How To Declutter Kitchen Countertops – And Keep Them That Way

Keeping clutter to a minimum is tough in any room in the house. But it seems to be even more difficult in the kitchen. This is why knowing how to declutter kitchen countertops — and keeping them that way matters!

Without question, certain things will make your house look cluttered. But, the number one contributor to your house looking cluttered is cluttered flat surfaces.

Nowhere is this truer than in the kitchen. The thing with cluttered kitchen counters is, not only do they tend to make the kitchen look messy, they make your kitchen tasks more difficult. They also increase the amount of time you have to spend in the kitchen.

So, if you are over the clutter let’s look at how to declutter kitchen countertops and keep them that way!

4 Easy Steps For Decluttering Kitchen Countertops

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Whether it’s glasses piling up next to the sink, countertops piled with mail and random papers, half-eaten snack bags, or just too many small appliances left out it’s time to clear that clutter.

Follow these four easy steps and you’ll be well on your way to clutter-free countertops.

Start by removing all trash 

The first step to decluttering your kitchen countertops is to remove the trash. Simply grab a trash bag and start filling it with anything you can throw away. Empty food bags, napkins, plastic food clips or ties, empty containers, junk mail, etc.

Do this for every countertop and flat surface in your kitchen. Now, take that trash bag directly to your trash can. That’s it.

You might be surprised what a difference this easy task makes!

Relocate all non-kitchen items

The second step to declutter kitchen countertops is to grab a box, laundry basket, or another container. Now gather everything that is out on those countertops but does not belong in the kitchen.

Whether it’s keys, sunglasses, mail, school papers, pens, or whatever is found on those countertops that do not belong in the kitchen. Get all that stuff off your counters and place them in that container.

You’ll need to sort through the container later and put things away. But for now, we want to see the benefits of clearing the surface clutter off those countertops!

Put kitchen items away

The third step is to focus only on those things left on the countertops you can easily put away. These are the things you would not normally expect to be on your countertops but belong in the kitchen.

Think of things like:

Dishes – put away if they are clean or into the sink if they are dirty.
Food – put into the pantry or refrigerator.
Cooking Spices – place back into the cupboard or spice rack.
Cooking Utensils – if they’re clean put them where they belong or into the sink for washing.
Vitamins and supplements – return to where they are normally stored, if not the countertop.
Kitchen Towels – put them in the laundry room if they are dirty or put them away if they are clean.
Cleaning supplies and sponges – return to their usual home if not the countertop.

Some of these items may normally live on your countertops, if so, leave them for now. We will talk about ways to organize them later so they are not cluttering up your countertops.

Find new homes for the remaining items

The fourth step for decluttering kitchen countertops is to have as few items as possible living on your countertops.

Because your countertops are a large flat surface it’s easy to leave things stored there. The Problem is too many items in this space will make your kitchen look cluttered and messy.

The key is to find new homes for all those items you don’t need to have out.  Take a good look at what is remaining on your countertops. Now ask yourself, for each item, if it really needs to be there.

Between coffee pots, toasters, can openers, spices, oils, utensil crocks, knife blocks, dish soap, cleaning sprays, sponges, vitamins, etc., etc., etc., you can see how easy it is for your countertops to quickly become cluttered.

Before you know it, you have no room to actually do your cooking or baking without having to move 20 things out of the way.

The only way to stop this is to find new homes for most of this stuff.

It might feel strange at first to store things away that you use daily, but I promise it really does not take much effort. When all that stuff has a designated place to go, putting them away or taking them out for use, is easy peasy.

Plus, the benefits are so worth that little effort.

Consider keeping your can opener with your canned goods. You can store the toaster in a lower cabinet and cleaning supplies under the sink. It takes seconds to pull these items out when you need them.

Be purposeful in the things you choose to keep on the countertops knowing that you are trading valuable space for those items.

How To Keep Kitchen Countertops Clutter Free

Now that you’re clear on how to declutter kitchen countertops, you’ll want to keep them that way!

After all, the last thing you want to do is spend time decluttering just to find fresh clutter reappearing by the time you’re done with dinner.

The good news is there are a few simple fixes to ensure your countertops stay clutter-free.

Declutter the Excess

Keeping your kitchen counters clutter-free starts by decluttering your entire kitchen.

If you have a lot of kitchen clutter it will be harder to put things away. Soon all those items will make their way back onto your kitchen countertops undoing all your hard work.

Most of us have a lot of gadgets and small appliances we rarely, if ever, even use. There is also a strong likelihood that we have other items that can do the same job. If you want your kitchen countertops to stay clutter-free you’ve got to let go of that excess.

If you need some help with decluttering the kitchen read these high-impact tips to declutter and organize your kitchen.

Otherwise, start by purging your kitchen of excess things you don’t use or love.

Use containers to corral the clutter

For the things that will live on your countertops, corralling them in containers will stop them from becoming clutter.

I am a big proponent of using use baskets or bins to hold the things you use. 

I keep my dish soap and cleaning spray in these pretty bottles and have them sitting on a small wooden tray like this one.

For supplements, I use a little basked like this. I find if I put them away I forget to take them.

You can also use a small basket or tray for oils and spices you use every day.

The nice thing about baskets and bins is it makes it super easy to put things back where they belong. This in turn keeps your kitchen countertops clutter-free.

Rolling carts

If your kitchen countertops second as a homework station or an office workstation a rolling cart is a great option for corralling the clutter.

You can place all the papers, pens, and other items on the cart and roll everything out of the way. You simply pull it back out when work resumes.

These days I turned my rolling cart into a coffee station and I am loving it. I use a Keurig so it takes up a bit more space than a regular coffee pot. Using the rolling cart keeps my countertops clear!

Keeping the coffee supplies on the rolling cart has been a great solution. Everything is in one place, cups, pods, coffee add-ons, it’s all there and off of my kitchen countertops!

Limit decor

I love to decorate. I don’t want my home to be merely functional, I want it to be beautiful, warm, and cozy.

However, I have learned that keeping too many decor pieces out makes my house look cluttered. This is especially true in the kitchen.

At this point, I’m pretty strict about making sure that any decor I keep in the kitchen is also functional. Having my amber cleaning bottles and some neutral wooden cleaning supplies on a cute wooded tray adds a ton of interest.

I do keep a candle on the countertops, but that is about it.

So to keep the kitchen countertops clutter free limit your decor to functional pieces.

Create One New Clutter-Free Habit at a Time

You can declutter your kitchen countertops, and clean and organize your kitchen, but if you don’t change your habits you will find your kitchen right back to where you started. You want to create new decluttering habits. 

However, to make your new habits stick you want to build them over time. Start implementing one habit at a time. Once that habit is second nature, start working on the next habit. 

Find the area you struggle with the most and then work on changing your habits to keep your kitchen clutter-free.

For example, we all know that when our arms are full of things, we are naturally drawn to that clean empty space to put all that stuff down. The problem is that we tend to leave those things exactly where we put them. This results in cluttering our kitchen countertops.

If this sounds familiar work on the habit of immediately putting things away rather than simply laying them down and leaving them there.

Make sure that mail and other paper items have a place to live that isn’t on your countertops. Create the habit of dealing with the paper clutter as soon as it enters your home.

For little things, have a tray or basket to house keys and sunglasses. This way you will always know where these items are when you need to leave the house.

When you’re done with your coffee, place the cup in the sink. Put the spices back where they go as soon as you are done using them. Return the scissors to their home as soon as you’ve opened your package.

Learning to put things away, right away will literally transform your home.

Enjoy Your Decluttered Kitchen Countertops

Doing these four things are all you need to fully declutter your kitchen countertops. Get rid of the trash, relocate everything that does not belong in the kitchen, put things away, and find a home for the remaining items.

Work on small habits a little at a time. Start by putting things away as soon as you are done using them and you will be well on your way to loving your clutter-free kitchen!