Keeping your kitchen counter clutter-free is challenging. For an efficient and productive kitchen, you need a clean countertop to work on. Where do you start? With these simple steps, you’ll soon have your kitchen counter clutter-free in minutes. By keeping this system, you’ll conquer your kitchen counter clutter for good.
Why You Need To Keep Your Kitchen Counter Clutter-Free
Your kitchen is a busy place. Productivity is the number one reason to keep a clutter-free counter. Kitchen counter space is limited and valuable real estate.
You are more productive in a clean space. This is where you prep your meals. I can’t work with a lot of stuff in my way. I’m sure you’re the same.
Clutter-free kitchen counters will encourage you to stay home and make dinner rather than grabbing some take out.
With less stuff to move, you will be able to clean the countertops with ease.
How To Declutter Your Kitchen Counter
How do you know what to keep on the kitchen counter and what not to? Are your kitchen counters a dumping ground for everyone’s stuff? Keeping your kitchen counter clutter-free is of utmost importance.
The first step is to decide what to keep on your kitchen counter. There are certain items that make sense to leave out such as small appliances. Remember though, that your kitchen counters shouldn’t be used for storage. Only keep out those essentials that you use on a daily basis.
It is almost impossible to have a completely clear kitchen counter. Some items need to stay on the kitchen counter because of daily use. Keeping them on your counter makes sense. After all, your kitchen is a working kitchen.
What To Consider Keeping On The Counter
Heavy stand mixer: I don’t use my stand mixer every day but I do use it weekly. It is heavy. Lifting it out of a cabinet each time I wanted to use it is too much of a hassle. By leaving it on the counter, I will use it more often. I can leave it in a corner of the counter where it is out of the way.
Appliances that are used frequently: I use my Keurig coffee maker each morning. As well as my toaster. So, it’s easier to leave these two appliances out in plain view.
Kitchen counter organization is key to ridding yourself of kitchen clutter.
Meal Prep Items Are Necessary On A Kitchen Counter
Cooking utensils: I keep spoons, spatulas, whisks and such in a crock on my counter close to my stove for easy access. All I have to do is reach over and grab what I need. With limited drawer space this is a much better option than storing in a drawer.
Cutting boards: Leaving a cutting board out leaning against a wall or in a bin, serves two purposes. Decoration and function. By keeping these out, they are more accessible. It is much better to use a cutting board than the counter top to chop vegetables.
Knife block: This is somewhat iffy. If you have room for a knife block, this is a great item to store next to your cutting boards. Personally, I think it looks better to keep the knives in a drawer in a knife holder. However, I do have both. I like to be able to grab a knife from the knife block without opening a drawer.
Hand soap and dish soap: Placing hand soap and dish soap on a small dish or tray would be ideal. I set mine next to the faucet till I can find a tray I like. Keep a dish scrubbing brush next to the dish soap for quick clean up. Buy seasonal scented soaps to make dishwashing more enjoyable.
Paper towels: We use paper towels when cooking and for quick clean ups. It makes sense for us to keep them on the counter tops. Alternatively, paper towel holders could be mounted on a wall or on the inside of a cabinet door. Do what works for your family.
Decluttering Tips For Mail And Paperwork That Lands On Kitchen Counters
Mail and paperwork are the main culprits that contribute to kitchen counter clutter.
If you never deal with mail, it will multiply. And it multiplies fast. Leave mail unattended for a week and that spells disaster. Unfortunately, mail becomes piles of clutter.
The more you leave it, the less you want to deal with it. It can become overwhelming. Daily is the best way to deal with incoming mail. It’s hard to even think about, I know. Let’s get to work!
You need a system for mail organization. This will reduce paper clutter.
The easiest way to deal with daily mail is to go through it immediately once you bring it into the house. Set up a couple of file folders and store them in basket or bin that’s mounted on a kitchen wall.
Shred junk mail – Keep a shredder nearby to make it easier to immediately dispose of junk mail.
File bills – Place them in a file folder with the due date written across the top of the statement in bright marker.
Store ad flyers – Toss any ad flyers except grocery store flyers. Place any grocery store ad flyers along with your menu plan for the following week. Even better, sign up for email notifications instead of paper.
Coupons – These should go straight into your purse or wallet.
Create a section for school papers – Make sure there is a file folder for each child. Place any school papers that need to be returned to school with due dates in plain view. These papers need to be visible so all you need to do is glance at the folder for important information. You might want to paper clip these type of papers to the outside of the file folder for easy reference.
Sign up for electronic billing – This makes for less paper to deal with. As soon as a bill arrives in your email box, go ahead and schedule the payment.
What Not To Keep
Too many decorative pieces – Decorating my kitchen is a favorite of mine but I limit the number of items I use. This is an area you need to use restraint on. Having too many decorative pieces can leave little room for meal prep. I know this only too well. Home decor in the kitchen should be minimal.
Canisters – Flour and sugar canisters are best stored in the pantry. They take up a lot of valuable counter space. If you use these daily then it’s fine to keep them on the counter. Otherwise, put them away and save the counter space.
Dish drying rack – This is not a pretty thing at all. Keep the dish drainer under the sink when not in use. You may want to consider a drying mat instead. These take up much less space in your under the sink cabinet.
Cookbooks – Collecting cookbooks is a weakness for me. One I have had to rein in. When we remodeled our kitchen, I only kept a few of my favorites. Keeping them on the kitchen counter takes up too much space. I store them in a cabinet close to my stove. They are still accessible but out of sight.
Spice rack – Spices should be kept in a drawer or a rack mounted on a wall or cabinet door. I recently organized my spices that helps keep them neat and easy to find.
Cookie jar – Keep the cookie jar in the pantry unless it’s filled with delicious, homemade cookies.
Uncluttered counter tops are easier to clean and maintain. A quick wipe down happens in minutes without having to move a lot of items. Then once a week, take everything off, to do a more thorough cleaning.
It’s time to clear off those counter tops. Determine what is necessary for you every day and what is only used every once in awhile. You will love the difference in having a kitchen counter that is free of clutter.
I have lots of tips and ideas in this post on organization for kitchen cabinets and drawers. This will help with keeping your counters clean.
What things do you keep on your kitchen counter? What things are an absolute no no? I’d love to hear.
19 Comments
Carol, I so agree with you. As much as I’d like empty counters, it makes no sense to put away the used-daily toaster and the used-all-day-long electric tea kettle. And I would never use my stand mixer if I had to hoist it onto the counter every time.
Good tips Carol. I keep other things on my kitchen counter. For instance, my husband likes his bag of coffee handy so we leave it out. I also keep two food processors (a mini and full size). Both we use almost every day. Think a home looks better streamlined, but it should be comfortable for its inhabitants, if you get what i mean. Visiting you from the Pretty Pintastic Party #250.
I so agree with you, Nancy. I fully believe that a kitchen counter must function well for the people using the space. If it is used everyday, it needs to be on the counter. That’s why my toaster has a well deserved space on one area of my countertop. Thanks so much for visiting!!!
I agree that anything that is heavy needs to stay and make total sense. I did go through this time when I put dried fruits etc in mason jars and have them on my counter but now I am waiting them out of sight. I think we all go through a time when we allow things to make clutter and then we have to revamp. Thank you for your post, would love to have you share on Friday Features. PS your kitchen is exactly the same layout as my daughters.
I feel so much better when clutter is out of the way. Visual clutter bothers me. Better to have things out of sight. Thanks so much for visiting, Karren!!!
This is what I hate the most a clutter over my kitchen. I don’t like looking over a kitchen that is not organized or clean. Yes! we do clutter on the kitchen when we are using it but be sure to clean up after finishing up cooking or using the kitchen.
Waking up to a clean kitchen starts your day off right. I so agree that cleaning the kitchen after each use is absolutely necessary. Thanks so much for visiting, Carol!
Hi Ashley, I am so glad this post was helpful. Having clutter free counters makes such a big difference in your kitchen. It’s much better having space you can work in. Refreshing a space is one of the reasons I love to organize!
Hi Carol, loved reading your organization suggestions. It all makes such good sense. My kitchen definitely needds to by de-cluttered. But I have to ask what do you suggest we do with large appliances that are not used every day? I have made room, as you have for my standing mixer, but I’m thinking of the Instant Pot, toaster oven, crock pot, etc. Taking stock of my kitchen has shown me some places where I can improve my counter organization, but finding a place for these other items has got me stumped. Do you have any thoughts for me? Thank you Cecelia
Hi Cecelia,
My best solution for storing small appliances that are not used every day is to keep them in a lower cabinet. Lower cabinets are not always the easiest to get to especially when you must bend over to get to them. I use a lower corner cabinet to store my small appliances since this cabinet is not particularly easy to reach into. If you can’t spare the space there, then how about a nearby closet. We have a hall closet where I can store those small appliances on its floor if I need to. I hope this gives you some ideas.
Thank you for these tips! I recently had a cabinet refinisher repaint my kitchen cabinets and my husband installed a new backsplash. With these updates, I’ve been trying to keep my kitchen counters more clean and organized…but it is so difficult! I’ve removed a bunch of decorations, and I ordered a spice rack and dish soap, so I’m crossing my fingers that those help!
As I age, it is more difficult to reach heavy appliances from high places. I engaged the use of my coat closet close to the kitchen for an appliance pantry. Most all of the appliances are waist-high and much earlier to lift and move when needed. There was hanging space, still used for coats and the shelves are my new/old appliance pantry. It’s the best solution for me.
I keep my stand mixer on the counter, it’s a lovely shade of pistachio green and has very nice pink flowers on it. I keep a salt and pepper shaker and butter dish out, also mint green and a crock. I have a large counter ,so I keep my small toaster oven to the right of my stove. Over on the other side of my island I have a coffee area with a pot and a lazy Susan with spoons , stirers , sugar and a holder for coffee pods in it. I just redid my cabinets, countertops and backsplash and am looking for ideas to dress up the corner of my counter. Thank you for all of your advice about what NOT to put on them.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Your stand mixer sounds very pretty. I love combining style and function! Thank you for sharing what you keep on your counter.
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Carol, I so agree with you. As much as I’d like empty counters, it makes no sense to put away the used-daily toaster and the used-all-day-long electric tea kettle. And I would never use my stand mixer if I had to hoist it onto the counter every time.
I think of my stand mixer as an essential part of my kitchen. It is a working kitchen after all. 😊
Good tips Carol. I keep other things on my kitchen counter. For instance, my husband likes his bag of coffee handy so we leave it out. I also keep two food processors (a mini and full size). Both we use almost every day. Think a home looks better streamlined, but it should be comfortable for its inhabitants, if you get what i mean. Visiting you from the Pretty Pintastic Party #250.
I so agree with you, Nancy. I fully believe that a kitchen counter must function well for the people using the space. If it is used everyday, it needs to be on the counter. That’s why my toaster has a well deserved space on one area of my countertop. Thanks so much for visiting!!!
I agree that anything that is heavy needs to stay and make total sense. I did go through this time when I put dried fruits etc in mason jars and have them on my counter but now I am waiting them out of sight. I think we all go through a time when we allow things to make clutter and then we have to revamp. Thank you for your post, would love to have you share on Friday Features. PS your kitchen is exactly the same layout as my daughters.
I feel so much better when clutter is out of the way. Visual clutter bothers me. Better to have things out of sight. Thanks so much for visiting, Karren!!!
This is what I hate the most a clutter over my kitchen. I don’t like looking over a kitchen that is not organized or clean. Yes! we do clutter on the kitchen when we are using it but be sure to clean up after finishing up cooking or using the kitchen.
Waking up to a clean kitchen starts your day off right. I so agree that cleaning the kitchen after each use is absolutely necessary. Thanks so much for visiting, Carol!
Can’t forget the microwave! I’d love to have a built-in one but for now it goes on my counter
So true! I use my microwave every day. It definitely deserves a place on the kitchen counter. Thanks for the reminder!
Hey Carol, I seriously love this post! Just cleaned my counters and reorganized according to this post and it feels so fresh and clutter-free
Hi Ashley, I am so glad this post was helpful. Having clutter free counters makes such a big difference in your kitchen. It’s much better having space you can work in. Refreshing a space is one of the reasons I love to organize!
Hi Carol, loved reading your organization suggestions. It all makes such good sense. My kitchen definitely needds to by de-cluttered. But I have to ask what do you suggest we do with large appliances that are not used every day? I have made room, as you have for my standing mixer, but I’m thinking of the Instant Pot, toaster oven, crock pot, etc. Taking stock of my kitchen has shown me some places where I can improve my counter organization, but finding a place for these other items has got me stumped. Do you have any thoughts for me? Thank you Cecelia
Hi Cecelia,
My best solution for storing small appliances that are not used every day is to keep them in a lower cabinet. Lower cabinets are not always the easiest to get to especially when you must bend over to get to them. I use a lower corner cabinet to store my small appliances since this cabinet is not particularly easy to reach into. If you can’t spare the space there, then how about a nearby closet. We have a hall closet where I can store those small appliances on its floor if I need to. I hope this gives you some ideas.
Thank you for these tips! I recently had a cabinet refinisher repaint my kitchen cabinets and my husband installed a new backsplash. With these updates, I’ve been trying to keep my kitchen counters more clean and organized…but it is so difficult! I’ve removed a bunch of decorations, and I ordered a spice rack and dish soap, so I’m crossing my fingers that those help!
As I age, it is more difficult to reach heavy appliances from high places. I engaged the use of my coat closet close to the kitchen for an appliance pantry. Most all of the appliances are waist-high and much earlier to lift and move when needed. There was hanging space, still used for coats and the shelves are my new/old appliance pantry. It’s the best solution for me.
I love that idea for an appliance pantry. I think many us could use such a space. Thanks for sharing!
I keep my stand mixer on the counter, it’s a lovely shade of pistachio green and has very nice pink flowers on it. I keep a salt and pepper shaker and butter dish out, also mint green and a crock. I have a large counter ,so I keep my small toaster oven to the right of my stove. Over on the other side of my island I have a coffee area with a pot and a lazy Susan with spoons , stirers , sugar and a holder for coffee pods in it. I just redid my cabinets, countertops and backsplash and am looking for ideas to dress up the corner of my counter. Thank you for all of your advice about what NOT to put on them.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Your stand mixer sounds very pretty. I love combining style and function! Thank you for sharing what you keep on your counter.