In the Clear: 10 Ways to Rid Your Surfaces of Clutter
The universe wants your coffee table to become a clutter magnet – here's how you can fight back!
Laura Gaskill
17 November 2015
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
Dining tables, kitchen benches, coffee tables, bedside tables – flat surfaces certainly have a way of attracting clutter. But the piled-high stuff makes it a hassle to use those surfaces – to cook, eat a meal or kick up your feet for movie night. It also makes it harder to find things and just looks plain awful. Still, we keep on piling because it seems easier than putting things where they’re actually meant to go.
To have long-term success in keeping the flat surfaces in your home clutter-free, you need to find places for your things that are just as easy and obvious to use as a table. If you’re tired of clearing off the surfaces in your house again and again, only to have them disappear once more under piles of who knows what, these strategies should help.
To have long-term success in keeping the flat surfaces in your home clutter-free, you need to find places for your things that are just as easy and obvious to use as a table. If you’re tired of clearing off the surfaces in your house again and again, only to have them disappear once more under piles of who knows what, these strategies should help.
1. Have not-flat storage space
When you walk in the door, the natural impulse is to drop everything you’re carrying on the nearest available flat surface. The next time you arrive home, pause and pay attention to what you’re holding: shopping bags, a coat, a bundle of mail, perhaps keys and a phone? Decide where you will put each of these items from now on. Hooks are faster to use than hangers, so if you tend to dump your coat on a chair, choose a hook.
Paper items can be a real problem, so be sure to have a recycling bin near the front door, as well as some sort of quick sorting system for handling important documents. (But keep the categories very broad, or you won’t be as likely to use the system.) If smaller, random items are a problem, consider hanging tote bags on hooks. They’re easy to dump things into and very flexible – you can change their contents as needed, from library books and school projects to dry cleaning.
When you walk in the door, the natural impulse is to drop everything you’re carrying on the nearest available flat surface. The next time you arrive home, pause and pay attention to what you’re holding: shopping bags, a coat, a bundle of mail, perhaps keys and a phone? Decide where you will put each of these items from now on. Hooks are faster to use than hangers, so if you tend to dump your coat on a chair, choose a hook.
Paper items can be a real problem, so be sure to have a recycling bin near the front door, as well as some sort of quick sorting system for handling important documents. (But keep the categories very broad, or you won’t be as likely to use the system.) If smaller, random items are a problem, consider hanging tote bags on hooks. They’re easy to dump things into and very flexible – you can change their contents as needed, from library books and school projects to dry cleaning.
2. Keep tool storage off benches
Kitchen benchtops can become cluttered so easily, and if your kitchen is short on prep space, this can be a real problem when it’s time to cook. One way to take some of the load off your benchtops is by using wall space to store cooking tools instead.
A pegboard, metal rail with S-hooks or floating shelves can instead be put to work to store utensils, spices and knives, within reach but out of the way. And if the entrance to your home is through the kitchen, add a few wall hooks and sorters for your keys and mail as well.
Where to put your pots and pans
Kitchen benchtops can become cluttered so easily, and if your kitchen is short on prep space, this can be a real problem when it’s time to cook. One way to take some of the load off your benchtops is by using wall space to store cooking tools instead.
A pegboard, metal rail with S-hooks or floating shelves can instead be put to work to store utensils, spices and knives, within reach but out of the way. And if the entrance to your home is through the kitchen, add a few wall hooks and sorters for your keys and mail as well.
Where to put your pots and pans
3. Reserve bench space for daily necessities
Small appliances hardly feel small when they’re taking up all of your available kitchen bench space. Limit that real estate to small appliances you use every single day without fail, and store everything else in cupboards.
One caveat: To make it more likely you’ll put said appliances away when you’re done with them, they shouldn’t take too much effort to lift. In my house, this means our microwave (which we mostly use for melting butter and reheating dinners) is in the laundry room, so while we do have to walk a few extra steps to get to it, it can stay plugged in all the time without taking up valuable bench space.
Another option would be to put less-frequently-used small appliances on a rolling cart tucked into a cupboard or corner, and wheel the cart out to plug them in.
Small appliances hardly feel small when they’re taking up all of your available kitchen bench space. Limit that real estate to small appliances you use every single day without fail, and store everything else in cupboards.
One caveat: To make it more likely you’ll put said appliances away when you’re done with them, they shouldn’t take too much effort to lift. In my house, this means our microwave (which we mostly use for melting butter and reheating dinners) is in the laundry room, so while we do have to walk a few extra steps to get to it, it can stay plugged in all the time without taking up valuable bench space.
Another option would be to put less-frequently-used small appliances on a rolling cart tucked into a cupboard or corner, and wheel the cart out to plug them in.
4. Keep your dining table set
A neatly set table has a clear purpose, and that makes cluttering it up less of a temptation. In the evening after dinner, clean off the table and set out some breakfast things – this not only helps encourage a clutter-free table, it makes for a smoother routine in the morning. After breakfast, take a moment to set out a few fresh placemats and cutlery for dinner, and your table will be a much less tempting spot to toss your stuff when you get home in the evening.
If you have curious cats who are likely to walk all over your lovely table setting while you’re out, you can set out candles or flowers and perhaps a stack of dishes with a napkin laid across the top to protect it from prying paws.
A neatly set table has a clear purpose, and that makes cluttering it up less of a temptation. In the evening after dinner, clean off the table and set out some breakfast things – this not only helps encourage a clutter-free table, it makes for a smoother routine in the morning. After breakfast, take a moment to set out a few fresh placemats and cutlery for dinner, and your table will be a much less tempting spot to toss your stuff when you get home in the evening.
If you have curious cats who are likely to walk all over your lovely table setting while you’re out, you can set out candles or flowers and perhaps a stack of dishes with a napkin laid across the top to protect it from prying paws.
5. Be mindful of multi-purpose spaces
Combo spaces, like a dining room/home office, can be the trickiest to keep tidy. Easy, obvious and specific storage is the key to making a space like this function well. Ideally, the storage is so simple and clear that anyone (not just the person who set up the system) can quickly put things away. Labelled wall-mounted files like the ones shown here are a good option for home offices. If you have a craft space combo, consider a closed cabinet filled with labelled clear containers.
Combo spaces, like a dining room/home office, can be the trickiest to keep tidy. Easy, obvious and specific storage is the key to making a space like this function well. Ideally, the storage is so simple and clear that anyone (not just the person who set up the system) can quickly put things away. Labelled wall-mounted files like the ones shown here are a good option for home offices. If you have a craft space combo, consider a closed cabinet filled with labelled clear containers.
6. Try a tilted desk
Can’t seem to keep the paper piles off your desk? It may be verging on the absurd (and it won’t work for a desktop computer), but a desk that tilts like the drafting table shown here can quickly break a piling habit.
Of course, if you want to keep the piles from simply migrating over to the next available flat surface, you’ll need to pair a tilted desk with a paper organising system that’s as easy to maintain as your piles were. Try labelled stacking trays or a set of shallow drawers of the sort artists use to store paper and finished works.
12 out-of-the-ordinary desk ideas
Can’t seem to keep the paper piles off your desk? It may be verging on the absurd (and it won’t work for a desktop computer), but a desk that tilts like the drafting table shown here can quickly break a piling habit.
Of course, if you want to keep the piles from simply migrating over to the next available flat surface, you’ll need to pair a tilted desk with a paper organising system that’s as easy to maintain as your piles were. Try labelled stacking trays or a set of shallow drawers of the sort artists use to store paper and finished works.
12 out-of-the-ordinary desk ideas
7. Designate a bin for your ‘worn-once’ clothes
Flat surfaces in the bedroom (the bed, floor, dresser top and chair) tend to become receptacles for articles of clothing you’ve worn once but plan to wear again before washing. (Jumpers often fall into this category.) Rather than dump these items onto the nearest surface, give them a home.
An open-top basket or bin is a good solution, because tossing the item there is just as easy as tossing it on a chair. If you have a closet system, clear out one basket or drawer to use for this purpose; otherwise, a second laundry basket can corral the items.
Flat surfaces in the bedroom (the bed, floor, dresser top and chair) tend to become receptacles for articles of clothing you’ve worn once but plan to wear again before washing. (Jumpers often fall into this category.) Rather than dump these items onto the nearest surface, give them a home.
An open-top basket or bin is a good solution, because tossing the item there is just as easy as tossing it on a chair. If you have a closet system, clear out one basket or drawer to use for this purpose; otherwise, a second laundry basket can corral the items.
8. Downsize your bedside table
Do you prize your sleep? If so, it’s in your best interest to create as restful an environment as possible around your bed – and a cluttered bedside table will not help. Instead of attempting to make room for every possible item you might want on your bedside table, consider using a petite table that fits only the truly essential. If you love to read in bed, choose one book. If you like to journal, place your journal and a nice pen there. Perhaps add a glass of water and a candle, but that’s it.
Do you prize your sleep? If so, it’s in your best interest to create as restful an environment as possible around your bed – and a cluttered bedside table will not help. Instead of attempting to make room for every possible item you might want on your bedside table, consider using a petite table that fits only the truly essential. If you love to read in bed, choose one book. If you like to journal, place your journal and a nice pen there. Perhaps add a glass of water and a candle, but that’s it.
9. Avoid clutter catchalls
A tray or basket on the coffee table or bench to hold clutter might seem like a smart idea – until it’s overflowing onto the surface around it. Remember that clutter attracts more clutter, so when a group of random little items (hair ties, loose change, buttons, pens) ends up in one spot, you’re far more likely to add larger items (mail, shopping bags, piles of clothes) to it.
A better idea is to create a spot for each type of item – a jar for coins, a cup for pens, a hook for keys, a tray for mail, and a drawer organiser with little slots for small items like hair ties and stamps. It then becomes easy and satisfying to drop things into their individual containers.
A tray or basket on the coffee table or bench to hold clutter might seem like a smart idea – until it’s overflowing onto the surface around it. Remember that clutter attracts more clutter, so when a group of random little items (hair ties, loose change, buttons, pens) ends up in one spot, you’re far more likely to add larger items (mail, shopping bags, piles of clothes) to it.
A better idea is to create a spot for each type of item – a jar for coins, a cup for pens, a hook for keys, a tray for mail, and a drawer organiser with little slots for small items like hair ties and stamps. It then becomes easy and satisfying to drop things into their individual containers.
10. Create a no-clutter zone, one surface at a time
It’s apparently a law of nature that clutter attracts clutter. So while it might seem like no big deal to set that one bill/hairbrush/shopping bag on the table, the problem is that this one item will now act like a great big magnet, tempting you (and others) to dump more items there.
Creating a no-clutter zone isn’t easy, but it can be highly effective. Clear everything from one surface (for example, the coffee table) and focus on vigilantly protecting it from becoming another clutter problem area. It’s easier to have one goal than many, so stick to clearing one surface at a time until you feel it’s second nature. As a visual learner, I find it helps to visualise the table physically repelling clutter, like a giant trampoline that clutter simply bounces off of when you try to set it down. A little silly, sure, but it works!
Learn how to be a ‘tidy person’
It’s apparently a law of nature that clutter attracts clutter. So while it might seem like no big deal to set that one bill/hairbrush/shopping bag on the table, the problem is that this one item will now act like a great big magnet, tempting you (and others) to dump more items there.
Creating a no-clutter zone isn’t easy, but it can be highly effective. Clear everything from one surface (for example, the coffee table) and focus on vigilantly protecting it from becoming another clutter problem area. It’s easier to have one goal than many, so stick to clearing one surface at a time until you feel it’s second nature. As a visual learner, I find it helps to visualise the table physically repelling clutter, like a giant trampoline that clutter simply bounces off of when you try to set it down. A little silly, sure, but it works!
Learn how to be a ‘tidy person’
TELL US
Which surfaces in your house tend to become clutter drop zones? Share your strategies for dealing with the mess in the Comments.
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Which surfaces in your house tend to become clutter drop zones? Share your strategies for dealing with the mess in the Comments.
MORE
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I want to set my bedroom up with peg rails like the Amish to hang once worn clothing. I would also love to do a wall of built in storage like the shakers had with drawers and hanging space too. I am not a fan of decorative clutter so no trays of stuff for me, or glass jars full of anything. I don’t need to add any more dusting and cleaning chores.
We laughed when reading #4. The author clearly does not share a home with cats! For #7, I don’t agree. If you intend to wear something a second time, hang it up (I use behind-door hooks for hangers or hanging the clothes directly on the hooks). If you put it in a bin in order to wear it again, it will become wrinkled. And #8 is not practical. If you are diabetic or have other nighttime meds, if you monitor blood glucose 24x7, if you need to have juice box always nearby, if you use a CPAP, etc - there are a lot of practical things that it is convenient or necessary to put bedside.