12 Costco Solutions To Help Eliminate Unwanted Countertop Clutter

Cluttered countertops are not doomed to stay that way forever, even if a full kitchen renovation is nowhere in your future. The right combination of kitchen reconfiguring and storage solutions can go a long way towards clearing off countertops. And what better place to start than Costco? The wholesaler has plenty of storage options to make better use of space.

The best way to think about storage is to focus first on what's causing the clutter. Is it a lack of storage overall, or could some areas be reconfigured to better suit your needs and move items off the countertop for good? Clutter may also just come down to a lack of streamlined, practical storage options on the countertop itself. When you identify the problem, Costco might have just the product you need to finally clear up that chaos once and for all — including food storage containers, organizers, bins, racks, and even solutions that add extra prep and storage area. Here are our top 12 Costco picks to help eliminate unwanted countertop clutter.

When you have to leave loose bags of snacks or ingredients out on the countertop, there's always the risk that the bags will get knocked over and spilled. This not only creates more work for you to clean up, but it also wastes food. The easiest answer to this problem would be to store these items in cabinets and pantries, but if that's not an option, then you'll need to create organization on your countertops.

Costco's OXO Softworks POP containers come in a set of four with pop-up lids, which secures the food, stops it from spilling, and keeps it fresh. The set contains two 4.4-quart and two 2.8-quart containers as well as a measuring cup for rice and a scoop for any product. These containers can hold snacks, cookies, and dried fruit, as well as staples like rice and pasta. They can also be stacked on top of each other, which will help keep kitchen counters clutter-free.

It doesn't take much for countertop clutter to take over prep spaces. When it does, cooking time goes up. Instead of focusing on chopping veggies and boiling water, you need to first look at how you'll make room and keep it clear as you move from prepping to actual cooking and then plating. You might have to move items back and forth across your counters just to finish one meal.

For kitchens with few cabinets but lots of empty corners, Trinity's EcoStorage kitchen cart can help clear clutter and even add more prep space. The cart has an adjustable basket and two shelves that can be moved up and down, perfect for getting pots, pans, and mixing bowls off your countertop. The bamboo cutting board is removable, so it can be used on the cart or taken off and moved to the countertop, leaving the second shelf open. It also has a sidebar with four hooks for hanging measuring cups or utensils, making them easy to grab in a pinch. When serious cooking is underway, the wheels can be locked to help hold the cart in place.

Presentation can make all the difference when it comes to saying goodbye to countertop clutter. With the right containment solution, clutter suddenly becomes stylish. Jars and containers look organized when they're all grouped together, and you can show off those unique food items that come in glass bottles, such as infused olive oils or jams and jellies from local makers. Space is also now freed up to be used for other purposes.

The Seville Classics two-tier sliding bin organizer measures 14 inches long and just 8 inches wide, which will fit many countertops without overwhelming the space. Its black metal frame and natural acacia boxes work well with farmhouse styles, as well as contemporary and mid-century looks. The organizer also has non-slip feet to stop it from moving around. Costco reviewers said the product helped organize countertops right away, mentioning that it's a great solution for housing cooking oils and vinegars in easy reach, as well as coffee-making supplies. 

It may be that your countertop clutter problem actually stems from a pantry problem. Disorganization in the pantry can spread when bags and boxes don't fit well with pots and pans. Cereals and other food containers can be difficult to stack. Even if you manage to do it, you may run the risk of having bags of food falling on top of your head every time you open the pantry door. When this happens, it's inevitable that those bags move to the countertop and create clutter.

If the OXO Softworks containers seemed like a good idea but on too small a scale, then Bentgo's 22-piece container set might be a better fit for your kitchen. The set comes with 10 containers and 10 matching lids as well as a half-cup scoop and a dispensing lid for cereal and snacks. The lids are airtight and lock to seal in freshness, limiting food waste. They'll also prevent spills if the container tips over or falls off a shelf. The containers are also stackable, which will help free up space in your pantry or on your countertop.

Some cooks may argue that leaving their favorite utensils and measuring cups out on the kitchen counter makes cooking easier. All of their tools are in reach, and they can keep track of multiple items cooking at once. But those tools left out create unnecessary clutter. They also leave sauce and oil stains on countertops, and they run the risk of being skipped over for washes.

Seville Classics' 10-piece box set contains individual boxes that can be rearranged and reconfigured to fit drawers of many sizes. The larger boxes measuring 12 inches long can hold bigger utensils or even kitchen knives, while the smaller ones can hold forks and spoons. Office supplies left on countertops, such as scissors, stamps, and tape, can also find a home in a better-organized desk drawer or junk drawer.

Sometimes cluttered countertops are simply caused by not having enough space to store the items you need to have out and within easy reach. The most impactful solution in this case is to add more countertop area. But kitchen renovations can get expensive, and they're not an option for renters. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to try if you have cluttered countertops: The kitchen cart.

Trinity's 48-inch kitchen cart could be a practical addition for kitchens dying for more countertop space. It has two solid shelves that can hold food containers and pots, or be more decorative by showing off your favorite mugs and glassware. It also has two drawers, as well as hooks and rungs on the side for storing utensils and dish towels. What you do with the extra counterspace is up to you. You might store your favorite appliances here or build a coffee nook with all your go-to flavors. You could also leave this space open for food prepping. If that renovation does become a reality, then the cart's wheels will make it easy to slide it over to a new space.

Bottles of wine and other spirits can take up a lot of space when left on the countertop. Your kitchen size and lifestyle, however, may not leave a lot of options. For one thing, there may not be better places in the kitchen to store them. Shorter cabinets don't provide many options for tall bottles, and installing a wine fridge may be too much right now. Leaving them out, of course, makes it easy for cocktail enthusiasts to mix up their favorite drinks and pour a glass of wine right away. Although you might want to keep those bottles in the kitchen, they need to be moved off the countertops to clear space.

A wine rack can store these bottles and free up that area of your countertop. Costco's Neatfreak Stacking Metal Wine Rack can hold up to 24 bottles of wine. The rack has a simple design and slim look, measuring just 16.5 inches long and 13.5 inches wide, which may be able to fit in some pantries or tucked into a kitchen corner. It could also be set up in the basement, where two racks can even be stacked for even more storage. Some are even using a wine rack as a clever storage hack for the kitchen, so there may be multiple purposes for this clutter-free tool.

For some kitchens, it's not always that there is a lot of clutter. What it actually comes down to is presentation. For example, you might leave salt, pepper, and olive oil out right next to the stovetop for easy access when you're cooking. Although it may look like clutter, it's there for a purpose. The same might be said for your coffee station. All of those boxes of K-Cups are really right where you need them. They just don't look as organized as they could.

With Seville Classics' organizer starter set, you can group items into zones to clean them up and make them look more organized. One bin can hold your favorite oils and seasonings, while another keeps your tea bags and K-Cups together in one place. Some of the larger bins could be used for keeping bananas, apples, and other fruits together or providing a drop-off spot for mail. The boxes, also made from natural acacia, can be mixed and matched to help move other items off countertops and back into more organized drawers.

Clutter on kitchen countertops usually starts small. It's a bag of chips left out so someone will eat them before they go stale. Or it's a few cooking ingredients left next to the stove to make them easier to reach when putting a meal together. However it starts, clutter builds quickly, going from taking up a corner of the countertop to a whole section of it. And once it's all out there, it can be tough to get it back under control.

The EcoStorage two-tier wire drawer from Trinity can help bring order back to messy countertops. Measuring 17.75 inches long, 11.4 inches wide, and 16 inches tall, these drawers come in a pack of two and fit comfortably on countertops. They even have slides that can be mounted on your countertop or added to a wire rack, either in a pantry or on a kitchen cart. The drawers can hold 50 pounds each, which offers consumers a lot of wiggle room when deciding what to store. You could also use them as meal prep tools, storing the cans, oils, and other ingredients needed for dinners each week. This keeps you focused on what you'll be cooking and stops clutter from spreading out over countertops.

When there is no more space on the counter, the next place to go might be up. Cabinets usually take up most wall space in the kitchen, but when there's room, a set of floating shelves might move some of that clutter up instead of letting it get in the way. These shelves are among the Costco finds that are great for small kitchens, and while they aren't very deep, they can hold cooking oils and favorite seasonings, keeping them within arm's reach while still out of the way.

If you have a smaller kitchen or some empty wall space, the two-pack of floating shelves might be the right solution for you. Made of acaia, they stretch 2 feet across and can be hung in different ways. They can hang one directly above the other, slightly staggered, or together as one long shelf. Each shelf can hold up to 50 pounds. The set also comes with all the hardware and brackets needed for hanging, so installation should be easy. For even more storage, consider adding small hooks to the bottom side of the shelf. These can be great for hanging small espresso mugs, tongs, and spatulas. Be sure the shelf is secure, and the weight limit is observed before trying this.

Having a designated drink corner can be wonderful for coffee and tea drinkers when cabinet space is limited. But all of those packets of tea and sugar and individual K-Cups create a lot of clutter. They often come in bulky packaging that takes up a lot of cabinet or countertop space, but leaving them on the countertop doesn't work well either. The mess takes space away from food prep, and it may be hard to find the right packet of tea when you really want it.

The space near the coffee pot or tea kettle can be put to better use with Seville Classics' stacking bins set. The bins, which come in a set of four, can be used individually or stacked together, depending on your kitchen layout. They can also be tucked into a cabinet to make better use of vertical space. Made from natural acacia, the bins come with two dividers that can be removed to fit your storage needs. Of course, building a creative home coffee bar isn't the only use for these bins. Spices, seasoning packets, and fruits can also fit, which might free up space on a lazy Susan or on the kitchen table.

It can be hard to avoid countertop clutter in small kitchens, especially galley-style ones. Cabinet space is usually pretty limited, and many don't have pantries at all. Some studio apartments have a single wall of kitchen appliances with only a few feet of countertop space between them. When this is your reality, storage bins will only take up what little prep space you have. It's time to go for something tall and slim.

Trinity's five-tier rack measures 12 inches wide, 24 inches long, and 55.5 inches tall, an ideal size for squeezing into small spaces. The shelves can hold 50 pounds each, 250 for the entire rack when distributed evenly. They also have a raised lip that wraps around each one, which will help stop items from rolling off the shelf, and two of them have dividers on them. These can be used to store cutting boards, pot lids, or baking pans. Users can also move the shelves up and down as needed. The rack has a pull handle on the side to make moving it around easier. Thanks to this rack, one reviewer said that their "kitchen setup has drastically improved!"