11 IKEA Solutions To Help Eliminate Unwanted Countertop Clutter

Countertops are the kind of flat surface that can somehow go from clean to a dumping ground in a blink. Kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room counters are like magnets for stuff we don't know where to put, including mail, coffee pods, skincare products, and charging cords, to name a few. Cluttered universal drop zones don't mean you have way too much stuff, though. It really comes down to not having a designated place for your things to live. That's one area where IKEA shines. The retailer has been quietly helping people solve this problem for years, and at affordable prices too.

Somewhere beneath the avalanche of orphaned hair ties, yesterday's junk mail, and bottles of stain removers, likely sits a really pretty countertop. The trick for getting counters more organized is about giving things you use every day an intentional home, instead of stashing them out of sight. For example, in the kitchen, IKEA's NALBLECKA two-tier bamboo organizer has become loved because it successfully puts oils and spice jars in their place without leaving a big footprint. And it can do a similar job in any room that has a countertop.  

Getting your home organized doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg when there are plenty of top-rated IKEA finds for under $100. To eliminate countertop clutter, here's a look at the organizers that are worth adding to your cart.

If your countertops feel smaller than they actually are, the TOLKNING hanging basket steps in to help you make the most of your unused vertical space. This woven bamboo basket hangs rather than sits, which means it can double as a pretty textured decor on your wall or cabinet while saving countertop space. It can store produce in the kitchen, toiletries in the bathroom, or cleaning supplies in the laundry room. Even small items on your entryway table (which gets cluttered quickly too) can be corralled with this basket.

The bathroom counter is where small things go to multiply. Cotton balls, hair clips, or a lip balm from three seasons ago. The DRAGAN bamboo set can become your containment strategy. The boxes have lids, meaning the counter looks tidy even when the contents aren't (plus you can even store items on top of the lids!). The set can also be used on bedside tables, desks, and jewelry drawers, which tells you these boxes can do a lot of heavy lifting around your house. 

Get ready to ditch cluttered countertops with this $8 solution. The IKEA CHOKLADHAJ organizer is a solid pine caddy that corrals everything from makeup brushes to pens, scissors, and cooking utensils, and keeps them from spreading out across your counters. Rather than digging through a drawer, everything stays visible and easy to grab. The divider actually keeps things from flopping around, which sounds minor until you've fished a ladle out from behind the toaster for the hundredth time.

The MOPPE storage chest is essentially a tiny chest of drawers for all the small things that have no real home — guitar picks, loose change, spare batteries, that one hair clip you keep almost throwing away. At roughly 12½ inches tall and just 7 inches deep, it sits on a counter, desk, or vanity without taking over the whole area. It's made from unfinished birch plywood, making the MOPPE easy to customize with paint, stain, or even a pretty decoupage.

Not everything needs to be hidden behind cabinet doors, and that definitely applies to the two-tiered KANELMOTT basket. The shallow top tier is open and airy, while the bottom tier is deeper with a fold-away lid. The KANELMOTT basket is great for fruit that needs some breathing room in the kitchen, extra hand towels in the bathroom, or everyday essentials you want to grab easily. Because everything is in one spot, countertops instantly look more organized and less chaotic.

The SKÅDIS pegboard turns empty wall space into clever storage, freeing up your precious counter space, whether in your laundry room, kitchen, office, or bathroom. In the kitchen, it can hold essentials like utensils and small pans, while in a bathroom, it works for hair tools and makeup. You can pick from a slew of different accessories that clip right onto the pegboard, including hooks, shelves, storage baskets, and even lidded containers.

If oils, spices, and dish towels are constantly spread out across your countertops, the two-tier NÅLBLECKA  organizer might be just what it needs. The organizer uses vertical space, allowing it to slide up against your backsplash without monopolizing your space or messing with the overall aesthetic (even when you have an iconic kitchen backsplash from the '80s). While it's designed for the kitchen, it can also work in a bathroom to keep skincare products handy or a laundry room for clothes prep with bleach pens or stain removers.

Sometimes the easiest way to cut down on countertop clutter is to give loose items a place to go. The BETTHAJ lidded tin is perfect for storing things you use regularly but don't necessarily want on display. It can hold tea bags or snacks in the kitchen or cotton balls in the bathroom. It looks cute enough to leave out on display, while adding some texture to your space.

The HULTARP rail may look like an ordinary steel rod, but it can be a very helpful accessory. It mounts to the wall and turns the empty space between your backsplash and upper cabinets into actual storage. You can use it as a bar to hang your dish towels, or add the HULTARP paper towel roll holder and a coordinating container for utensils. But it can really go anywhere you need to contain clutter.

Despite its limiting name, the BEKVAM spice rack can do much more. Sure, it can hold spices and oils in the kitchen, but it can also hold stain removers and dryer sheets in the laundry room or perfume and body mists in the bathroom. Mounted on a wall in any room, it helps free up countertop space by giving the things you reach for most a permanent place to stay.

The SUNNERSTA can help hold the things you like to keep near. It can be used to organize sponges and brushes in the kitchen or makeup brushes and skincare in the bathroom. But if you want to move it to your office, laundry room, garage, or anywhere you need to free up cabinet space, it's easy to pick up and go since it doesn't require drilling holes to hold it in place.