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August 1, 2008
Posted by: Deb at 6:18 pm
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I did something very unusual this morning as I was preparing to leave the house to go teach my Friday morning class. I asked my dh not to clean up the kitchen counter. LOL
People who know me well, know that I am not a fan of cleaning – I don’t mind straightening, I enjoy organizing, and I love to decorate. So, I often try to convince myself that I am either organizing or decorating to get the job of cleaning accomplished.
So, the pictures to the right show the mess that I returned to this afternoon. Please remember, I asked my dh to leave the clutter. He would normally have that all taken care of – I know I am completely spoiled. I thank him regularly!
I think we all have that place in our homes that becomes the catch all for items as we walk in the door. Our place has always been whatever counter space meets us as we walk in from the garage. In our current home it is the island in the middle of the kitchen. So, I have been on a quest to conquer the clutter.
I was thrilled when I found this beautiful platter. It coordinates with the yellow ware I have in my kitchen. It was large enough to hold my planner and my dh’s lunch carrier. It is pretty enough to empty and use if I am entertaining. 
It is perfect for containing those items that I want to keep handy for rushing out the door, and yet want to keep looking controlled when I need to use that counter space to prepare a meal.
How do you control counter clutter? Do you have a bench or cabinet when you walk in the door? Do you have any secrets for getting family members to keep items organized when the temptation is to drop things everywhere? How will you organize your family’s catch all space to prepare for the upcoming school year?
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1. This post made me smile. I love to decorate. I love to organize…once I get an idea. I hate to throw things out, but I make myself.
In my 2 1/2 year old interior unit townhouse, I had the problem of NO foyer at the front door where we come in. And there are shoes… And electronics…and keys. Not pretty in a formal living room.
I just bought a china cabinet that lights up with a touch of a hinge; this adds much needed light. And it has a couple of shelves with doors and several drawers. Odd as it may seem, my husband and sons have a shelf for their shoes in the hutch. And there are drawers for those things which must go out with them the next day. Now I just have to keep after it so it doesn’t get jammed with stuff.
Susan
by Susan — 8/7/08 at 4:40 am #
2. Susan,
What a fabulous idea! Not only did you conquer your clutter – you did it beautifully. Having a special place to put things helps to keep everyone in the family from dropping their “stuff” as they walk in the door. Nice work!!
Deb
by Deb — 8/7/08 at 6:49 pm #
3. Clutter? My goodness, that is not clutter! Clutter is when there is no room for a thing and papers are everywhere along with gadgets, gizmos, knick knacks, etc….i have clutter everywhere and i can tell you how depressed and scattered it makes you feel – i have lost years to the clutter, and can’t win the battle. cleaning i love, organizing just can’t seem to figure it out – where to put all the stuff – even with the stuff i’ve gotten rid of (sigh).
by sofia — 8/11/08 at 11:31 am #
4. Thanks Sofia,
I just finished cleaning this morning. We should take a morning in each other’s homes. LOL It is a constant battle to keep on top of the items that tend to accumulate. I won’t show you pictures of my office right now, where there are things piled on chairs, and my desk is covered. I think we both need to pay close attention to Joan’s posts.
Don’t get discouraged . . . with time and patience you will conquer that clutter. I am confident.
Deb
by Deb — 8/11/08 at 1:04 pm #
5. Hi Deb,
I’ve come to the conclusion that not all clutter is bad. Afterall, we lead such busy lives, it’s just a natural by-product of life! For me the key is to keep in one place and in a not-so-ugly container. I like using pretty trays, and in my mud room, each member of the family gets a “cubby” – and yes, there is even a hubby cubby. That gives me someplace to put stuff that doesn’t belong where it is! Your DH sounds like a real catch!
Susan
by Susan — 8/11/08 at 4:09 pm #
6. Hi Susan,
I’m glad that you are not against all clutter, because I have yet to conquer it completely. I am a huge fan of coordinating containers to manage it in each room. I love the “hubby cubby!” That’s great! A DH who is willing to help is fantastic! I am so thankful!
Deb
by Deb — 8/11/08 at 5:50 pm #
7. Hi Sofia & Deb,
I know what you feel.I would love to have my kitchen, my guest bedroom, and well maybe I should just say my house back lost to clutter. I have a problem with mail control. If I never received another piece of mail that was not essential and had someone to come in and clean my closets, I think that I would be able to sit down and really enjoy a cup of tea or really enjoy a soak in my bathtub. I haven’t always had this problem.l think it is so overwheming at this point. I have had several things going on in my life in the past eight years. I guess I needed an excuse.
E.
by E. — 9/22/08 at 4:26 am #
8. E. I am on a mission to organize my home in the coming months. I will keep you all informed as to my progress. I find that I often want to accomplish a project in short order. This one I am determined to do a little bit everyday. I am hoping that will give me the progress needed to see success as my outcome. Please let us know how things are going for you.
Deb
by Deb — 9/22/08 at 4:00 pm #
9. E and Deb: Hope you don’t mind me joining in on your conversation. You know how I LOVE organizing.
One of the first steps in getting organized is to have a bigger goal. E — you mention that you would love to have a clean closet and your paperwork under control –why? so you could really enjoy your relaxation time without feeling guilty about all the clutter. That’s a GREAT goal.
Here’s a quick tip for dealing with your paper. Get yourself 5 shallow boxes (big enough to hold an 8.5×11 paper when flat). Label the front of each box as follows:
READ, ACTION, FILE, TOSS, SHRED.
Now, take just 15 minutes a day and sort through your piles of paper. When you pick up a piece of paper, ask yourself which box it fits. Is this something you still want to read? Something you need to take action on? And so forth. Be sure to put any “toss” items containing your confidential information in the SHRED box. We all need to be mindful of identity theft.
It shouldn’t take long for you to get your paperwork “contained” and then you can work through the Read, Action and file boxes until you are caught up.
And you can go to http://www.catalogchoice.org to eliminate unwanted catalogs.
All the best with reclaiming your space.
joan
by Joan — 9/22/08 at 10:29 pm #
10. Deb,
Thanks you so much for your response. I will also try to do a little on my clutter each day. I beleive I have been wanting everything done at once, and not really completing any of it. So encouraging thank you, I have no doubt that you will battle your clutter.
God Bless,
E
by E. — 9/23/08 at 2:14 am #
11. I thought I was the only one surrounded by Paper!!! I find papers everywhere, on every surface in every room, and don’t know what to do with them. My hubby collects antique paper goods, so I have to be careful what I throw out, could be a letter signed by George Washington!!! We have a spare bedroom that I clean out regularly of clutter, that is where the computer is. The desk is way too small, so all the “stuff” spills over onto the bed, where it sits, day after day, until I go in there and clear it off… I’m afraid I’m pretty ruthless when it’s been there a week or more, I think if someone hasn’t used it by now it must be trash!!
No disasters yet… I need a solution for the kitchen countertop also, loved the platter idea, Iove to paint pottery, so there’s my solution! Thanks for the great blog, it is fun to read…
by Izzy — 9/23/08 at 8:55 am #
12. Wow, I am so excited about our dialogue. Joan thanks for your great suggestion. I am going to look for great looking boxes when I am out tomorrow. I have a table in my office that will be the perfect spot for sorting and getting control of paper clutter. I’m so excited, maybe I will be able to regain my desk space. Whoo hoo! Thanks for joining our conversation, your organizing tips are great. I am going to catalog choice as soon as I finish typing this. Although, knowing me I will probably end up getting more catalogs rather than less. LOL Izzy and E let us know about your progress. I know I am certainly motivated knowing I have others joining me in this endeavor.
Thanks to you all. I love your comments.
by Deb — 9/23/08 at 12:58 pm #
13. At my house I found a solution to counter clutter for both myself and my boyfriend. We each have a large drawer in the kitchen for our ‘clutter stuff.’ When he leaves something out on the counter, I just put it into his drawer. He does the same with my things. Then on a rainy day, or when we are cleaning up in the kitchen, we clean our drawers.
by Beth — 9/27/08 at 6:09 pm #
14. Great suggestion, Beth! I have a little problem with out of sight, out of mind . . . LOL, but with a special drawer at least I would know where to go to look.
Thanks for sharing! Deb
by Deb — 9/29/08 at 11:33 am #