leave a comment below. We’d love to chat with you guys and get a dialogue going!

As always, let’s continue to strive toward a greener, better way of living!