Question:

Do you have any practical advice for keeping clutter off the kitchen table? Any new organizational tips?

Answer:

Is your kitchen table having a bit of an identity crisis? Is it all acting as home office, dining room, homework central, craft center, and mailroom all at the same time? Chances are the clutter is piling up at this natural household hub and the tasks at hand are getting more tedious.

One way to cut down on the overflow is to create individual stations for performing the various functions your catchall kitchen table is tired of juggling. Clearing the clutter will make your space work for you in ways you never thought possible. And all that time wasted searching for things gone missing can be spent on more important endeavors—like dessert.

The Goals

Be able to find items when they are needed and still have a place to eat breakfast.

Let this central and visible space be one you're proud to show off to drop-in guests.

Have a place for everything and a routine system for making sure it ends up there.

The Strategy

Keep handy and available only the things that deserve to be front and center—that is, the things you use on a daily basis. Other supplies can be tucked into drawers and put on shelves.

Agree not to set something down where it does not belong "just for a bit." Chances are it will stay there for too long.

Employ the "touch it once" system: Mail gets sorted and filed as it comes in (bills to pay now, catalogs to peruse later), with junk mail going straight into the trash.

Use a cubby system for children. Each child gets his or her own station for backpack, lunch box, mittens, etc., and is responsible for making sure these things end up there. Vertical cubbies against a wall don't take up much space and save you from messy piles on the table. • Make the little ones feel extra responsible (and save yourself time spent sorting) by creating a simple filing system for each child. Possible folders include "school forms to be signed," "homework to do," and "my artwork."

Use an in-box/out-box system. Things to review immediately should be most prominent. If you have a table near your entryway, keep outgoing mail there in a simple tray (along with stamps!) so you can grab it on the go.

All those important memos, calendars, and invitations scattered across the table can be mounted in plain sight on the wall. Simply hang a magnetic memo board or an old-fashioned corkboard for displaying items you want everyone to see.

It's OK to have a junk drawer. But agree to let it be just that. Don't let it become a home for things that really matter—you may never see them again.

Designate an entirely separate location for home-office needs. Even if you lack the space for a real desk, keep files and important papers in a separate drawer or a rolling file cabinet, and keep books and magazines on shelves. Then use the kitchen table only while you're working on a particular task, and put things back when you're finished.

The same goes for crafts. Don't let the crayons, glitter, and construction paper live where you eat. Keep them tucked away in nearby storage bins (the kind on wheels are especially helpful), and retrieve when necessary. And encourage the kids to tidy up after craft time

Decluttering is a lifestyle, not a onetime task. It's best to stick to the system on a daily basis or things will quickly find a way of piling up.

Resources
The following websites sell an abundance of organizational tools and storage containers to help you streamline your new system.

www.containerstore.com

www.organize.com

www.stacksandstacks.com

www.ikea.com

Kate Parker
Home department