I Put Sticky Notes All Over My Kitchen — Here’s What Happened Next

Shifrah Combiths

Thu, September 11, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. UTC

3 min read

Mauve colored kitchen cabinets in renovated kitchen with white and grey marbled countertop and brass hardware. Capiz shell light fixture above island. — Credit: Diana Paulson

Writing about cleaning and organizing means I come across a lot of new hacks — like a brilliant trick for keeping baseboards clean or a better way to clean surfaces with a cloth — and I’ll admit, I can be pretty set in my ways. Every once in a while, though, a technique surprises me. The best is when I’m skeptical at first and then end up loving it because it works in ways I never expected. That’s exactly what happened when I tried the sticky note cleaning hack. Now, it’s one of my absolute favorites.

What Is the Sticky Note Cleaning Hack?

In a TikTok video posted by @teresajulie, the creator goes around her kitchen, putting sticky notes on things that need attention. The idea is simple yet brilliant: Write down each task that needs to be done on a sticky note, then place that note directly on the area that needs attention. As you clean, you focus on one “sticky note zone” at a time until the whole area is finished.

What Happened When I Tried This Brilliant Cleaning Hack

I tested the hack on a seriously messy kitchen. Everything needed attention — from emptying the stash basket and clearing the fridge to wiping down counters and deep cleaning the garbage disposal. Armed with a pad of sticky notes and a pen, I got to work. Here’s what I discovered.

It helps me focus.

I found the sticky notes surprisingly powerful in keeping me focused. Having a visual cue exactly where the work needed to be done kept me locked in.

It gets everyone involved.

The best part? The sticky notes weren’t just for me. Because the notes were out in the open, my kids could easily jump in and tackle a task, too. Once a sticky note was gone, the area was done — no confusion, no nagging.

It allows for interruptions.

Rarely do I get uninterrupted time to deep clean. With sticky notes posted around, I could stop midway and pick up right where I left off. Even the less obvious jobs (like cleaning out fridge leftovers) couldn’t slip through the cracks because the notes were staring me down.

It feels satisfying.

Checking something off a list is nice, but tearing a sticky note off the wall, crumpling it, and tossing it in the trash? That’s next-level dopamine. It gave me a little rush every time.

It breaks big jobs into bite-size tasks.

Instead of looking at my whole messy kitchen and feeling overwhelmed, the sticky notes broke it down into smaller, manageable chunks. Wipe the table. Load the dishwasher. Clear the counters. Suddenly, an elephant-size job became a series of doable molehills.

I used light yellow sticky notes this time because it’s what I had on hand, but next time I’ll grab hot pink ones — I think they’ll make the process even more fun. Either way, this hack is here to stay. The next time I face a daunting space, I’ll be reaching for my sticky notes first.