8 Kitchen Items Professional Organizers Say Cause the Most Clutter
For many people, the kitchen is one of the most frequented places in the home for cooking, snacking or even socializing. With that in mind, kitchens are typically cluttered with tons of gadgets, tools and condiments.
"The only appliances that should live on your kitchen counter are those that are used daily," says Marissa Hagmeyer, co-founder of the NEAT Method and author of "The NEAT Method Organizing Recipe Book. "If space is limited, edit out any duplicates or those that accomplish a similar task, as well as any you haven't used in the past year."
In a perfect world, you want your kitchen to be a space that is both mess-free and organized so you can easily find what you need. There's nothing worse than needing a strainer and not being able to find it.
Ahead, we spoke with three professional organizers about the kitchen items that cause the most clutter and how to organize them. And yes, that may be your beloved Nespresso machine. We don't suggest you get rid of your kitchen appliances; instead, find a better way to store them.
1. Coffee Machines
Whether you have a single-use Keurig machine or an espresso machine, these staple kitchen items can cause clutter. Now, it's not really the machines themselves, but the items that typically accompany them, according to Christina Giaquinto, professional organizer at Modular Closets.
"It's common to see coffee pods, milk frothers, coffee bean grinders and other accessories spread across the counter by the machine," she explains. "This turns a single appliance into a full coffee station that can visually overwhelm limited kitchen space."
Instead, Giaquinto recommends consolidating everything into a single, contained 'coffee zone' using a tray or tiered organizer. "Keep only daily essentials on the counter and store any backups (like extra pods, beans, syrups, etc.) in a nearby cabinet," she says.
2. Air Fryers
There's nothing like an air fryer to make zucchini chips or chicken, but this appliance can be a clutter culprit. "Air fryers tend to cause visual clutter because they are bulky, oddly shaped and can be difficult to store efficiently," says Giaquinto. "Air fryers also tend to just stay on the counter out of convenience, but their accessories (racks, baskets, liners, etc.) can easily spread across kitchen drawers and cabinets, which increases clutter and reduces usable kitchen workspace."
To help reduce the clutter from an air fryer, Giaquinto recommends grouping all accessories (like racks, liners and baskets) in a single bin or drawer divider, so they don't migrate across the kitchen. "Also, assign the air fryer a fixed spot and avoid using the surrounding counter space as a landing zone for extras," she adds.
3. Tupperware
Tupperware is incredible for storing leftovers and helping with meal prep, but it can get chaotic fast. "Tupperware can quickly take over cabinets, especially when lids and bottoms get separated or containers don't stack neatly," says Olivia Parks, owner and lead organizer at Professional Organizer New Orleans.
To better handle them and make more room in your kitchen, Parks says to match lids to their correct containers and toss or donate any containers that are cracked, broken, don't have matching lids or bottoms or are just taking up space in your cabinets.
4. Baking Sheets
Baking sheets are a kitchen staple for both cooking and baking; however-you've probably guessed it-they can cause a great deal of visual clutter. "Even though they are thin, they can be bulky when stacked, which makes them difficult to organize neatly," says Giaquinto.
To mitigate this problem, you should store baking sheets vertically in file-style dividers within a deep cabinet or on a pull-out rack to eliminate clutter. "This will prevent stacking and make each item easier to grab without disturbing the others," Giaquinto explains.
5. Reusable Water Bottles
Many people have made the transition from plastic water bottles to reusable ones, but they can cause a significant amount of clutter depending on how many you have. "Reusable water bottles are a staple in most households but the variety of sizes, shapes and materials can quickly create a mess of toppling bottles, straws and lids," says Hagmeyer.
To reduce the amount of clutter caused by reusable water bottles, narrow down your collection to have between one and three for every member of your household and then set aside any broken or orphan parts to be tossed or donated. "Then arrange remaining water bottles upright in a basket within a cabinet or a deep divided drawer," adds Hagmeyer.
6. Pot Lids
Pot lids are among the top culprits of kitchen clutter because they are hard to store: they are are awkwardly shaped, don't nest well and often fall over when stored upright.
"To get rid of clutter caused by pot lids, use an adjustable lid rack or vertical dividers inside a cabinet to store lids upright instead of stacked or leaned," says Giaquinto.
7. Sauce Packets
After your last trip to McDonald's or Wendy's, you might have tossed those sauce packets onto the kitchen counter or in a drawer with no rhyme or reason. "Not only does this create clutter, but also food sauce packets are at risk of being punctured by silverware and other items in drawers, which can lead to a sticky mess," says Giaquinto.
To help remedy this problem, Guaquinto recommends designating a special Tupperware for food sauce packets to keep them contained and organized on a kitchen shelf instead.
8. Measuring Cups and Spoons
If you're a baker, then you probably have a handful of measuring cups and spoons in your kitchen. They may seem small, but they can take over kitchen drawers pretty quickly, especially when there are multiple sets mixed together.
"To better manage them and create more space in your kitchen, try keeping only the sets you regularly use and storing them stacked together inside the drawer so they stay organized," Parks tells Dengarden. "You can also use a small drawer organizer or container to keep everything in one spot instead of spreading all over the drawer."
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 6:15 AM.