How to Clear Your Kitchen Counters (Even If Your Kitchen Is Small)

Clear kitchen counters instantly make your space feel bigger and cleaner. Learn simple tips to declutter and keep your counters clutter-free.

Let’s be real—kitchen counters seem to attract clutter like magnets. Mail, appliances, random water bottles, that one bag of chips nobody has finished yet… it piles up fast.

If you’ve ever walked into your kitchen and instantly felt stressed or overwhelmed, your counters might be the culprit. Even in a small kitchen (maybe especially in a small kitchen), cleared-off counters make the biggest difference.

This isn’t about making you hate your space or guilting you for having a toaster out. If your counters don’t bug you, then you’re good! But if you’re craving less chaos and more calm, here’s a super simple way to reset your counters and keep them that way.

Step 1: Take Everything Off

Yep, everything. Pull the coffee maker, the blender, the stack of cookbooks, the random mail pile—clear the counters completely.

Step 2: Wipe It Down

When’s the last time you saw the whole counter? Give it a good wipe, especially those little spots that are usually hidden by stuff. Already feels better, right?

Step 3: Put Back Only the Essentials

This is key. What do you actually use every single day? For most people, that’s a coffee maker, microwave, or maybe a toaster. Keep it to the bare minimum.

Step 4: Find a Home for Everything Else

This is where you get creative:

• Could you add a small shelf on an adjacent wall for your blender or air fryer?
• Is there a coat closet with an empty top shelf you can dedicate to appliances?
• Could you shuffle things around in a cupboard so that your counter space wins some freedom back?

If you feel like you don’t have the space, it’s time to ask yourself some tough but honest questions:

• Do I need this appliance more than I want a clutter-free kitchen?
• Do I want this appliance more than I want a cupboard or shelf full of mugs and water bottles?
• What else can I purge to make room?

The Truth About Kitchen Clutter

Here’s the deal: clutter attracts clutter. And not just clutter—crumbs, spills, random papers, and chaos. When your counters are cleared, your whole kitchen instantly looks cleaner. And the best part? There’s less to wipe down and keep clean.

Keep purging until everything fits.
Keep purging until the overwhelm fades.
Keep purging until your kitchen makes you happy.

A clutter-free kitchen doesn’t mean a perfect kitchen—it just means you’ve created a space that feels calmer and easier to keep clean. With just a few minutes of effort, your counters can go from chaotic to calm, and you’ll feel the difference every time you walk in the room.