Organizing Small Kitchen Counters

If you struggle with space in your kitchen then this guide on organizing small kitchen counters will help. Use them to help with your kitchen organization and streamline the most used room in your home.

If you’re like me, your kitchen counters are constantly cluttered with gadgets, appliances, and utensils. It’s hard to find a place to put anything down, never mind cooking a meal!

But don’t worry – I’ve got some tips for you that will help organize your counters and free up some much-needed space.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll be able to cook in peace without worrying about all the clutter on your counters. Plus, your kitchen will look more inviting, and keeping it put away will be a breeze!

Organizing Small Kitchen Counters

1. Declutter your counters.

A common space hog in a kitchen tends to be random clutter. Things in a room that are lying out and simply need to be put away. Let’s start there first.

Gather up any trash and recyclables that you see. Next look for any items that belong in another room. Use a laundry bask to hold those things until you can put them where they belong later.

Next, take a look at any appliances or gadgets that are out Do you see any that you do not use on a regular basis? If you’re not sure, ask yourself: when was the last time I used this? If it’s been more than six months, chances are you can live without it. Gather up those items and find a place to store them. You will want to find an area that is out of the way yet still easy to access.

A few ideas are:

• A cabinet.
• The floor in a pantry.
• A lower shelf in a china cabinet or other piece of furniture in your kitchen.

2. Put away your spices.

Herbs and spices can take up quite a bit of counter space, especially if you have a large variety. Invest in a spice rack that hangs on the wall to help free up space. If you have the room, storing spices in a cabinet using risers is a great way to keep them neat and out of the way.

3. Keep frequently used items within reach.

Medium-sized appliances can take up quite a bit of space on kitchen counters. If you are still looking for more room consider putting items that you use on a daily basis, such as your coffee maker or toaster, on an easily accessible shelf or in a drawer close to the counter. This way, you won’t have to search for them every time you need them.

If you love coffee you can set up a coffee area in your kitchen that is not on your counters. A baker’s rack is a great solution for this and will give you additional storage both above and below if you need it.

4. Utilize vertical space.

When looking to organize small kitchen counters and if your counter space is truly limited, make use of any vertical space for more storage. Look for space on your walls, the side of your cabinets, or the back of a door.

A few ideas are:

• Floating shelves for cookbooks or spices.
• Wall organizer for oils, potholders, and canisters.
• Metal door organizers for misc storage.
• Wall-mounted pot rack or hanging pot rack.

By thinking outside of the box for storage ideas you can free up some much-needed counter space.

5 . Store away misc items.

Misc items can really monopolize much of the space we have in our kitchens. By finding ways to store these items away you will, in turn, free up a majority of the space.

A few ideas are:

Bread – Keep in a drawer or a bread box on a shelf.

Towels – Keep in a drawer or a door organizer.

Food wrap – A cabinet door organizer is great for this.

Vitamins – Use a pill organizer or dispenser.

How do I keep my kitchen counters clutter free?

More often than not the stuff we call clutter is simply things that need to be put away. If you are always conscious of that and do your best to put anything you use all the way away, your clutter struggles will be gone.

Here are a few more tips that will help you to keep your kitchen counters free of clutter.

Tip #1. Be sure everything has a home.

By having a designated spot for the things you use in the kitchen, putting them away is much easier. You can use baskets to hold similar items such as measuring cups or potholders. Being able to drop and go will make this clutter-free habit easier to keep up with.

Tip #2. Never ignore trash.

A huge clutter maker in any room is trash and recyclables. Whenever you see either of these things lying out take a second to gather it up and toss it.

Tip #3. If you don’t use it daily, give it a home.

This is true for anything in your kitchen. Make a rule that only daily used items can earn a spot on your kitchen counters. Everything else must be kept in a drawer or cabinet. Remember the more often you use it the easier you will want to keep it. That means your can opener that you use a few times a week should be kept in a drawer near the stove where as a mixer that you use once a month can go on a shelf in your pantry.

Tip #4. Room resets.

One of my biggest secrets to keeping my kitchen counters put away is ending each day with a room reset.

A room reset is when you reset a room back to start. This sounds like a lot of work but it actually only takes 5-10 minutes.

How to Room Reset a Kitchen

• Empty out the sink.
• Put any food away.
• Wipe down counters.
• Prep coffee.

A clean and organized kitchen counter can make all the difference in your daily routine. By following the steps above, you can easily achieve a clutter-free space that will make meal prep and cleanup a breeze.

If you have time this weekend, organizing small kitchen counters is a great project that will have you loving the space in your kitchen once again.