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7 Steps to a Clean and Organized Pantry

Ah, how nice it is to browse around your pantry and easily find everything you need. You know the saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place,” — that’s your pantry, right? No? Well maybe you’re like most of us and need a solid plan for getting that pantry clean and in order.

Take One Shelf at a Time

Cleaning and organizing an entire pantry is a big job and can be overwhelming. Approach it like eating an elephant — one bite at a time. Take one shelf or area at a time and work on it until it’s finished before you move to another shelf or area.

Throw Out Everything That’s Outdated

Sort through every food item in your pantry, checking dates and chucking anything that is expired. Do a clean sweep and you might be surprised at how many items outdated before you had the chance to use it.

Get Rid of Anything That Your Family Ignores

You know how it is: There are food items you buy that just sit in your pantry and never get used. You have snacks that the kids ignore, canned goods that you bought for a recipe you lost, and other things that seemed like a good idea at the time. Those items that have been sitting in your pantry without being used for more than about three months need to go. Load all of that stuff up and take it to a local food pantry. The important things is to get it out of your pantry so you can make room for things that will actually be used.

Clean as You Go

Do your cleaning on shelves and pantry walls as you tackle each shelf. Wipe down everything with a damp cloth or a dusting cloth. Make sure everything is clean before you put items back.

Use Plastic or Glass Containers

Glass or plastic storage containers are great for storing pantry items. You can stick individually wrapped snack items in a large plastic container to keep them fresh and away from pests. You can store you dry goods like rice, beans, dry cereal, sugar, and flour, in glass containers to keep bugs out. The see-through containers will also make it easier for you to find what you are looking for when you need a certain items. Glass jars with lids are also great for easy storage of tea bags, drink mix packets and other small items.

Don’t Overload Your Pantry

It’s easy to overload your pantry with too much. This leads to wasting food items because you forget it’s there. Don’t stuff your pantry too full of stuff or you will end up with a cluttered mess that you won’t want to deal with.

Use Helper Shelves

Helper shelves are a great way to organize things like canned goods. The shelves help get the cans up where you can see them. This helps you plan your meals because you can actually see what’s in your pantry.

Getting your pantry cleaned up and in order will help you plan your meals, use up food you have instead of letting it go to waste, and give you a sense of peace as you look at that well-ordered space.

If you are in need of better organization skills in general, then we have some things here that will be sure yo help you out! Check out our guide to Getting Organized! If you find that you are still having organization problems, then you might want to try this book on organizing inside and out!