4 Simple Ways to Keep Your Counters Decluttered
Today’s messy situation was submitted by Stephanie.*
I have tried many organizational systems for my kitchen bar but I cannot seem to keep it clutter free. I do not like to see anything on my counter tops since the kitchen is off of the entry way and that is what everybody sees when they walk in to my house. How do I make it functional and clutter free, since the kitchen bar is the area where everything gets dumped? – Stephanie*
*Name has been changed to protect the messy.
Stephanie, you’re far from alone in this problem – kitchen counters are a common dumping grounds! Fortunately, I’ve received several requests for counter top help recently so I have some advice ready for you!
1) Consider making a family-command center, like Keri describes here. This way you’ll have a natural (and attractive!) spot for keeping track of important family papers.
2) Give yourself a fresh start. Declutter your counters, throw away anything that you can, and give you counters a fresh start!
3) Have one or two baskets on your counters, like I talked about in this counter clean-up article. This will help corral any clutter and set a natural limit because when the basket is full, it’s full, and things have to be put away!
4) Clean out your cupboards – sometimes counter clutter is a sign of a cupboard overflow! Keri gives detailed step-by-step instructions here about how to thoroughly declutter cupboards.
5) Just do something. Even if you don’t have time to put everything on the counters away, you can pick a few things to put back. This will help to keep the mess from growing!
I hope this helps you, Stephanie*! Good luck in decluttering – please send after photos of your clean counters!
PS Don’t forget that if you submit your own mess by October 30th, you’ll receive a free copy of Chaos to Clutter-Free, plus you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Details and submission information are here.
