Decluttering your kitchen island (and keeping it that way) is a daunting task sometimes! Here are my top 8 tips for how to keep your kitchen island clutter free and ready to use!
So, I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly amazed at how fast the kitchen island fills up with stuff.
Is anyone else’s kitchen like this? You just get it clean and suddenly it’s overflowing again. Cereal boxes are out, mail is piling up. And of course, there are the random items that don’t even belong there, like the kids’ jackets or a drill from your latest fix-it project.
It’s a rapid, daily occurrence.
Kitchen islands are notorious for collecting clutter. It’s like there’s a magnet inside, drawing all the random stuff from your house to itself. And if you let things go for a few days, you suddenly can’t see the countertop anymore because it’s so full.
I find it best to keep it clean on a daily basis, so that the clutter doesn’t build up to monstrous proportions. And I plan to share the tips for how I’m doing it with you in this post. Then you can enjoy your kitchen island too!
Why keep your kitchen island clutter free?
When you decide you’re going to make a point to intentionally keep your kitchen island clutter free, how do you stay motivated to do so? Day after day, you’ll be completing this task, so what’s going to make you do it?
I’ll tell you my reasons, and maybe they’ll help you discover your own.
- I want to invite people over. When my kitchen is a mess, I feel embarrassed about inviting people into my home. And even though I consider myself an introvert, I do long for meaningful connection with others. So if I keep my kitchen island clutter free, I am much more likely to invite people in and host intimate get togethers in my home.
- It gives the kids room to craft. A decluttered kitchen island gives my kids a place to play with Play-doh, color, or do other fun crafts. Having them there instead of at the kitchen table allows them to be with me in the kitchen. I can supervise easily (because they are still toddlers), while also giving them the space and freedom to create their own masterpieces.
- We like to eat there as a family on occasion. The kitchen island is a fun place for us as a family to switch things up during meal times. For example, it’s a fun place for us to eat crepes on Saturday mornings. My husband and I can be cutting up fruit and pouring the crepes all in the same place that my kids are eating them, and we can laugh and talk as a family.
- It frees me up mentally and emotionally. When the kitchen island is full of junk, so is my brain. I’ve come to realize that if I can keep this space clear and clean, allowing the countertop to gleam and my cute basket centerpiece to be the focal point (as opposed to the piles of paper or the left-out cereal boxes), then I can take a long, deep breath. I can relax into my space and feel accomplished. Then I’m ready to create digital products for my online shops or join the kids for a puzzle.
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My reasons for keeping my kitchen island clutter free are important to me, and having them defined has made it so much easier for me to stay motivated to declutter the counter on a regular basis. I love the feeling it gives me, and so I bring that image to mind every time I need to recall why I do this particular task.
The same goes for you, my friend! It’s important to come up with reasons for why you want to keep your kitchen island clutter free. If you don’t, the task will become too daunting, and you’ll let it slip away.
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What do you keep in your kitchen island?
The first thing you want to think about is what to keep in your kitchen island. If there is too much stuff and not enough homes, it will be difficult to keep your kitchen island clutter free.
Am I advocating that you get a bigger island? Sorry, but no. I’m saying you make your stuff fit your space. Only have enough room for so many pots and pans? Then get rid of some you don’t use as often. Thrive in the space you have!
So ultimately, deciding what you actually need in your kitchen island and getting rid of what you don’t is the first step to keeping it clutter free. Here’s why:
- It’ll be faster to clean with less stuff.
- You’ll be more motivated to clean because it’s easy!
- You won’t have to play Tetris each time you want to put all your little appliances back on their shelves.
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8 Ways to Keep Your kitchen island clutter free
So now that you’re rid of the non-essentials, let’s talk about 8 ways to keep your kitchen island clutter free for the long haul.
Tip #1: Diligently work toward your goal
We’re going to start our list off with some tough love, my friend. 🙂
If you haven’t spent much time getting your kitchen island clutter free, then it’s going to take a while to get it to “zero” (a baseline). And once you get it there, it’s going to take consistent effort to keep it that way. So you have to be diligent in working toward the goal of keeping your kitchen island clutter free.
Unfortunately, ff you don’t commit to diligently working on this goal, it’s not going to stick. But if you do commit, then the rest of these 8 tips will help you be successful.
Tip #2: Add pop to your kitchen island
Being a creative person, I need that extra special something to motivate me to keep a space clean. I’m guessing if you’re a creative person, then it’s that way for you, too!
So, for example, on my kitchen island, I included a beautiful centerpiece. It’s a little vignette, which allows me to change out pieces according to the season or holiday to make things more festive and cheery in the house. It’s just a spot of beautiful that makes me smile when I see it, and I want it to be the focal point of the island.
It makes me want to keep the kitchen island clutter free!
Tip #3: Remove things that don’t belong
We all know the kitchen island becomes the catch-all. It’s a wide-open space in the room that is generally the hub of the house. But I encourage you to make habits (and try your best to teach your family members!) to put things away immediately upon entering the house, not setting them on the counter for days.
Meanwhile, we are not perfect human beings, and things do end up on the kitchen counter from time to time. In those cases, make an effort to remove those things and put them where they belong.
Here are some tips and some points to keep in mind:
- Delegate. If there is stuff belonging to your children, have them put the stuff away where it goes. Use it as a teaching moment so that they learn how to put things back where they belong. It doesn’t all need to fall on you. 🙂
- Some things will take a while to sort. Like mail or homework papers, for example. But keep with it, my friend! Designate a time, such as an evening after the kids are in bed, to sort through that pile and pay bills, throw junk mail, and shred or file confidential information.
- Sort items into categories if that helps. Try not to look at your clutter as one big mess. It may overwhelm you and keep you from accomplishing much. Instead, turn it into a sorting activity. (I’ve learned that if I can turn something into a “game,” it’s much more fun and doable!) For example, if the first item I pick up from the island is a cereal box, then I’ll look for other pantry items at the same time. Then I can either put them all away together, or make a pile or cluster of the items to put away once I’ve done the same sorting for all the items on the island. Either way is fine, as long as you actually put away all the piles! Sorting and re-sorting your clutter doesn’t actually clean up the mess! 🙂 It’s just another form of procrastination.
Tip #4: Make sure everything that stays has a home
Things that don’t belong in the kitchen get to leave. What remains needs to have a home, lest it all sits on the kitchen island forever.
In order to keep your kitchen island clutter free, you’ll need a home for everything that stays in the kitchen.
Some things might stay on your island. For example, maybe your sink or stove top is there, so you need certain things present, like soap or a spoon rest. But I’d encourage you to keep these to a bare minimum, otherwise they can look more like clutter than part of the decor. And if possible, they should go in an island drawer or cabinet while not in use.
All other kitchen items, such as food, utensils, dishes, etc, need to be removed from the island and put in their home.
The best advice I can give you for maintaining a clutter free kitchen island is to put things away immediately after using them. For example, when something comes in the mail, sort it immediately. (It’s much easier to handle five envelopes than it is an entire stack.) Another example is clothing and backpacks. Have a place for backpacks to hang when kids get home from school so they don’t end up on the island. And hang up jackets immediately upon entering the house, rather than shedding them once you’ve reached the kitchen. 🙂
Tip #5: Use the trashcan and the dishwasher or sink!
Ah, yes. The dishwasher and the trashcan. Two simple devices that can TOTALLY help you keep your kitchen island clutter free. I can’t tell you how many times food bar wrappers or box packaging is left on the counter when the trashcan is just two feet away. Same with the dishwasher. If you frequently unload the clean dishes, then its racks are available for the dirty dishes that grow throughout the day. Putting them directly in the dishwasher or sink keeps them off the counter.
Tip #6: Wipe the Countertop Daily
Crumbs, drips, germs, and dust gather at alarming rates! Wiping down your kitchen island daily will leave the countertop gleaming and sanitary. Not to mention, in order to wipe it down, you have to have at least most of the surface decluttered. 🙂
Tip #7: Add decluttering the kitchen island to your morning or evening routine
Whether it’s right after supper, right before bed, or after you’ve finished making breakfast, find a time that can be the “keep your kitchen island clutter free” time. Every day.
Every. Day.
Incorporating into your daily routine will make it as natural as if you were brushing your teeth or combing your hair, or any other number of actions already in your routine. It’ll eventually become something that you simply do without much thought, versus something that you really have to psych yourself up for each day.
Tip #8: Remind Yourself of Why You’re Decluttering the Kitchen Counter
I briefly mentioned this before, but it is worth repeating. If you can find a WHY behind your actions, you’ll be much more likely to make it happen. What are your reasons for keeping the kitchen island clean?
Make it a strong reason that you actually care about, my friend. Something that will ignite a fire within you.
I already mentioned four reasons for why I want to keep my kitchen island clutter free. Here are some other ideas in case you are stuck:
- You might need the space for personal crafts.
- It might be a place that is important to your husband to keep clean.
- Your kids might need the space to do quality homework.
- You might have clients or customers that come to your house often.
- You might want to cook more and so you need the open space.
conclusion to how to keep your kitchen island clutter free
The kitchen island is definitely a tough place to keep clean. As I said before, it’s at the hub of the house, so people gather there… and consequently drop off their stuff there, too. But if you really want to be intentional about keeping this part of your house clean and clear, then followed the eight tips I’ve listed here should help you. You can do this. I believe in you!!
Here’s to clean counters and more stress-free family time!
You have a gift. Go make the world beautiful.
Until next time,
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