9 Old-Fashioned Tips for a Clutter-Free Kitchen Counter

When it seemed that a season’s worth of papers had accumulated on our kitchen counter, I knew it was time to make a change. Why not do this sooner? Well, sometimes the pain of changing isn’t enough until you’ve really made a mess of things— and that’s where I was.

The day before tackling the mess, I read a journal article on the mental health effects of clutter. It was an eye-opener. Not only does the clutter frustrate me, but it affects my sleep and makes me less productive at work. I had a long list of ideas to try in order to deal with clutter, but one of my favorite sources of inspiration is to ask myself: What would people have done 100 years ago? That filter usually comes up with a list of ideas that are practical, grounded in real-world experience, and sustainable.

I hope you enjoy this list of old-fashioned tips for keeping counter-space clutter-free. They’re helping me, and I’m confident some will help you, too.

Simplify your kitchen gadgets

It’s funny how I sometimes have to remind myself that a good cook can still whip up a delicious meal with just the bare basics. It seems like anytime we have a specific need, we run out and buy a new gadget. But at a certain point, the extra clutter that this creates begins to make cooking less enjoyable, and then it’s not worth it. Keeping a tidy kitchen and simplifying your tools can go a long way in providing a more rewarding cooking experience.

Designate a spot for everything

I wish I could show you a picture of a family of 10 who lives across the street from us. They are one of the most organized and efficient families that I know. When you walk into their house, you see that there’s a hook for every kid’s backpack and a slot for each kids’ shoes. Every single item in their house has a place, and for that reason, nothing’s left out in the open. It’s the same in our kitchen— if we can’t find a spot for something to go, it’s probably a sign we need to get rid of it.

Clean up after every meal

Almost every night, our family of six sits down for dinner. But in order for this to happen, we have to make sure that we clean up the kitchen after every meal. Otherwise, the clutter and mess would just begin to accumulate faster than our daily cleaning sessions could keep up. Part of simplifying your life means putting things away as you go rather than trying to cram it all in at the end of the day.

Be intentional about what’s left out

About a week ago, I noticed there were a lot of different things on our counter that really didn’t need to be there. For example, there was a coffee glass container that we hadn’t used in years, and an old air fryer that we were planning to replace. This clutter was only there because of my indecision to take care of it. In the long run, it’s far better to be intentional about what gets left out in your kitchen and what gets put away.

Keep your surfaces nearly bare

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the kind of person that struggles with perfectionism. But thankfully, I’ve been able to channel this pursuit of perfectionism into what I believe is a healthy form, which is trying to keep the things in my life neat and tidy. When I look at our family’s kitchen table, it’s nearly always covered with stuff. And that kind of messiness makes me feel slightly unsettled. I believe the solution is to always aim to keep surfaces nearly bare, which forces everything to have a place and be put away.

Use vertical storage options

Our kitchen has a pantry that is filled to the brim with stuff. And much of this stuff is left on the floor itself. One of the best ways that we’ve been able to keep our counters clear is through the use of vertical storage options that line the wall. While this doesn’t exactly remove the clutter, it does free up space on your countertop, which is really what matters the most when you’re quickly trying to prepare a meal or clean up afterwards.

Develop a minimalistic mindset

I have my parents to thank for the love of simplicity that they passed along to me. Growing up, I knew exactly where everything was in our house because it hardly changed. Everything had a place; everything had a purpose. In our own home, one thing I do periodically is go through the shelves and see if there’s anything that we haven’t used in a while. I’ll then put those items in a box that I will get rid of in 3 to 6 months— this is really a foolproof way to know if you’re keeping too much stuff around.

Embrace the habit of daily tidying

One of my all time favorite writers on the subject of daily life is Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura wrote a series of novels based on her childhood living as a pioneer in the Midwest of the United States. In her books, she describes the lives of her mother and father. Nearly every day after breakfast, her mother would go about the house to tidy up. This would take her a good chunk of her morning, but something she seemed to enjoy doing. It helped her feel a sense of order and control over that little corner of the world that was under her domain.

Resist the urge to buy what you don’t need

When I think about the reasons for clutter, I can boil it down to two main causes. The first is that we buy things faster than we get rid of things, and the second is that we get lazy about where we put things. If you can take care of those two problems, you can keep any area of your home clutter-free. In regards to buying things, my wife and I have a simple rule: we think about a purchase for one week before deciding if we really need it.

Keeping your counter spaces clean and clutter-free is not a single action that you can take one time. It requires a lifestyle change, which is what makes it so difficult to execute. You have to change the habits that you perform each day and the ways that you go about your work. One of the best ways to do this is to find a role model to emulate. For me, I like to ask myself how people running a small business on a busy street would have arranged their kitchen spaces a hundred years ago. It’s a mental exercise that forces me to be practical and to think in terms of what works best in the long run.