A Clutter-free Kitchen Counter-- There's Nothing Better!

**Jilly** · 04-10-2009, 08:20 PM

I love the feeling I get when entering my kitchen and the counters are clutter free. I literally think it frees my mind when my counters are clear of debris. But I haven't figured out why it's an uphill challenge for me EVERYDAY to keep them that way! I mean, I try to make sure they get cleared every evening. But the next day, all it takes is a blink of an eye, and like magic "SHAZZAMM!!" --I've got stacks of mail, newpapers, dirty utensils, plates, water and juice bottles, keys, pencils, used paper towels....you name it and you'll find it on my counter!! I know it's only a matter of putting things where they belong immediately, but it just never seems to always turn out that way. It's a mystery to me how so much "stuff" gravitates to my kitchen counters. It's almost as though the cleaner they get, the more it attracts. It's a never ending (not to mention exhausting) cycle!!! Anybody else have this dilemma? Any tips??

**Judi Dial** · 04-10-2009, 08:30 PM

Maybe you need a "dump area" in your kitchen that ISN"T your counters? It sounds like the stuff that winds up there gets there from you working in the kitchen doing things other than cooking: the mail, newspapers, etc. might be an easy first set o' stuff to keep off the counters. Try getting someplace to park the paper, NOT the counter, likewise the mail and make yourself put them there when you bring them into the house.

Not a big help, but maybe a step in the right direction?

Judi

**Jilly** · 04-10-2009, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by Judi Dial

Maybe you need a "dump area" in your kitchen that ISN"T your counters? It sounds like the stuff that winds up there gets there from you working in the kitchen doing things other than cooking: the mail, newspapers, etc. might be an easy first set o' stuff to keep off the counters. Try getting someplace to park the paper, NOT the counter, likewise the mail and make yourself put them there when you bring them into the house.

Not a big help, but maybe a step in the right direction?

Judi

You make a good point. It is the first room I enter from the garage which explains why stuff gets dumped there first. Good suggestions!! Thanks!

**Dobby** · 04-10-2009, 09:03 PM

Mine is the same way, and I have so little counterspace as it is.

**AmyBoz** · 04-10-2009, 09:07 PM

I second Judi's idea. Great thinking, Judi Dial!

**spyzvixxen** · 04-10-2009, 09:21 PM

I feel the same way. It's a neverending battle in our 1 br apt. I can't sleep until the kitchen is picked up, counters washed, etc. If you keep up with a routine it's not so bad. Clutter definitely makes me grumpy!!

**onencgirl** · 04-10-2009, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by Dobby

Mine is the same way, and I have so little counterspace as it is.

My space is limited also. Normally, I only have my microwave and coffee maker on my counter but by the end of the day one end is full of 'stuff' that i clear out before going to bed. Sheesh

QM · 04-10-2009, 10:15 PM

When 'stuff' (like you mentioned) starts piling up on the counter, I group it into piles of where it needs to go...downstairs, upstairs, foyer closet, etc. Then I put the upstairs pile on the step to go upstairs (to take with me the next time I go), put a pile on the top landing to the downstairs (to take with me the next time I go) and put the main floor stuff away immediately. Because I'm running around the house all the time, the stuff to go upstairs and downstairs gets brought to its correct area in no time. Then I immediately sort the stuff and put it away on its proper floor.

I stick my paperwork (such as bills and receipts) in a little area beside my coffeemaker. Every few days I go through it and put it in its correct spot.

You're right in that the kitchen looks so much better when it is clutter-free which is why I work really hard it keeping everything put away. At the end of the day I make sure all my dishes are either in the dishwasher or washed by hand and put away completely. It's a really good feeling to walk into a clean and tidy kitchen the next morning. It gives a special newness feeling to the new day.

**Debbie-cat** · 04-10-2009, 10:33 PM

My kitchen counters are the same way... the dumping ground BUT I can't stand it so it is a constant daily battle to keep them clear. At the end of the evening the only things that might be on there are a few dishes that are used during the evening which as washed first thing in the morning after breakfast. I cannnot stand a cluttered kitchen counter..... in our house it is the first thing you see when you walk in the door!

**mom2matty** · 04-10-2009, 10:53 PM

This is my constant battle as well. I'm not sure why everything ends up on my counters and island but it makes me crazy and everyone in my house knows it!! I do my best to catch the "offenders" when they first put stuff on the counters but I don't catch them every single time! I spend a lot of my day clearing counters!

**mauimagic** · 04-10-2009, 11:19 PM

In our home, whenever I clean off a space, my DD or DH immediately put something on it - has been happening for 20 years!!

I feel much better when the kitchen counters are clear and clean.... and sometimes I am really on top of it - that's the only thing that works - constantly cleaning it up - fact of life in our home and it's worth it to me.

**Michelle** · 04-10-2009, 11:48 PM

Flat surfaces have a way of attracting items here. It's a constant battle to keep the counters clear, but it is so worth it when they are. It's very similar to when the kitchen cabinets are left open. That drives me nuts and makes things look instantly messy, IMO.

**HandyMom** · 04-11-2009, 03:14 AM

My counters are taken up by the appliances we use all the time and there isn't hardly room left to make a sandwich on. I even have a kitchen table (our only eating area) with bowls of stuff on it, too! There's no room in there for much of anything. I don't know how a family could have managed to function well in this home as small as it is. No wonder most homes this size are cluttered as can be.

**frugalwarrior** · 04-11-2009, 06:01 AM

Oh No! I'm the offender. As I work on my breakfast area my table and counters are piled sky high w/ extra dishes and gadgets and appliances. I wanted to finish this area by Easter. The snow that hit us put me in a tailspin. Every time I plaster a bit of the wall I can see more damage. It can't go on much longer we cannot even eat in the dining room this Sunday. Help! Part of the problem is between my kids being home this week and my husband traveling M-F I want to spend time with them. Eventually.

**sabrelvssammy** · 04-11-2009, 08:27 AM

i keep my countertops clear of everything...(part of my ocd..lol).....

i don't have any kitchen appliances on my counters and the only things i do have are decorative items ...dh makes fun of me and says it's 'spose to be a kitchen...not a dining room....(but does admit that it looks nice)...i - like deb-cat have the type of room that its the first place you walk into from outdoors and it shares the dining room with one big room...the dining room is formal so if the kitchen doesn't stay that way too it not only makes the kitchen look bad but the dining room too....plus i just hate the look of kitchen appliances anyway...to me they are like dishes...they belong in the cabinets....