DESIDERATA

I am a countertop moderate minimalist. I absolutely love those styled photos on Instagram where people have books and cutting boards and vintage collections all arranged beautifully and make a kitchen so cozy. But that is not me or my home – I like them as cleaned off as possible and it helps my kitchen not feel cluttered or dirty. The kitchen countertops set the tone of almost the whole home and I like cleared surfaces (for the most part).

The non-negotiables:

• Take it all off. Since we’re deep cleaning, let’s really go for a total refresh and start with a blank slate.
• Clean seams, corners, and edges. I use a steam cleaner to get to mine but some all purpose cleaner and a cotton swab also does the trick! Make sure and get in every grout line and seam and all of those places where old crumbs (from food you swear you’ve never brought into your house) love to party.
• Clean surfaces. When I’m deep cleaning, my favorite is dish soap and water, but a steam cleaner works too. I have granite in the kitchen, which is a blessing and a curse. It’s durable (win!) but also makes it difficult to see left-behind mess (sometimes win!) so I clean by feel more than look. Run your hands over the countertop to find those sticky or rough patches. Use a razor blade as a scraper to get any really stuck on things off. Just hold at a 45-degree angle and scrape lightly. You want the dirty bits to come up, not the sealant. If you don’t have stone, proceed with caution on razor blade usage. Or try another pass with soap, water, and elbow grease.
• Clean the undersides. That little lip part that hangs over the counter or bar? That’s what I’m talking about. It’s an often overlooked spot in my house and I’m always horrified to find the things that little hands have left behind. It’s like a pétri dish. Yuck. I use soap and water and a razor blade on these too but am quite a bit more gentle since the underside of my counters are not sealed. (Remedying that is on my to-do list!)
• Return necessary items to countertop. Give them a good wipe down as you do and be very intentional about what is necessary.

The maybe negotiables:

• Styling. Now the fun part where you make it your own. Maybe you try just the necessary items, maybe you arrange your collection of vintage ice cream scoops. Just remember that it must be beautiful and functional. If you have to move things to use your kitchen, find it a new home.
• Organize. If your countertop is a catch-all space that cannot be relocated (my children cannot be dissuaded from using it as a backpack/lunchbox dumping site, art studio, science project work zone, you name it), then set up an area to contain it. A bin for each child, a mail sorting file box, etc. Make sure and clean out this space weekly.
• Add lighting. Under cabinet lighting can really soften a space and make those gleaming counters you worked so hard on stand out.

Maintenance:

• Wipe down any immediate spills. Easier said than done in my house, but try
• Make cleaning the countertops part of your evening routine. For the daily cleaning, I am obsessed with this method daily granite cleaner. It works like a charm and it makes my whole kitchen smell fresh and clean.
• Deep clean once a month. Mark your calendars for every month on this day for countertops to be the chore of the day and repeat the deep clean scrub a dub.

Your turn:

How do you style your countertops? What is on them and what is not?

Now let’s get to it!