Spring may have the reputation of being “the cleaning season”, but Summer can be a great time to get some work done on the house. Part of this is ensuring that you have a clean, organized pantry. In fact, cleaning out your kitchen and pantry is one of the 8 essential summer cleaning chores, according to Angi.
Be honest: When was the last time you bothered to organize your pantry? If you’re ready to plead the fifth on that question, never fear. These 7 tips will make you a pantry organization whiz.
1. Pantry Organization Requires a Fresh Start
That’s right, to get started with organizing kitchen cabinets and food pantries, you need a clean slate. That means it’s time to clear out all the shelves and go through everything you have, checking expiration dates and chucking what you haven’t used and won’t use any time soon.
2. Categorize, Categorize, Categorize
Once you’ve slimmed down your pantry to the stuff you actually use, organize those items by category. Try to store oils with oils, spices with spices, cans with cans, and snacks with snacks. This will make it easier to keep clutter from piling up in your pantry again.
3. Consider Clear Containers
Another way you can help your food pantry decluttering process is to use clear containers to store your dried goods. When you see it, you’ll more than likely use it. So, consider using Clear Plastic Packaging Tubes to organize your pantry.
4. Remember FIFO
When you buy more pantry staples to replace the ones you had to toss during the initial decluttering, remember to use FIFO. It’s an old restauranteur and grocer abbreviation meaning “first in, first out.” In practice, that means putting your oldest products to the front, with newer ones behind.
5. Use Risers and Lazy Susans Where Possible
If your pantry space is small to nonexistent, never fear. Risers and lazy susans will help you maximize the amount of stuff you can squeeze into a small space by utilizing rotation and vertical space in your cabinets.
6. Label Everything
Another key part of pantry organization is ensuring that you have things clearly labeled. If you don’t place them into separate containers, make sure that you keep the labels on the box facing outward so that you know what’s in each box.
7. Take Your Pantry Organization in Stages
Lastly, remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. These pantry cleaning tips can take time to implement, and there’s no need to try and get them all done at once. Start by clearing out what’s unused and expired, then take it slowly from there.
Are You Ready to Have an Organized Kitchen?
Pantry organization can address one of the worst pain points in the average kitchen. However, a well-organized kitchen requires clear places for all items, not just the ones in the pantry.
If you’re ready to get your cooking space clean, efficient, and organized, then check out the Lifestyle section of our blog. We’ve got more cleaning, organization, and home improvement hacks for you to peruse there.
