The moment these trays start to overflow, it’s a signal to relocate extra spices to the cabinet or finally tackle that paperwork. Rather than attempting to maintain a flawless countertop all 365 days of the year (a worthy, but entirely unrealistic goal), the tray method makes your kitchen look perpetually tidy without daily organizing. We Tried It! Our former editor-in-chief, Liz Vaccariello, put this trick to the test. To reclaim her kitchen counter from her #clutterhusband (“a neat but prolific pile maker”), Liz introduced a rectangular tray to collect everything from mints to medicine bottles. Without tossing out a single thing, the counter looks instantly neater. Choose a tray that’s large enough to hold a standard sheet of paper (this one measures 14-by-18 inches), yet isn’t so large that it will monopolize your counter. To buy: $50, potterybarn.com. To buy: $40, target.com. To buy: $40, worldmarket.com. To buy: $18, amazon.com.
