This will be the first in an ongoing series of product reviews at HSWT (yes, that’s Have Stroller, Will Travel for all of you acronym fans). I can promise you that anything I post about I’ve tried first-hand. If I say it’s great, it’s worked for us; likewise, if we’re not a fan, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a terrible product.*  I owe a great deal of gratitude to a variety of sources for our successes– an unnamed baby discount book that every mom-to-be hears about from others who have been there and done that, general parent-to-parent advice, and sheer dumb luck.

Now, onto the reviews!

I never thought I could get so excited about a cleaning product, let alone a somewhat uni-tasking one. I present to you the Oxo On-The-Go Drying Rack w/ Bottle Brush.

We initially puchased this for our trip to China, knowing full-well that we’d need to set up a BabyCentral(TM) in a hotel bathroom. I originally put an awesome-looking full-size rack for home that resembled our front lawn into our cart during one expedition to the local baby superstore.  I got a slight eye-roll from the spouse, even after I showed him all the little add-ons (all sold separately, mind you). “But look! It’s a flower that serves as a peg! And this little twig you can buy will dry all his pacifiers!” My appeal didn’t work, and we went home that night without any rack.

As time ticked down for China, I got desperate and began looking for small, lightweight drying racks. When I found the OXO model, I was sold. This little contraption folds open to reveal plenty of space for bottle drying and also comes with a full-size, collapsible OXO bottle brush. The brush actually opens to contain a nipple-cleaning attachment (which had no meaning to me until I was trying to get gunk out of those tiny things), and the brush fits snugly in the case, so there’s no jostling. I was even able to put a small sponge in there and a small container of dish soap. Closed, it’s approx. 9 x 6 x 2.5″ and incredibly lightweight.

So what’s the big deal about this, right? What continues to unreasonably thrill me about this is that not only did it work really well during our travels, but that we have never purchased a full-size rack for home. We just opened this little contraption up on our kitchen counter, and we were set. It’s really easy to clean, and the color choices (orange, green, aqua) are all pretty inoffensive.  I also like that it’s small enough to haul to grandma and grandpa’s house for the weekend and use without completely taking over their kitchen counter.

Because this product is so awesome, I can’t wait to find new uses for it once the bottle days are over. I’ve already thought about using it as a backup drying rack for our camping trips and family vacations when you want to bring your travel coffee mugs and water bottles with you, and even for trips to the Happiest Place on Earth (when every mom in her right mind plans on a few non-mouse shaped breakfasts in the hotel room).

Pros: Compact, utilitarian, and for $14.99, it’s a steal!

Cons: The bottle brush just doesn’t seem to want to stand up in its holster.

The Verdict? Buy this now!

*Companies who produce said products, please don’t begin to send me hate mail unless you’re willing to start sending me products to test in order to change my mind!