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Top 4 Ways Keep Your Kitchen Counters Clear | Banish Clutter for Good

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As a homemaker, cleaning the kitchen and keeping clutter at bay is just part of the job. In fact, clutter and getting rid of clutter may feel like a never-ending job! And it’s true. You have to stay on top of it or it can get overwhelming really fast. Today I’m sharing my top 4 ways to keep your kitchen counters clear!

Keep Clutter of Your Kitchen Counters @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Yesterday I talked a little more about self-discipline and how it’s important to remember: don’t wait for it to feel good to start doing it.

Creating new (better) habits can feel really hard when you’re getting started!! But you gotta push through those hard days and just do it. I know you can do this!!

And as promised, today I’m going to share my top three tips for keeping your kitchen counters clean. Because if you struggle with clutter and self-discipline, you probably struggle with kitchen counter clutter too.

Am I right?

That’s what I thought.

Here’s a picture of my kitchen when it looks a little cluttered:

Keep Clutter of Your Kitchen Counters @ AVirtuousWoman.org

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33

Clutter causes us to feel anything by peaceful. So let’s work on small habits like clearing the kitchen counters of clutter so our homes feel more peaceful

How to Keep Your Kitchen Counters Clear

Here are my top three tips for keeping your kitchen counter clear:

#1 Clear the clutter off your kitchen counters every night.

What is the best way to keep your countertops clean? I’m glad you asked! I’m going to be real honest with you here. There is no magic trick. The best way to keep your countertops clear is to clean your counters every night.

Make clearing the clutter off your countertops part of your nightly kitchen routine. For instance, your nightly routine might look something like this:

  1. Eat supper.
  2. Load the dishwasher and hand wash any pots, pans, or leftover dishes.
  3. Wipe down the table, counters, and stove.
  4. Put away clutter from the kitchen counters.
  5. Clean your sink, sweep the floors, and change your towels.

If you do this every night after supper, you’ll find the clutter stays gone for good. This goes back to creating new, better habits. It might feel like a chore at first. It might feel hard. It might feel wrong.

But once you’ve made your new nightly kitchen routine a habit you won’t have to think about it. It’ll only take a few minutes from start to finish. And you’ll wake up to a stress-free kitchen every day!

related: How to Keep Your Kitchen Clean + Free Printable Checklist

#2 Only keep the essentials on your kitchen counters.

What are the things you use the most that would make life harder if they weren’t on your kitchen counter? Some things might include your coffee maker, slow cooker or Instant Pot, or a large cutting board.

Think about what items could be put away behind the cupboard doors. If you can store everything else out of site, there will less visual clutter on your counters. And when your counters are clear of clutter you’ll be less likely to add more clutter. I’ve talked about the Broken Window Theory before and the same idea applies to your kitchen counters.

#3 Keep decorations to a minimum.

I love decorating my home. And I do enjoy adding pretty decor to my kitchen and I do have some decor on my counters. Some homemakers only keep the bare minimum on their counters and others like me fall somewhere in the middle.

I think what works best is to make sure your counters are mostly free of items that simply take up space, make it hard to work on limited counter space, and just make you feel more stressed because it looks like clutter.

#4 Create a designated space for items that frequently end up on your counters.

For instance, maybe you find that the day’s mail always ends up piling up on your kitchen counters. Maybe the kids drop their homework on the kitchen island for you to review. Maybe groceries get put on the counter and then never end up in the pantry.

Whatever is regularly cluttering your countertops needs to find a permanent home. You might need to create a command center or a desk area where mail, bills, and paper can find a happy (and clutter free) home.

Get creative with it, but it give it serious thought. Once you make a decision, follow through! If the bills now go in a basket in the command center – make sure the bills end up there.

This goes right back to my #1 best way to keep your kitchen counters clear: make sure all kitchen counter clutter gets put away as part of your nightly kitchen routine.

I much prefer a neat and clutter free kitchen:

Keep Clutter of Your Kitchen Counters @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I keep my kitchen counters clear?

  1. Rinse dishes and put them into your dishwasher as soon as you’re done using them. Pro Tip: Unload your dishwasher so it’s empty as soon as it’s done washing. This way you never have an excuse to stack dishes on the counter or in the sink.
  2. Always wash pots, pans, and mixing bowls as soon as you’re done using them. It takes seconds!!
  3. Follow through. Don’t let family members carelessly set things down without a gentle reminder to put it away.
  4. Implement the One Minute Rule in your kitchen as well as the rest of the house.

What should I keep on my kitchen counters?

Keep only a few decorations, if desired, and just the essential kitchen items. If it adds more work to your life, leave it on the counter. By the same token, if stuff on the counters is making you feel stressed, remove it!

Should I keep my appliances on my kitchen counters?

I keep a few appliances on my counters – but only the heaviest like my professional series kitchen aid mixer – and only those appliances I use frequently like the Instant Pot and our toaster.

related: Instant Pot School

I hope these ideas helped you think about how to keep your kitchen counters clear once and for all. Let me know in the comments below if kitchen counter clutter is something you struggle with or if you’ve got this problem figured out!

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2 Comments

  1. Good habits! Another thing I do is to put things away as soon as I've used it; for instance while baking, I take out the salt or baking powder, etc. measure it and immediately put it back in the cupboard. That way when I done making the cake (or whatever) and it is in the oven baking I can simply wipe the counter up and put the mixer away and the kitchen is tidy again.

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