is your kitchen always a mess when you step inside no one likes cleaning up a huge mess so keep things minimally messy with these tips clean as you go this is fundamental to maintaining a clean kitchen it means that you re cleaning up as you re cooking or using the kitchen never set dirty utensils on the counter don t create unnecessary messes grab a small dish to set down your spoon or serving fork your use to dish out the leftovers your microwaving do a nightly counter sweep paper and other clutter tends to collect on kitchen counters make sure this doesn t happen by clearing off your counters and putting things where they belong every night as part of your nighttime routine wash these three tools immediately after using them don t let cheese graters strainers or chef s knives sit before being cleaned