\nIf you’re like most people, your kitchen counter serves as a catch-all for a variety of items, both food-related and not. However, there are some items you may not want to keep.\n
Do you keep your spice jars on your kitchen counter? How about your knives and olive oil? While it might look like the most convenient place to store things, your kitchen countertop is actually a bad storage place for some items. To eliminate clutter-related stress and make the most of your space, here are the 10 things you shouldn\u2019t be stored on your kitchen countertop.\n
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In a survey from MasterBrand Cabinets, the majority of Americans (60 percent) cited cluttered counter space as their biggest cause of stress in the kitchen. Too often, kitchen counters become a prime spot to stash things you\u2019re not sure where else to put, which clutters them up real quick! And, on top of that, there are also plenty of kitchen items that you\u2019re actually better off not keeping on your counter.\n
For instance, your kitchen counter may seem like the obvious place to keep toasters, blenders, mixers, and other appliances\u2014they\u2019re kitchen tools, after all. But if you only use them every once in a while, there really is no sense in having them take up space on your countertops. Indeed, more than half of survey respondents said that appliances were the biggest culprits of their stress-inducing counter-clutter.\n
A good rule of thumb to give yourself is: If you don\u2019t use it every day (or every time you cook), it shouldn\u2019t be taking up space on your counter. And if you\u2019re not sure where to put these things instead, these\u00a0kitchen storage hacks you\u2019ll want to use immediately\u00a0will help.\n
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And the number two cause of counter clutter-related stress, according to the survey? Stacks of papers. This one\u2019s easy to understand; it\u2019s a lot easier to just toss day-to-day papers onto your counter than to read through and sort all of them. Whether it\u2019s magazines, newspapers, junk mail, or not-so-junky mail like bills, papers can accumulate fast, and the more they do, the more of a hassle it is to organize them. And a messy look isn\u2019t the only reason to keep papers out of your\u00a0cooking space. If papers, especially magazines, get wet while sitting on your countertop, \u201cthe ink can easily get transferred onto your countertop\u2019s surface,\u201d cautions Stephanie Cooper of Energy Cleaning. \u201cAfter that, it is a nightmare to clean.\u201d\n
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We won\u2019t fault you for wanting to keep the often quite decorative canisters containing your sugar, flour, and other such ingredients in plain view on your counter. But you can\u2019t deny that they can sometimes be bulky and take up a good deal of room. This one\u2019s really a matter of personal preference, but it\u2019s still pretty easy and convenient to keep them in a cabinet just above your counter. Or, as\u00a0thekitchn.com\u00a0points out, they\u00a0are\u00a0called\u00a0\u00a0\u201cpantry staples,\u201d so you could keep them out of the way in your pantry as well, especially if you don\u2019t find yourself using them very often.\n It may come as a surprise, but your counter probably isn\u2019t the best place to keep your\u00a0spice collection. In particular, make sure you\u2019re not storing spices near your oven or stove top, where accumulated heat can weaken their flavors over time. Stephanie Bostic, Ph.D., a registered dietician, and food safety expert explains that \u201clight, and heat from sunlight or cooking surfaces, can degrade the flavors faster than if you store them in a cool, dark place.\u201d\n Here\u2019s another food that you\u2019ve probably been storing on your counter and inadvertently lessening its quality. Just like spices,\u00a0olive oil can go bad more quickly if it\u2019s stored indirect light and heat. The same is true for other types of oil as well; they will keep better in a cool, dark place. \u201cInside a cabinet or pantry works well for most oils,\u201d Bostic suggests.\n You had to know this was coming. The more visible and accessible your\u00a0guilty-pleasure snacks\u00a0are, the more likely you are to grab them, start eating, and not stop. Keeping desserts and snacks in less convenient, less accessible places will allow you to be less tempted by them. The same goes for anyone else in your household, too (looking at you, kiddos). And, on top of that, baked goods and candy can leave stickiness and crumbs on your counter, which, well, isn\u2019t the best, most sanitary kitchen aesthetic.\n Put simply, food and\u00a0chemical-packed cleaning products don\u2019t mix! You don\u2019t want to risk spilling any of these inedible substances onto your food or the areas where you prep it. Even more kitchen-friendly products, like dish soap and disinfectants, should be stored in a closet or a cabinet, such as one underneath the sink, especially once they\u2019re open. This way, they\u2019ll have a much lower chance of spilling into your kitchen prep space, which, in addition to potentially being dangerous, also just makes a big mess.\n With the increasing popularity of home devices that can be very helpful while cooking, such as the\u00a0Amazon Alexa, it\u2019s tempting to keep them handy on your kitchen counter. But considering the amount of water-pouring, dishwashing, and accidental spillage that happens during meal preparation, it\u2019s better to be safe than sorry. Keep your phones, laptops, virtual assistants, and speakers off your counter and out of range of any potential water damage.\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you’re like most people, your kitchen counter serves as a catch-all for a variety of items, both food-related and not. However, there are some items you may not want to keep. Do you keep your spice jars on your kitchen counter? How about your knives and olive oil? 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\nSpices\n
\nOlive Oil\n
\nJunk Food\n
\nCleaning Products\n
\nElectronics\n