Organize to Create a Functional Pantry
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It’s time to cook dinner and you open your pantry. You go in for a bag of rice and come out with an opened, half-eaten bag of chips, some spice pack from origins unknown and no rice. Frustrating for sure! We use our kitchens and pantries everyday. If your pantry is out of control and causes you stress, it’s time to create a system that functions for you, not against you. How do we do that? We declutter and organize of course! Let’s dive in!
Clear the Shelves
Take everything out. Yes, every single item in your pantry needs to come out into the open so you can see what you have. Brace yourself for this step, as you are likely to run across some interesting finds like those spices you forgot you bought or that one ingredient for that new recipe you never made.
While the shelves are clear, wipe them down. Get the cobwebs out of the nooks and crannies and clean the floor. You will love the way it feels to organize your items back into a clean space.
The Sort & Toss
Now is the time to sort items into categories, like snacks, baking and breakfast. Keep your categories high level like pastas, not macaroni and cheese. This will be much easier to maintain long term, as you might not always have the same types of food in your pantry.
Check for dates as you go and toss anything that’s expired or opened and won’t be eaten. Have a donation box ready for any non-perishable food items that aren’t expired that you know your family won’t use, but could be great for someone else. Your local food bank and community members will appreciate the much needed food donation.
Zone It!
We have arrived at the fun part! Think of your pantry like a little mini grocery store and you are the designer. Your goal is to group like items together while keeping your most used items front and center for easy access. Use your higher and lower shelf space for less used items you don’t need access to often.
Building from those categories you created before, map out your zones in your pantry. Common zones include:
Breakfast
Baking
Canned food
Snacks
Grains & Pastas
Sauces & Condiments
Keep in mind that the main objective of this step is to create zones that work for you and your family. Consider the types of food you have and how you use your kitchen and pantry to help make your system work best for you.
Bins & Labels
This is where the magic happens! Now you have your zones and your layout is ready to go. Incorporating organizers, along with labels, is how you keep all your hard work from disappearing in a week. Measure first to make sure what you are purchasing will work in your space to avoid having to return items.
Bins and baskets go a long way for most pantry items and are great for keeping everything together. Turntables work well for oils, sauces and condiments. If you have a lot of canned food items, can risers will help you maximize your space and easily see what you have on hand. If you want to decant your bagged and boxed food items, like flour and cereal, use clear containers so you can always see how much you have of an item. You are less likely to randomly buy more brown sugar or kidney beans when you know you already have plenty.
The real MVP of pantry organization is the labels. It may feel extra or maybe not even necessary, but it will make all the difference in helping you and your family not only easily find what you need, but put it away where it actually goes. Add labels to your containers, bins, baskets and shelves. This is how you maintain the organizing systems you have put into place. Putting away groceries will now be quick, easy and maybe even fun!
Enjoy your kitchen!
An organized pantry will reduce your stress, save you time, reduce food waste and make meal prepping enjoyable. Making your grocery store list will be a breeze now. Remember, the goal is creating a functional system that works for you. Plan to take a few minutes each week to tidy up the space and make any necessary tweaks to the system.
Does your home need a little decluttering and organizing magic and you don’t have the time, energy or desire to do it yourself?
Schedule your free consultation today and let’s see how I can help you transform your space from chaos to calm!
