Looking to clear your counters for whatever reason? Today I have 3 weird things that might give YOU some kitchen countertop organization ideas. I am a HUGE fan of a clutter free kitchen (as much as possible), and I think these will help you out, and you’ll really like these housekeeping tips!
Why Clear Counters?
Ok, just in case you’re like my husband thinking – what is your obsession with clear counters? There’s a few reasons I really like it.
- More calm in my kitchen — when I have stuff all over my counters I sure do feel it when I’m in there. I just like less when I’m working.
- Easier to Clean — When I’m grating cheese and it flies, I can easily clean it up rather than move a lot of small items to clean-up my mess.
- What really matters? — I think it is REALLY easy to get caught-up cute decorative things in our kitchen… and not remembering it’s mostly there to be used.
Clearing it off really helps us decide what’s important there.
BTW, if you’re having a tough time clearing those counter and deciding what to keep — join my free 5 word organization challenge that really simplifies organizing. I think you’ll love it!
So, yes — I love clear counters, but I ALSO love having the things I love very handy — so these really help us (I hope you find them helpful too):
Pull-Out Appliance Holder
Ok, hear me out. I had a corner that I’d never work in (it just happens to be above my corner cabinet that’s super weird). It’s almost impossible to use.
For a time I had our toaster in a cupboard but I felt like we were getting it out and putting it away so much (my kids go in phases with toast) that the crumbs were somehow worse. I tried putting it in the corner, but no one could really reach it to put the toast in so we were dragging it out….
Are you seeing all the crumbs along the way.
So, I got an appliance slide-out. I think it’s meant for a coffee maker, but it works well for the toaster, and it actually contains most of the crumbs too!
They have ones big enough for mixers and more… pretty cool!
BTW, if you’re in the market for a mixer….. I’ve got some ideas.
BTW, want more tips for your kitchen — check out these posts:
Bread Box
My family REALLY likes bread, and we just don’t have a cabinet that works well. Plus, I wanted small kids to be able to get out bread if they wanted it (Aka, to make sandwiches in the morning) — but I did NOT like bread all over the counter.
I ended-up with this one because when I bought it we were going through a LOT of bread. I actually find it holds 3 loaves if you’re willing to stack the back loaves. It’s got a good amount of space, and we use the top of it to hold a few often-used supplements, and a cookie jar. It gets a lot of things up and out of the way, while keeping our bread nice and fresh!
While this doesn’t really CLEAR the counters it actually contains the bread (and anything else you want to shove in there) and gives you a spot for storage. It takes up about 1/2 the depth of our counter, and I have it in a spot we just don’t cook in often.
AND if cheese goes everywhere it just goes around it, so it’s not as big of a deal.
If you have something that seems to spill all over the counters — be it, bread, treats or produce — find a way to contain it. That bread box also “seals” bread in — so it’s fresher!
If cleaning is an issue for you too — grab my weekly cleaning schedule:
Pull-Out Drawer
Sometimes you think you really need an object in an area — but if you look around there are other storage solutions.
I love this under-cabinet drawer solution. If there’s things like:
- Supplements
- Tea Bags
- K-Cups
That you want close at hand — it would be an awesome option to put underneath a cabinet and still be able to grab easily, while NOT taking up room on your counters.
Looking for more weird ways to organize — check out these posts:
What’s right for you?
The thing is, everyone’s going to be different in how much stuff they’d like on their counters, but because you read this article you maybe want less on your counters. And that’s OK.
LESS is different than NONE. I don’t care for the “none” look on my counters, but I do prefer LESS (than say, my mom had).
Growing-up my mom had a bunch of stuff on her counters, but I found I didn’t like the mess, so I decided I wanted less.
Maybe at some point I’ll want more, but for now less is more.
I think sometimes we do have to do a little mental therapy to decide why we have things the way they are (aka, my mom likes that) vs what we want — and why we’re having a hard time getting to the end solution.
And sometimes we need a little help coming-up with some ideas to both have the things we want at hand, but also feel less cluttered (or less anxious).
The Organized Home was created to help get your brain in order on what you really want, I’ll help you declutter to the needs, and then create solutions to make it work. It really does just what you’re wanting in just a few lessons — arranged around each area of your home.
Plus, it has bonus printables, other ideas and areas I’ve organized and helped thousands of families make a change. Plus, you can join for just a month and then go it on your own when you’re ready!
Not sure you’re quite ready for the full course. Come join me in the totally free 5-word organization challenge!
