I never knew the importance of a dining table because for the longest time, our home didn’t have one. We lived in a 1 BHK that was too small to accommodate a dining room table or even a coffee table. When we shifted to a comparatively spacious home in 2008, my parents decided not to get a dining table because they thought it would cover the space thereby making it look cluttered. We finally got one in 2017 but it came with its own set of struggles.
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The dining room table in my home mostly serves as a catch-all spot for random items and is rarely used for dining. Despite our best efforts, it ends up catching all the junk mail, artwork & craftwork, grocery bags and dozens of snack jars. It’s only lately that we’ve gotten serious about keeping it tidy and formed a habit of clearing it at least once a day.
Reclaiming the space on that dining table is a huge struggle in many homes. Many don’t even get to dine at the dining table because there is never any open space on it. The kids sit there to do homework and leave their belongings on it. Your spouse tends to dump all the junk mail on it because it’s an easily accessible surface. And you, my friend, come from a grocery shopping trip and put all those bags on the dining table with a promise that you will put them away when you get time.
If you’re tired of seeing your dining room table hidden beneath a layer of clutter and want to reclaim the space, here’s a simple guide on how you can do it:
1. Relocate Kids’ Belongings
If you have kids, your dining table is very likely to be used as a surface for doing homework and playing board games. The chairs are also probably being used for dumping backpacks, jackets and school uniforms.
In order to keep your dining table clear of the kids’ stuff, place a sturdy bin or basket in the hallway where your kids can toss their schoolbags, games and craft supplies after using them. Put some hooks on the wall of their bedroom to hang clothes so they don’t end up dumping them on the dining table/chair after coming back from school.
2. Sort Through The Mail
Junk mail often finds its way to the dining table surface where it sits for days on a go without being tackled. Set up a wall-mounting mail organizer near the entry door of your house where all your mail can sit until you get time to sort through it. Use it to toss the bills, receipts, invitations, greeting cards and any other form of junk mail so that it doesn’t end up cluttering your dining table.
If you are looking for a more concrete solution for tackling the junk mail, make it a habit to open it at the door. Keep a recycle bin in the entryway to trash the unneeded mail, and put the important mail in the desk organizer or filing cabinet right away.
3. Tackle The Magazines & Newspapers
Newspapers and magazines used to be the biggest source of clutter on my dining table surface until I gave them a compartment in my bookshelf.
If you are tired of seeing your dining table being used as a dumping ground for those stacks of paperwork, it’s time to sort through it. Look through your collection of magazines and get rid of the ones that have aged and organize the rest in a magazine rack.
Similarly, look through the stack of newspapers to decide whether to toss them in the storage ottoman or recycle bin. In order to keep aging magazines and newspapers away from your dining table, give them a dedicated shelf or storage bin where they can sit until you get time to drop them at the recycling centre.
4. Relocate Random Items
Dining room table is prone to attract clutter in the form of random items like reading glasses, car keys, cell phones, charging cables & cords. For the longest time, the dining chairs in my home have served as a dumping zone for straight-from-the-dryer clothes. It was only recently that I bought a wall-mounting table for my laundry room to dump these clothes on.
The best way to address this issue is to put up a key holder on a wall near your door or place a decorative basket on the sideboard to keep the glasses and keys. Also, get a charging station where all your electronic devices can sit.
5. Dust And Sweep The Surface
Now that you’ve removed the clutter, it’s time to dust the dining table with a damp microfiber cloth. You can also use a disinfectant spray on the dining table before wiping it with a dry microfiber cloth. Don’t forget to remove the placemats, salt and pepper shakers, coasters, napkin holder and other items before cleaning the dining table to make sure that it stays spotless. Place all the accessories back again once you’re done.
6. Cut The Décor
Too much décor on the dining room table can contribute to the visual clutter thereby making it look messier than it actually is. Try not to have more than two items of décor apart from the regular dining accessories. You can keep a fruit bowl and a pretty centerpiece like an indoor plant or a vase with some fresh flowers.
7. Clear The Table Every Night
Make it a habit to clear your dining room table every night before sleeping. Tell your kids to take their belongings off the dining table every night or give them a basket to toss their stuff in. Aim for a clean line of sight on that table before calling it a day.
It’s quite common for many homes to not use the dining table, but having one shouldn’t be a reason to leave it cluttered and untidy. Your dining room is still the space where you will host your guests and do many other family activities in. Make sure that you consider it to be as important a place to declutter as your kitchen or bedroom.