What You Need To Know About Where To Put All The Paper Clutter

Do you love a clean counter but struggle with where to put all the papers? Here are 3 easy steps to organizing paper clutter and more.

Do you know what I love?

I love a cleared off kitchen counter.

(and a pretty wallpapered and organized closet. Don’t miss this closet makeover from earlier this week.)

And based on comments from my recent posts?

It sounds like you love clutter free counters too.

There is just one problem.

It’s that thing I call, life coming at you.

Appearing in the form of all the papers and piles of stuff that inevitably accumulates with life in motion…collecting and cluttering up that pretty counter of yours.

But friend?

There is good news.

I have a paper system that helps move alllll those papers from front door to final resting place and I think you’re going to love it.

Why?

Because it’s so easy.

I can’t wait to share it with you today.

Not too long ago I shared this post about 3 Easy ways to Decorate your Kitchen Island or Dining Table and more recently I shared this post about Summer Kitchen Decor.

And when I posted this picture to Facebook…

You brought the question that points to the problem we all face and here it is, in my sweet friend’s words:

“Where does all the “flat surface clutter” go? Artwork, papers that you need but don’t need lol, can you show me how to organize all that bc I love my kitchen but my counters always have “stuff” on them. Helppppp”

– Sweet Friend on Facebook

So, in today’s post, I am sharing my quick system on how to handle all the paper clutter that accumulates.

And then?

I will take you on a quick tour and show you all of my “hiding places” for some of the other necessary items we need and use, but don’t necessarily want to see in plain site.

Sound like a plan?

Good!

And…to steal a line from the legendary Mrs. Doubtfire…

Help is on the way dear!

Come and see!

What You Need To Know About Where To Put All The Paper Clutter

First things First.

We need to set some paper guidelines.

I say guidelines because I don’t like the word rule. 🙂

The Guideline (or Rule) is this:

Touch Paper Once.

That’s the game changer right there friend.

When the work bags or backpacks come in and the zipper starts to slowly unzip, threatening the calm vibe of a flickering candle and cleared away counter?

Your kiddo quickly hands off the papers of the day and races away…

That’s the moment right there.

When the guideline GUIDES YOU.

You have a moment to decide right then and there…that you are going to touch the paper ONCE.

And in order to touch paper once?

You have to decide where it is going to go, for the long term, right then and there.

The Touch Paper Once Guideline Guides You To 3 Destination Options:

Trash.

File.

To Do.

It’s in this after school or after work minute, that your commitment to clutter free counters, needs to engage and discern the destination.

Here’s how:

1. Decide Trash First

What papers are a “keeper” and what papers fall short and are a “hurry and stuff to the bottom of the trash bin and lay the empty cereal box on top.”

You do it, I do it.

It is a necessary part of not drowning in paper clutter.

We have to trash some of the paper that comes home and place it in the very bottom of the trash can, hiding the discarded handiwork, in attempt to spare their feelings, so those cute kiddos don’t see that the math paper of the day did not make the cut as a “keeper.”

Next?

2. Take the keeper papers and put them into their final destination.

But where?

Where is that final destination place for keeper papers?

I am so glad you asked. 🙂

Rewind back to the days when I sat criss cross applesauce on a carpet square, with a toe head blonde and blue eyed pre-schooler in my lap.

That’s how long I have been using this keeper paper filing system.

I wish I could take credit for this genius idea for storing all the papers that come through the door.

But, I am so grateful to the dear preschool Mom friend, who once shared this amazing paper organizing idea during the Mom & Tot table discussion.

I was drowning in all the papers and needed helpppp, as my friend commented on facebook.

So much so, that I remember driving straight from the pre-school parking lot and directly to Target to purchase hanging file storage containers.

(Linking similar plastic hanging file bin HERE from Amazon.)

This file system has been the biggest solution to avoiding the problem of kitchen counter paper clutter.

Once, I have sorted papers and decided what is trash and what I want to keep, I file the keeper papers in these plastic hanging file storage bins.

I have three hanging file bins, one for each of the girls.

These file bins are where I store papers, such as awards, doctor papers…all of the paper stuff that I want to keep.

I also keep one copy of our Christmas card and their Birthday party invitations from when they were little in these bins, so that they will each have a copy of them as a memento.

While I don’t like to hold on to old math papers… 🙂

I am very sentimental and love to look back on old memories.

Actually, during Covid, we pulled these bins out and the girls loved pouring over all of the paper memories stored in these bins.

Here are some of the categories I have a file for that have helped me to cut down on clutter and instead?

Purposely file “keepers” for safe keeping.

File Categories for Keeper Papers

Preschool Memories

Elementary School Memories

Sports Photographs

School Pictures

Family Christmas Cards

Special Occassion Invitations

Doctor Visit Papers

Report Cards

Awards & Certificates

Programs

Ribbons

Ticket Stubs / Event Memories

Letters to Santa / Easter Bunny / Tooth Fairy

Quickly linking plastic hanging file boxes and hanging file folders below for you. 🙂

A note about Art Work.

Art work is personal for the kiddos.

And while, I like to be the captain of the overall paper flow and want to keep and what not to keep?

I hand the reigns of the art work over to them on what creative masterpieces are worthy to keep.

After of course we have hung it up in the kitchen, on our chalk board door or the refrigerator for a month. 🙂

After the art work has proudly been displayed front and center for a few weeks…it’s up to them as to whether it is a keeper or not.

Each of the girls their own “keeper” box, that they keep under their bed.

This way, they can have some control on some of the papers, art work and overall school memories that they like to keep and look back on.

Linking the flat under bed storage bins HERE.

3. Take To Do Papers To Their Proper Place

Obviously, not all papers can either be thrown out or kept in file storage for sake keeping.

There are those few papers…that need our future attention in the short term.

Truthfully?

MOST of the papers do fall into either trash or keepsake.

There really are quite few papers that fall into this category of “To Do.”

Really?

Yes, really.

Mostly, because we tap everything pertinent into our smart phones.

So, even if there is a paper with specific info or important dates on it?

We can take a picture of the paper or tap the info into our calendar or into the Notes section of our phone and then the paper can be thrown out!

Of course there are those cute paper bills that do need to be paid…

We use a magnetic organizer on the side of our refrigerator as our landing place for the current bills that need to be paid.

Linking a similar option here from Amazon.

Here are a few of my hiding places for papers and items that I need easy access to but don’t want to see.

I’ll give you a hint as to hiding place #1 in this photo below.

Yep.

Hidden in plain view.

Inside this trunk, is where I hide my Home with Heather business work papers.

I use a similar but smaller hanging file system for my own personal important papers.

I also have a file for each of our girls, dealing with current events or appointments coming up. For instance, Eve’s orthodontics paper work is kept inside this trunk, inside a hanging file, labeled with her name on it.

I store envelopes in flat fabric boxes (these boxes are on sale right now by Hearth & Hand) and several magazine file holders for bulk paper storage.

Another hiding place for everyday items is hiding in the dining room area…

Can you guess where it is?

I spy with my little eye storage solutions for every day items.

I created this little school supply station drawer last year, when I taught home-school to Maci and Livvy.

Having all of the supplies we needed in one place, helped keep us organized and gave us a system.

In fact, each of the girls had their own assigned drawer for school work, inside this cabinet.

Now, we mainly use the lower drawers for art supply storage and a few board games.

And now you know all my paper clutter storage solution secrets!

I almost forgot!

Shawn does have a junk drawer in the kitchen!

Don’t ask me what is inside this junk drawer.

This is Shawn’s drawer and I don’t ask questions! HA!

I did buy him some drawer organizer bins (linking better ones here) and he does seem to use them…

Kinda sorta

🙂

I am hopeful that this post has inspired you to touch paper once, by helping you decide on which of the 3 final destinations all of the papers go…and provided you with simple solutions to help solve the paper clutter chaos that threatens those pretty kitchen counter tops.

Here’s to cleaned off kitchen counters friend!

Living on a prayer,

Heather

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