I love my kitchen counter. Because it is always decluttered and ready to work.
At the end of the day, I reward its efforts by putting things away and cleaning it. Empty counters clean up easily without appliances and decorations to move.
The benefits of a clean kitchen counter are endless, not to mention that they are a space where your eyes can rest at the end of the day. Imagine coming home after work and feeling relaxed as you prepare dinner. Instead of the stress of a messy kitchen and then ordering takeout.
Once upon a time, our cabinets and pantry were filled to the brim. Being an “organized” person, I found myself reorganizing the pantry every weekend. The top shelves housed just as many dishes as their lower companions.
Counters were cluttered with appliances, canisters, and decorations. Doing anything in the kitchen required rearranging. I said to myself, “It shouldn’t be this hard.” Then, I looked inside the cabinets. It was pretty obvious we could live with much less.
For over 15 years, I barely cooked. Now, I’ve picked up a recipe or two and do 80% of the cooking in our home. I attribute my newfound interest and desire to cook to the space and time created by decluttering. When I established my values, family dinners became a priority, and I needed clean counters to make them.
Own Less, Host More
I know what you’re thinking, what about entertaining? There is no correlation between the number of place settings you own and the likelihood or frequency you will use them. In fact, the inverse relationship is more often true. (Less Stuff = Neater House = More Space = More Entertaining)
We often entertain in large numbers. Moreover, the clean counters allow people to comfortably gather in our kitchen.
Grab a donation box and let’s get started!
Simple Steps to Declutter Your Kitchen Counters
- Reduce number of dishes, cups, and utensils
- Move appliances inside cabinets
- Establish boundaries for each category
- Minimize bulk shopping to reduce food waste and storage
- Use existing food inventory first, meal plan and save money
- Eliminate kitchen gadgets and small appliances
- Reduce and remove decorations
What items will you remove today?
This is my resolution and plan for 2017.
Liz – what a great resolution! I went through our cabinets first to make room for some of the counter items. Even ones that I used daily. One of my best trades was using a French press instead of full sized coffee maker. That might not work for you but you’ll find things that do. Can’t wait to hear how it goes! Good luck!
When I saw the email about this post I knew I had to read it. I am struggling with this right now. With 5 kids living at home everyone brings something home for me to read and for me to keep. The mail, the bills, and the receipts my husband brings home from the business. I feel like I am losing this battle.
I needed another push to get this under control. Ever since you came to our mops meeting I have been on a roll of decluttering my home. I love reading your posts and some day I will be at peace with my home. 🙂
Karina – so excited to hear of your decluttering journey. Keep going! You will have peace in your home. I am so glad to hear that the posts and my talk are helping. For receipts, I would try using a small box or envelope to catch them all as they arrive. Then scan or photograph them weekly or even daily. We use an app called TinyScan and upload them immediately to a receipts folder on Google Drive or DropBox works too. Try stopping at the recycle bin outside with your mail if you can. And have the kids bring papers to your inbox. (A basket or just near your workspace) With 5 kids, you will need to go through the pile more often though. I like to do so when everyone is asleep or at school! I hope that helps!! Let me know if there are other topics that might help you. Keep Going! You’ve got this!!!!
I love when you said ‘giving your eyes someplace to rest’. I find that I need clear space in order to think clearly. Everything just seems more calm in my kitchen when it’s clean and clear.