5 things that people with a tidy kitchen always have – fuss-free ways to fake a clutter-free cooking space with minimal effort

Like many others, my kitchen is where I cook, eat, and spend time with my family. But because it’s also one of the smallest rooms in my house, it’s often chaotic and cluttered. That’s why I’ve always wondered how people keep their kitchens so tidy all of the time.

In recent months, I’ve learned about the things people with tidy homes always have and the things people with living rooms always have - but I always think that kitchens are in a league of their own. They’re inherently messy (especially if you’re a messy cook), and it seems impossible to keep on top of clutter when you tend to use everything in there every day.

That’s why I decided to ask my friends, family and super-organised colleagues how they keep their kitchens tidy without too much fuss - and I realised that working smarter and not harder is the key. So, these are the tools and products I’ve used to cheat my way to a clutter-free kitchen, so you can do the same.

1. A junk drawer

For many years, one of my main goals in life was to have a picture-perfect kitchen full of picture-perfect things. But I’ve since realised that kitchens are practical spaces - and practical appliances, tools, and essentials aren’t always pretty. That’s why the key to a tidy kitchen is keeping these practical must-haves out of sight while still keeping them readily available.

Hiding these ugly, miscellaneous items in a junk drawer is one of the best ways to do this. This is a drawer - or cupboard - solely dedicated to ugly, practical items like batteries, keys, unsightly tools and utensils, and anything else you don’t want on show. In fact, I wouldn’t be without my junk drawer now.

However, there’s nothing worse than seeing everything spilling out of a junk drawer, which is why I’d suggest organising a junk drawer every once in a while. This doesn’t have to be a mammoth task; it could simply involve using drawer organisers like this Lifewit 25pcs Drawer Organiser Set (£19.99 at Amazon) to give everything its place.

2. A vacuum mop

A tidy home is also a clean home, and kitchens generally take the brunt of dirt and grime from everyday cooking and increased foot traffic. But one thing I didn’t realise before becoming Ideal Home’s Certified Expert in Vacuums is that the best vacuum mops can transform the way you maintain a kitchen.

With the ability to vacuum AND mop hard flooring at the same time, vacuum mops can tackle everyday dirt or more targeted cleaning - like a dropped bowl of porridge, spilt orange juice, or muddy footprints. Not only that, but they encourage a regular cleaning schedule. And since adding one to my cleaning routine, it’s forced me to declutter shoes and other random objects from the floor, making the whole space even tidier.

This is something I didn’t do as regularly before, which made the whole space look untidy. However, if a vacuum mop is a little too restrictive for you and your home (especially if you have a lot of carpet), I’d suggest investing in one of the best robot vacuums instead. This way, you can use it throughout your entire house.

3. Smart cupboard and drawer storage

No tidy kitchen is complete without proper storage, ensuring everything you need is readily available. After all, you don’t want to have to remove everything from a cupboard or drawer just to get to the one thing you really need. However, the storage you choose ultimately depends on your kitchen layout and needs.

If you have a large kitchen island, it could be that you take a leaf out of Prue Leith’s kitchen storage hack and invest in a lazy Susan for extra storage. If you have smaller cupboards, you may need to be more creative and utilise the height and doors to double up on your storage. Using in-cupboard shelves like the Argos Home Steel Cupboard Storage Solution (£15 at Argos) can work wonders in that instance.

For drawers, drawer dividers are the best way to make the most of every available inch of space. Not only will these allow you to fit more into them, but they’ll also make them look so much tidier when they open them up - making your entire kitchen look tidier as a result.

4. An appliance garage

In today’s day and age, there are so many amazing kitchen appliances you can buy - from the best air fryers to soup makers and stand mixers to the ‘it’ appliance that is set to take over in 2026. But while these are all key to a good, home-cooked meal, they can take up a lot of space on your worktops and make your kitchen look messy.

That’s why an appliance garage is the key to a tidy kitchen. This is essentially a much bigger version of a coffee station, and is a whole area dedicated to the storage of your appliances - ideally hidden behind a cupboard door.

Of course, I appreciate that many people don’t have the space to create a full appliance garage, but there are smaller solutions you can use to keep your kitchen looking tidier. My favourite trick is to attach castor wheels to the bottom of my appliances, so I can easily slide them as far back as possible when they’re not in use. Plus, it protects my worktops from scratches.

5. Kitchen rail organiser

Open shelving in kitchens may be on the out as it’s both impractical and untidy, but that doesn’t mean that you have to ignore your walls altogether. In fact, many people with a tidy kitchen opt for a kitchen rail organiser, as it keeps items that could look like clutter off the surfaces in their cooking space.

For example, you could empty the messy pot of utensils from your kitchen worktops and hang them on one of these rails instead to create a practical focal point above your oven. Alternatively, you could hang your mugs from a rail organiser above your coffee machine to keep them readily available and free up space in your cupboards for less aesthetic items.

If you really don’t want one of these rail organisers on show in your kitchen, though, you could hide them in your cupboards instead. Many rails - like this Dseap Kitchen Utensil Holder Hanger (£26.99 at Amazon) - are small enough to be stuck onto the inside of your cupboard drawers for a handy storage fix.

Say goodbye to kitchen clutter for good!