How A Trip To Ikea Is Helping Us Keep Our Kitchen Counters Clear

Disclaimer: I haven't been paid to write this post, nor provided with any products. Anyone who knows me will know I adore Ikea, and I just wanted to share our continuing work to organize & de-clutter our home, and how a few cool products are helping us to do just that, hugs x

Hi honeys
I hope you're having a fabulous week, can you believe we're into March already?  Spring is just around the corner, the clocks go forward here in the UK at 2am on 29th of March, although for our American cousins I believe it's this weekend? on the 8th?  I just can't wait to cast off Winter and welcome Spring.  We've had snow & hail this past few days and I so long for warmth & sunshine.

Speaking of out with the old and in with the new :) As I was saying in my last post, Hubby and I managed a quick trip to Ikea recently armed with our shopping list.  We only really get to visit Ikea maybe twice a year so we always have a list. It really does feel like forever that we've been trying to create some order in our home and I can honestly say that our visits to Ikea, however rare they may be, have really helped us to achieve what we have so far.  On then to the subject of todays post.....

Do you remember honeys I wrote about the cute, and very useful ALGOT system we'd used to organise & store our kitchen linens such as dish towels & microfibre dusters?  Having bought an ALGOT upright wall bar, used to "click" the accessories onto, and two of the pretty little mesh baskets, we discovered there was actually room for a third (and possibly fourth) basket on the generously sized small upright bar.

Now, as I've said we aren't able to just dash back to Ikea, we don't own a car and it's a distance from us, so we had to instead add an additional basket to our online store shopping list for next time.  In the meantime, we had the opportunity to try out the new linens storage system, well it's great! They are neat little baskets which don't take up much room but hold lots, and they keep linens very tidily stored, while at the same time so easy to just grab when needed.  So, during our recent trip an additional basket was definitely on our list. 

Image & product details can be found here 

In actual fact we not only got our additional basket for the kitchen, which we'd decided to use to store our various packs of antibacterial "wet wipes", but we also bought an additional upright wall bar, two more baskets and an ALGOT shelf too.  This additional storage set is to be used in my soon to be dressing (and craft) room.  The baskets will be used to store my hairdryer, straighteners, products etc and the shelf will hold the cutest little trio of storage boxes, contents of which are yet to be decided but they are adorable and will be very useful I'm sure. I'll share photos when they're in place honeys I promise :)

       

Having picked up an additional basket for the kitchen, we also wanted to find a way to further clear the kitchen counters.  It is so much easier to keep counters/worktops clean with less things stored on them.  Among the things I wanted to have immediate access to, because I use them a lot, are our little flat digital scales and a couple of cook books. They've till now been stored on the counter in a lovely chrome cook book stand, but I just knew there had to be a better way to store them while keeping them within reach when needed.  

Do you remember the system we set up to sort our mail as it arrives honeys? You can read about it here (and there are pretty downloadable labels there too.)  It seemed that the PYSSLINGAR wall pockets would also be perfect to take the scales & books off the worktop.   

Image & product details can be found here

The Pysslingar pockets are so pretty, but I really didn't want to hang them on the wall. It would make that area of the kitchen look too "busy."  Then it occurred to me! What about all of that lovely space at the side of our kitchen cabinet?

Doesn't it look great? It's attached to the cabinet using a command hook placed under the edge of the worktop .......

Absolutely no damage to the cabinet or worktop and my scales & cook books are kept safely stored although ready to use at a minutes notice without my having to even open a cabinet door :) I love this honeys! It's just fabulous, it looks so pretty and has removed yet more clutter from our counter/worktop. It's a win win :)

As you can see, the pockets are very roomy. Looking at this photo they are also very creased! This photo was taken after I'd originally hung them on the command hook, having only just removed the wall pockets from their packaging.  oooo I don't like creases! I'll have to go look when I finish writing this, maybe the creases have smoothed themselves out by now, it's been a few days. If not there is always a gentle steam.  I've been distracted by creases :)

I'm genuinely loving this system honeys. It's every bit as wonderful in the kitchen as it is in our hall, still all these months later, acting as a quick and effortless way to sort our mail as it arrives.

So, what about a before (when I was really happy with our counter/worktop actually) and after photo of this side of the kitchen?

I think the kitchen roll will also be finding a home on the wall too, but I just haven't seen a wall mounted holder that's "spoken to me" yet :) Jade's treats are still on the counter but that's ok since she's the centre of our home, she really is :) It's so great to be able to just wipe over my surfaces without all of the clutter being in the way.

In my next post I'll show you the other counter/worktop by the cooker which, thanks to another Ikea system called FINTORP is looking amazing :) You'll love the new home for our tea things, I do :)

Any ideas or suggestions honeys? If so I'd love to hear them.  How do you keep your counters clear? Any storage suggestions you want to share? Till next time dear ones, I do hope you're having a fabulous week, sending squeezy squishy hugs your way xx