Is your kitchen prone to what I call “clutter creep”?

This is the clutter that sneaks in so quietly that you don’t even notice it’s there!

You might have started out with a neat and tidy kitchen once upon a time, but without regular attention, it’s easy to let all kinds of things pile up and get in the way of cooking a meal or just enjoying the view from your kitchen window!

And since it adds up little by little, you become blind to the clutter and it seems just like another fixture in the kitchen like the appliances.

You forget that it doesn’t have to be there.

Here are 3 quick things you can do to declutter your kitchen:

And remember… You can do any of these kitchen decluttering jobs in just a few minutes.

If you only have 10 minutes to spare, sometimes those 10-minute miracles make the biggest difference.

1. Clean out your pantry.

Food can easily get buried in the back of your pantry or cupboards and quietly take up storage space – for years, even! If you haven’t used it in a few months, channel your inner Elsa and “Let it Go!”

Spend 10-15 minutes cleaning out a shelf or two. Wipe out the shelves and put the rest back.

You might actually free up a ton of precious storage space! Another perk is being able to better access food items that would otherwise go to waste when hidden in the clutter.

2. Clear off your counters.

Cooking is so much easier with enough counter space! And if you only have a bit of counter space, then it’s all the more important to keep them as clear as possible. (Kitchen counters are a clutter hotspot worth keeping an eye on.)

This may mean rearranging things a bit, but I promise you, it’ll be worth it. I even traded in my toaster oven for a toaster so I could easily stow it under the counter when it’s not in use.

See if you can make some more room on your counters today.

Tip: Clearing off your counters is one of the 10 simple principles for organizing your kitchen.

3. Tackle the mail.

The mail usually ends up on the kitchen counter, and sometimes it stays there for a long time!

I understand the temptation to leave it there so you don’t forget about it. However, when it grows into a big pile, you risk paying bills late and losing important papers.

Instead, deal with all the junk mail immediately and start using a simple system to manage your mail and paperwork daily.

Even more ways to combat kitchen clutter creep:

Take a picture to refer back to!

The problem with clutter creep is that it happens gradually, letting our mind become accustomed to the additional clutter that actually shouldn’t be there.

After you’ve done a nice deep clean of the kitchen, take a photo. This will be the “how I’d like my kitchen to look” photo.

Take another photo in a couple of months to easily see what has changed, identify where clutter has managed to creep in, and plan to address the issues.

Set regular reminders.

Put a reminder in your cleaning calendar to have a look at clutter creep. Refer back to your ideal photo and fix the issues.

Combatting clutter creep is a little different to simply cleaning the kitchen.

Get your fridge in order, both inside and out.

Here are some tips for cleaning out and organizing your refrigerator. Removing the clutter from the outside of the fridge (magnets and notes and artwork add to visual clutter!) makes a huge difference as well.

Create a useful kitchen command center.

This can help you combat mail and paper clutter that often ends up on the kitchen counters. Check out some of our favorite command center supplies to help you get started.

You might also find these articles useful:

• How to have a clean kitchen every day after trying for years
• Printable Kitchen Spring Cleaning Checklist

What are 3 quick tasks you do to combat kitchen clutter creep?