5 things that people with tidy kitchen worktops always have – space-savvy ways to prevent clutter and bring order back to your cooking space

I’ve always struggled to keep my kitchen worktops tidy. Even if I’m not in the midst of cooking up a storm, they seem to act as the dumping ground for everything from my kitchen utensils and appliances to unwashed dishes and even junk mail. This then makes my entire kitchen look messy…. all the time.

And while I’ve recently been inspired to make changes to my kitchen based on what people with tidy kitchens always have, the worktops are particularly difficult to organise. Of course, I know that the first step is to declutter my kitchen worktops and get rid of anything that no longer serves me or my cooking space, but I need more to restore order once and for all.

That’s why I asked my tidiest friends, family members and colleagues for their tips on keeping their kitchen worktops tidy - and the tools and products that they use to maximise space while also minimising clutter. This is what they said.

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1. Smart storage solutions

The key to organising kitchen worktops is to use smart storage solutions that give everything (or at least most things) a proper home. This will allow you to stop using your kitchen worktops as a ‘landing pad’, as you’ll know exactly where everything should go when you’ve finished using it.

This is a trick that so many people use to make their kitchen worktops work harder, but it’s important to note that the storage you use is typically determined by the space that you have available. For example, people with cluttered galley kitchens like me need to make use of the vertical space - so hanging hooks like this KINGRACK Kitchen Rail (£15.99 at Amazon) can work wonders.

If you have an oddly-shaped kitchen, corner shelves and racks can also help you slot storage into those worktop angles. Of course, you don’t have to get rid of everything on your kitchen worktops, but you do need to integrate some storage to keep your items organised.

2. A clutter bucket (or tray)

Smart kitchen storage is the first step toward tidy, clutter-free kitchen worktops, but it won’t work for everything you dump in the kitchen. After all, most of us also use this area for letters that need to be sorted, keys, and other items that don’t really have a proper home - or they’re just staying in the kitchen temporarily.

In this instance, you could take a leaf out of our Senior Digital Editor, Jenny’s, book and create a family command centre. But if that’s not quite your style, a clutter bucket or tray could also work in your kitchen. This is essentially a designated (but stylish) dumping ground for these items that you know you’ll eventually move elsewhere.

And opting for a clutter bucket with a lid - like the small basket in this Woodluv Set of 3 Seagrass Storage Boxes (£29.99 at Amazon) will also keep this clutter invisible as the days go by. Alternatively, a decorative tray keeps everything together in a neat little corner of the kitchen.

3. Appliance gliders

The bulkiest things, and ultimately the most clutter-inducing, found on kitchen worktops are generally the appliances - whether you have one of the best coffee machines, air fryers, toasters, or all of them and more. And as they’re used on a daily basis, it may seem like there’s not a lot you can do to tidy them up.

However, our Editor-in-Chief, Heather, swears by using the castor wheel appliance glider hack to tidy up her worktops and keep them clutter-free when she’s not cooking or making her morning coffee. She has used wheels like these 8 Pack Self Adhesive Mini Casters (£5.99 at Amazon) in her kitchen for a few years now.

She loves how they let her push her appliances into discreet corners of her kitchen worktops, then pull them out easily when she needs them, preventing scratches in the process. But you could even go one step further and create your own appliance garage, dedicating a cupboard or pantry to storing all your appliances in one place. This will keep them off your worktops completely.

4. A countertop vacuum

Cluttered worktops aren’t only caused by things. They’re also caused by crumbs and other dirt and debris that accumulates over time - especially if you’re not following cleaning experts’ advice to wipe down your worktops every day. But this is where a countertop vacuum can help you out, something I swear by as Ideal Home’s Vacuums Expert.

A countertop vacuum isn’t like the other best vacuum cleaners out there. It’s small, perfectly formed, and designed specifically for countertop cleaning and is compact enough to be stored in a kitchen drawer - or even on top of the coffee machine.

I use the Lakeland Mini Countertop Vacuum (£9.99 at Lakeland) religiously in my kitchen, using it to suck up spills as soon as they happen so they don’t get worse and make the worktops look messy. But there are so many other options out there, too, including mini dustpans and brushes.

5. Organised cupboards and drawers

If you want tidy kitchen worktops, you also need to understand what people with tidy kitchen cupboards always have. After all, messy kitchen cupboards can often spill onto the worktops and have a domino effect, making things much worse in the visible areas of your cooking space.

This is especially true if you want to prevent your cooking utensils, pots and pans from cluttering up your kitchen worktops, as the right storage inside your cupboards and drawers should not only free up space for everything to fit - but also keep them organised so they stay tidy as the months go by.

In my opinion, you can’t really have too many storage solutions in these critical kitchen areas, but you need to make sure that you choose the right option for the right items. For example, organise your cooking trays and chopping boards with this Joseph Joseph DrawerStore Baking Tray Rack (£20 at Amazon).

Say goodbye to kitchen worktop clutter!