If your kitchen counter is the centre of clutter in your home, you aren’t alone. In fact, new research from IKEA has found that 35 per cent of Australians say the kitchen bench is the hardest place in the home to keep organised. And all that clutter isn’t just annoying: 38 per cent of Australians surveyed said kitchen-bench clutter has caused tension at home.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With the OHIO method, you can keep your kitchen counter clutter-free every day.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Deal with items immediately instead of setting them on the counter “for later” — that’s the whole OHIO (Only Handle It Once) principle.
- Make quick decisions on the spot: either put it away right away, or get rid of it.
- Tackle one zone at a time in short bursts (around 15 minutes).
- Apply the same rule to everyday items like mail, groceries and kids’ clothes as soon as they land on the bench.
What is the OHIO method for decluttering
The OHIO method stands for Only Handle It Once.
This means that when you pick up something while cleaning or tidying your home, it doesn’t go on the bench to be put away later. Instead, you must decide on the spot where it goes. Otherwise, you are just moving clutter from one part of the house to another.
So instead of placing the jumper your child wore yesterday on the counter, take it to where it needs to go the first time you touch it.
When papers, drink bottles, and groceries appear on the bench, put them where they need to go ASAP.
The goal is to streamline the decluttering process and prevent items from piling up or moving around your home without a clear purpose. Nothing is set aside for later, so your kitchen bench and home remain clutter-free.
Tips for using the OHIO decluttering method
Here’s what you need to know about the Only Handle It Once method:
Sort items as you encounter them
When you tidy or declutter your home, handle each item once. Don’t be tempted to deal with it later.
Make quick decisions
Don’t overthink it. Channel decluttering expert Marie Kondo, and if it doesn’t spark joy, get rid of it. Alternatively, put it back where it belongs then and there.
Complete one area at a time
Don’t try to clean or declutter your whole house in one go. You’ll end up feeling overwhelmed. The FlyLady Cleaning method recommends 15-minute chunks of time and diving your home into zones.
Kitchens are naturally high-traffic areas where things get put when they don’t have a home. The OHIO method helps break this habit by dealing with items as soon as they arrive, on the bench, rather than letting them pile up.
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