{Read all the way down for the real secret to keeping counters reasonably cleaned off, as well as a reminder about the linky party tomorrow!}
Other posts in the Reasonably Clean Kitchen series:
1. Rules for the kids — unload the dishwasher and everyone clears his place!
Now I have an oddball kitchen with five doorways, a sliding door, two windows, another doorway for the back stairs, and a fireplace that takes up one wall, and I use the word wall loosely.
All my walls are abbreviated vertical surfaces for linking openings, but that is another story.
My point is I have only a little counter space (I mean, not compared to some apartments, but for a 5600 sq. ft. house and family of 10).
And I am definitely a clutter-y person who prefers to have everything in view and takes the short-term view on storage, as in, life is short, why don't I put this down right here?
On the other hand, I have convinced myself that things aren't temporary any more (and I think I would have been happier overall in the past if I had resisted feeling so temporary about everything and just committed to making where I was pretty).
So I've trained myself in a few things that might help you if you share some or all of these characteristics with me. I think I can say that for the most part things are fairly neat and tidy in these parts even taking into consideration the shortcomings of my personality and surroundings.
I'll never win any awards because I lose concentration at the last minute.
You probably look at my pictures (and I took them this morning pretty much as I found them) and think, “Well, I could do that!”
Well, then, do!
Start by clearing every single thing off the counter you are working on.
Every single thing. (Click on the above link to understand how important this method of cleaning is!)
Pile them on the floor, another counter, or, preferably, the kitchen table.Scrub the counter so that at the end, you could roll out a pie pastry on that thing with a clear conscience.
(One of my girls once complimented me on having counters I could plop bread dough onto! She felt that this operation couldn't work in many places she'd visited. She was about ten, which goes to show you!)
Now put things back with two thoughts in mind:
1. Is this pretty or really useful enough to be out in view?
2. Do I need this here or is there a better, more efficient, and more appropriate place for it? How about the cabinet above? Below?
Here's what I anticipate your big question to be:
But, Auntie Leila, where do I put the STUFF that keeps coming in?
And here's the secret to clean counter tops: Put the stuff on the kitchen table!
Yes! The very thing you feel guilty about doing!
I mean it!
Why do I say that?
Because by the time you have put the mail in the mail sorter that's by the door, and your bag and choir binder in its spot (or hook for the bag), and magazines in the bathroom or magazine holder, and gloves and hats in bins by the door…
…the stuff that comes in the kitchen really does belong somewhere else.
Before you can eat or do school or homework, everyone has to take a minute to put things where they belong!
It's all going somewhere else, right? Things you've bought — clothes, bathroom supplies — things that belong in bedrooms — anything that doesn't belong in the kitchen, because if it belonged there, it would already be put away — put them on the kitchen table.
If they can eat or do homework right away, because all those things have been shoved on the counters, the STUFF will never find its place!
Keep your counters clutter free and your table where you put the clutter.
The table doesn't let you get away with it for long! (Just don't allow yourself or anyone else to move something from the table to the counter!)
Talking about a real family with real stuff here.
While you are at the counter-cleaning thing, how about the top of the fridge? This big basket/tray thing is here for a reason. First, it makes the top of the fridge look tidy. But it's too big to store and I use it to carry dishes for meals for families with new babies or other needs. So when it's not in use, it keeps tins and bread baskets corralled, but when I need it, those things are pretty enough on their own to stay on top of the fridge.
The cabinet behind it is inaccessible enough so that I put things I use only once a year in there, like the Christmas cookie press. I don't even know what's in there. If I haven't seen it in a while, I know it's up there!
This kitchen-table thing so contrary to what you might think that you have to ponder it for a while.
Keep the clutter off the counters and if it must exist, on the table. That way, it has to be put away before you can use the table.
Always schedule in a few minutes before meals or studying to put things away.
{Now, don't forget tomorrow's linky party! Get at least one nice photo of your area above your sink to show off to the rest of us! Before and afters welcome!If you don't have a blog, upload your photo to Flickr or a public Picasa web album or whatever photo sharing you use!}
priest's wife says
earth-shattering advice…no seriously….we have a very small kitchen; I feel peace when the counters are clear of random stuff- time to try your method!
womanofthehouse says
We think alike, Leila! I think I do just about everything you mention here, even putting the dish soap in a pump. Learning this has taken some time, though~~I wasn't born knowing it. lol I used to let mail pile up and then go through it all in one fell swoop, but I've since learned that it is so much easier to sort right when in comes in. Most of it goes in the trash anyhoo. I'm enjoying this series and looking forward to the linky party! Thank you!
LeeAnn Balbirona says
Thanks for the motivating advice! I'm off to clear my counters right now! And the window sill behind the sink too. 🙂
RCG says
“…because I guarantee you that they will not deal with what comes to them, ever.”
Too true. So glad you said that. I provided filing boxes and folders for my 5 kids and do they EVER use them for mail, receipts etc short of being held at gun point? Never.
Why is that?!
RubberChickenGirl
_Leila says
Because children are bad.
Then one day they get their own house and are like, “What is all this STUFF doing here??”
Sara says
Love it! I hate cluttered counters and I've recently started using the kitchen table method, too! When I'm decluttering the main floor, I put all the kids' stuff on the table for them to put away. If I put it on the stairs, it never gets taken up, just tripped over.
Lisa says
You'll be so proud of me, dear Leila. I figured you wouldn't be posting until tomorrow's big sink show, and I knew I'd not be ready for that (let's just say the windowsill is a bit camera shy at this point). So, I made myself busy and scrubbed the heck out of my cabinet doors and inside them as well. Only the lower ones today. Tip: I noticed a scary amount of grimey gook sitting on all the hinges. I took an old cleaning toothbrush and presto! I hung an antique peg rack under the upper cabinets, on the wall, and hung up my daily used pots and pans. Lovely! I rearranged the plastics, glassware, and aluminum sections since for months I'd just open a door, close my eyes, and throw it in (well, I guess you'll not be proud of that). I'm inspired and will do the upper cabinets later. So after all that, I check LMLD and I feel like I was right on track. Sadly, not ready for photos, but I can't wait to see everyone elses!
_Leila says
Wow, you are busy!
I am so proud! Cleaning hinges! That's my girl. It all definitely sounds clean and pretty!
Mom in MO says
Sounds great, but I guess I'm going to have to change my “softie” ways. I put my kids' stuff at their spot at the table, and they put it under their chair and forget about it.
I also like what you said about things feeling so temporary. We've been in our house almost 7 years and I'm just now realizing that it's not temporary, so I need to re-think how I've been decorating and organizing.
Thanks!
_Leila says
Well, if the stuff isn't on the counters you are way ahead of a lot of folks!
hope says
oh! the stuff! the constant battle! I find my front bench and my kitchen island are what gets covered in STUFF and I don't like it. And I know what you mean about a small kitchen–our old kitchen was small and very well organized! Our new one is huge and a disaster. I keep waiting for inspiration to strike as to the best way to get it organized, but it hasn't hit yet! I am hoping to jump in on this kitchen window make-over tomorrow… maybe just maybe that will jump start the whole process!
Briana says
I can't stand clutter so I mostly have this under control. We have a bar where things get left. I will try dumping them on the table instead. I've been known to throw toys, papers, etc across the room if they are left on the counters. Not so nice but I got to claim my territory!
Anna says
You're the best. 🙂
Mazepruth says
Thanks, Leila! This clutter thing has been a real struggle for me (I think it's inherited, my dad built our house with slanted window sills so nothing could be set on them!), so having you set these things down with pics of your pretty house really helps. Thanks.
Allison says
Oh! You just gave me the best idea for the top of my fridge — I just looked up there yesterday and it was cluttered with things to keep away from the toddler — dirty and unsightly! But now I plan to clear it off (to the kitchen table, of course!) and put my huge white wooden tray that I use to take meals to people. I have no place to store it except there. Like your pretty blue basket.Brilliant! And it will corral my bread and chips and onions and potatoes — all the things that have nowhere else to go right now b/c we have no pantry. What do all you ladies do who, like me, have no pantry? All my food is in one small section of upper cabinets. Advice?
margo says
oh, I love you! You have the best ideas! I think I've kind of been doing the table thing. My counters are relatively clutter free, but my kids are little yet. I had instituted a before-supper clean up today – telling the kids that we wouldn't decorate the Christmas tree until all the toys were away. I was grumbling about how I couldn't THINK in this messy house and Genevieve said, “why, Mommy?” So I got to explain why too much clutter for too long makes me feel chaotic and bad-tempered and out of control. I think she listened. I expect I'll repeat this again 🙂
I love how frank and kind you are and how you make change accessible. We CAN live in our reasonably clean homes with dignity and happiness.
And I thought I was the only one who was perching, not nesting, in my house. Why is that? My husband and I have every intention of staying in our house and retiring in our house (we have a first floor floor bedroom and bathroom with a walk in shower!!). So why can't I hang some pictures on the walls already?!
Joy says
It drives me nuts when the boys put stuff on the kitchen counters because that's where I prepare food and then I feel obligated to re-clean a clean counter in case something came in on whatever they left there. Clean counters are very important to me. So I made up this motto at my house: “Nothing on the counters that isn't food related.” Our kitchen table gets everything! Then, just before a meal, I go around and deposit belongings onto each child's chair so they are forced to put it away if they want to sit down and eat. Sometimes that works, if I have time to check on them; sometimes it doesn't, if I'm too busy to check. Ah well, it is a work in progress. I still need to work on my sink area. I'll have some time tomorrow. Thanks for all of the ideas, Leila. I especially need to get a mail system in place since my oldest should start receiving college mail any day now. And I need to find a pretty soap dispenser for my dish soap. What a great idea!
Terri says
Auntie Leila, you have one of the few blogs that just make me so darn happy. I hate to say it but all too often I get sucked into the cyber vortex of mom blogs that do nothing but leave me feeling like an utter failure. Yours is different and you speak absolute truths. After reading some of your entries, I've gotten my girls undershirts (and tuck them in!), I've given up the stress of child-spacing and let nursing alone be the best method, I use your cleaning strategies, and so much more. You feel like a friend and I adore you.
Betsy M says
I second this. Reading your posts just makes me feel better. Thanks Leila, we really appreciate you!
Mary Ellen Barrett says
I love your kitchen! Where did you get that dish rack, it would be the thing that could change my life around here!
Colby says
I was just going to ask the same thing: where did you get the rack for displaying dishes? Btw, I LOVE your Polish pottery. It (and your plates on the walls) really beautifies the room in a big way. Pretty dishes/mugs etc are my weakness, but unfortunately the kitchen is small, and they end up making it seem even more crowded.
_Leila says
Mary Ellen and Colby, I got the rack at a consignment store for $18. I had been looking for one for ages — it had to be sort of big for that wall.
It was already black!
I think I could do with a sturdier one, but it's fine until something else comes along. If you have a handy husband, he could certainly make one.
I think that well placed shelves do not make things seem more crowded, as long as you choose what goes on there carefully. I think they make things look homey and cozy! Nothing could be more cluttery than my kitchen, but I just go with it 🙂
Colby says
My husband actually did work in a woodworking shop, so he does have the skills. (Also, after 8 years he completed a wooden bed frame for us that he designed and worked on a little at a time.) It's more a matter of time. He is a college professor. So you can imagine our home crammed with books, and all the accoutrements that go with raising 5 kids, plus the small kitchen with limited wall and counter space…suffice it to say I have all but given up on a streamlined look. I collect things at thrift stores for very reasonable prices, but I do get carried away and then am stymied for a way to display them. We don't have a china cabinet, for example. I am inspired by your home, and you give me hope that I can bring order if I just work smarter and harder. My sister met one of your daughters btw, a few years back, and I have just discovered your blog and the wealth of ideas it presents. Thanks for the suggestion! Colby
Sherri says
I can’t read the end of this post on my phone 🙁 format has half of it off the page. I can’t really read anything on my laptop because of my mischievous baby and my 2 and 3 year old 🙂 can you fix it?
Leila says
Okay, Sherri, hopefully this is viewable now. These older posts are sometimes tricky to re-format on this new platform — it’s the photo captions that are making the trouble!
Sherri says
Thank you!