August 24, 2020
You’ll be surprised how keeping your counters clear can help eliminate that disorganized and cluttered feeling. Here are four quick steps to tackle that kitchen counter clutter once and for all. If you’re thinking you don’t have time for this, it only takes a few minutes to move everything off the counters and about 10 minutes to wipe them down. It’s like most things we put off doing – they take less time than we think they will!
- Completely clear your counters. Remove everything and place it on your kitchen or dining room table.
- Mix up your cleaning solution. Mix up drop or two of dish soap in warm, soapy water. Submerge a clean cloth – my preference is a bar mop towel. You can find the Bar Mop Towels in my shop along with my Lemon Dish Soap – two of my favorite products!
- Clean the counters. Move quickly, wiping the counters, taking care to get the edges and counters. If you have a backsplash, you can use this solution on backsplashes as well.
- Rinse the cloth as needed and re-dip in the warm, soapy water and keep going until you have wiped your kitchen counters clean. I like to keep a dry cloth with me as I’m cleaning the counters to dry them as I go.
- Assess and edit. Look at all your counter goods on your table – is there anything that you don’t use daily that can be put in a different place or in a cupboard or cabinet? Is there anything that you can donate or give away? Before you move everything back, take a minute to edit your counters a bit. If you only use your toaster or blender once or twice a week and you have limited counter space maybe it would be better stored elsewhere. A little space on the counters is a good thing – you don’t need to fill it up!
- Think in zones. Put the remaining items back on your counters and think about zones as you return the items. If you keep baking goods (flour, sugar) on the counter, put them back by where you store your mixer or measuring cups. Put your coffee pot back by the coffee mugs.
Once you’ve returned your items to the counters, resolve to keep them cleared off for a week to see what a difference it makes. Here’s how I keep our counters clean all week long:
- After every meal put things back where they belong.
- Don’t pile dishes on the counters.
- Empty your sink and dishwasher as soon as you are able.
- If you’re a mail stacker, sort your mail right away and don’t leave it on the counters.
- WIPE COUNTERS is a Daily Task in the Clean Mama Routine – you can find out more about the routine here.
- The NIGHTLY SINK SCRUB is part of the Wipe Counters task – check that out here – if there’s only one thing you try, it’s this!
If you really work at this this whole week, you’ll see how easy it is to keep it up, it’s when you let it go that it becomes a chore and overwhelming!
Head to this post for all the details on our kitchen – paint colors, countertops, floors, appliances and more are included in this post.
