I’m a mom of five school-age children. Well, they aren’t all children any more, since my old
est is in college. But they all live at home.
My door should be one of those big revolving doors at a hotel with the flow of people in and out all day. Thankfully I work at home, so I get to hug and kiss a lot of my favorite people as they make their way through the kitchen and my office space which is in the living room, off the kitchen. I’ve included a photo of the view from my desk to the right.
As my favorite people move through the house, it seems items of property get set down in the most convenient spot. Convenient to them, that is. Normally, convenient is on a counter. By the end of the day, my kitchen counters could be completely covered with stuff.
If you live with more than one person, your kitchen counters can look like mine. Here’s a list of what could be on my kitchen counter at any given time:
- My purse
- Cell phones
- Wallets
- Hair products, like clips
- Keys
- School books
- Library books
- Bread
- Dirty dishes
- Clothes to put away
- Receipts
- Bills
- Grocery store ads
Without ongoing attention, my counters could be like a volcano, erupting and overflowing onto the ground. Here’s the problem with cluttered counters as I see it. When there’s no room to work, I’m discouraged from starting anything. Instead of making an affordable and healthy dinner, I am tempted to pick something up. Instead of being creative in the kitchen, I am reduced to something simple. It just takes too much mental energy for me to overcome clutter.
Not only does clutter drain energy from me, but there is no room for anything beautiful. It’s hard to appreciate a bouquet of roses from my garden if it’s set onto a littered counter-top.
So, in order to bring in more beauty, peace and order, I have declared a war on clutter. It’s one I wage every day. Here are a few of my favorite tips to clear off kitchen counters:
1) First, make sure you only have what you really like and use in your cabinets. If you haven’t used something for a year or two, consider giving it away. This is good stewardship in my opinion. If you don’t use it, but don’t want to give it away, box it up and store it somewhere. Use your kitchen cabinets for everyday items – with some exceptions of course.
2) Get rid of food items that are out of date. Use those that are close to being out of date.
3) Move appliance off your counters. We have an under-the-counter coffee maker, and everything else is stored in a cabinet somewhere … but not always the kitchen. I store the toaster and blender/food processor under the counter, and have one shelf in the garage for a few bigger things I use less often.
4) Get a few really good kitchen items, and you’ll find you need less. I’m a minimalist when it comes to kitchen equipment. I do a lot of things the old-fashioned way. I believe in having a few really good knives, and keeping them sharp. That will reduce the need for several kitchen appliances. And I don’t have an electric can opener.
5) Put an attractive basket on the counter for papers that will be needed within the next week by someone.
6) I have a file folder in a drawer for papers that I’ll need in the next few months.
7) Bills go in a basket in a bookcase by my desk, with the checkbook.
8) All other mail is shredded, filed in our permanent files or recycled immediately.
9) Put a coat tree by the front door for backpacks, purses and tote bags.
10) Create a place to put items that need to be taken somewhere. Typically this works best if it’s by your front door.
Once your counters are clean, then create some lovely vignettes: a coffee center, a bouquet of fresh flowers, a candle and a bowl of candy. I like to buy pretty place mats and use them as the base for my pretty centers. If you look at the photo above, you’ll see two of my little centers. The one in the back counter has a red transferware plate, cream & sugar, plus a plant.
Overcoming clutter starts by making decisions about where things go. Once you’ve done that, it just take minutes a day to keep your kitchen counters clean.
In His Love,
Glynnis Whitwer
We have a teenage daughter. For some years now we havn’t been able to see her bedroom floor. Now her bedroom is full she has started on the kitchen counters. Your 10 tips all look like they could benifit, however we have 1 we’re banking on – We’ve suggested she goes to a university more than 3 hours away! Roll on September.
I completely understand! Not one of my children shares my concern for neatness and order. I’m praying something I’ve taught them makes sense when they are finally on their own.
Great advice, Glynnis! What is it about kitchen counters that makes them a magnet for all our stuff?
Good questions. There’s something in us that doesn’t want to finish what we start. I have to tell myself to put a book in the bookcase, or hang up a sweater. By the time I get home, I’m usually so happy to be there that I just want to relax … and the clutter begins.
Loved, loved, loved this post! Thank you. I’m always trying to get creative about keeping my kitchen and breakfast bar clean. It seems so automatic to put everything there. I have a basket for my husband’s things and a basket for my things. When that starts overflowing, I ask him to clean out his basket and I sit down and do mine at the same time. It has taken a lot of resentment out of our marriage and nagging I might add.
You have just inspired me to get rid of my nasty can opener that only works half the time. I love my hand held. Yeah, more free space on my counters!
I can’t tell you how many times a day I clean off the end of the counter. Everybody that comes in drops stuff there. Like you I have 5 kids. They range in age from 6 to 17. I give up on teaching them to put the stuff in their rooms when they come in. I just clean it off a few times daily.