It's Past Time To Remove These Things From Your Kitchen Counters

Growing up, I remember walking past a bread machine that sat atop our kitchen counter. For years, I didn't know what the heck that apparatus was because it never got used. I'm sure many people have experienced something similar and, like myself, were lead to believe kitchen counters were meant for storage! Truth be told, kitchen counters are supposed to be an open space where we can prepare food without feeling crowded. If an item on your counter isn't being used every single day and is only taking up precious real estate, you may want to consider storing it elsewhere. Your kitchen counters are begging for the barely used appliances, row of dusty cookbooks, and stack of mail to be evicted.

Appliances are the biggest offenders because they tend to take up more space than other items. Air fryers, for example, (also known as small spaceships) are better off stored in a cabinet. Once you're ready to use it, all you have to do is pull it out, plug it in, and then safely return it to its new home after you're finished with it. This principle also applies to other small appliances that are used only infrequently, including blenders, food processors, stand-mixers, pressure cookers, and bread machines. There's a nasty reason you may want to ditch your knife block too. 

Did you know, the best place to store cookbooks is actually not in the kitchen? If your cookbooks live on the counter, they're not only taking up a lot of space but are also being exposed to heat and moisture which is detrimental to them. You're better off storing them in another room. If you prefer to have them in the kitchen, keep in them in a cabinet below the counter.

For some unknown reason, there's a spot on every kitchen counter that becomes the unofficial place to stack junk mail, the only type of coupon Trader's Joes accepts, and other random papers. To effectively eliminate this clutter from your counters, deal with papers as they arrive. Discard any unwanted advertisements or marketing materials and, for items that require future reference (such as bills, invitations, and receipts), put them in folders. Again, the heat and moisture present in active kitchens means these folders should be stored in a different room.

Take these steps and you'll instantly have more counter space. The extra space may even inspire you to do more cooking.