How to declutter and organize your pantry

The kitchen pantry, though it doesn’t always get the best attention.

The right pantry can inspire you to cook and all kinds of good stuff.

But with so much to do being a mom and many products, shapes and sizes, it’s easy to run into some disorganization in here.

Let’s fix that. In this article I’ll share with you the tips and tricks I use to keep my kitchen pantry in good order.

Everyone’s pantries are different.

Some people have the luxury of having a large pantry with shelves. While others cram everything into a small closet or corner of their kitchen.

regardless of whether your space is small or large, you probably have at least some things in there that you don’t use regularly—and those things tend to accumulate until your once-organized area is overflowing with boxes and bags that are taking up more room than they should be.

If this sounds familiar, don’t worry!

Decluttering and organizing your pantry doesn’t have to take forever (although it can feel like it sometimes), and once it’s done, it will save you time every week when you’re trying to figure out what’s for dinner and where everything is stored.

The first step is to remove everything on the shelves.

I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t want a cluttered mess”!

Butt, bare with me, I know you are a busy mom and you may not have time to declutter everything all at once. And that’s ok! You can still follow these exact tips, by just removing items one shelf at a time.

One at a time, pull items out of your pantry and place them on the countertop or table nearby.

You might find it helpful to do this in stages:

• Remove all items from the top shelf first, sort through then all items from the middle shelf (if you have one), then all items from the bottom shelf last.
• Or you could do this in reverse order by taking things off of your lower shelves first and working your way up to higher ones (if you have any).

I prefer to start from TOP to bottom because because if you have grime or potential containers that could spill or make a mess, they will spill on items on the bottom that have not be decluttered and organized.

Wouldn’t you hate it if you started from the bottom and started wiping your pantry and the floor and shelves that you cleaned and organized got messy.

Just like when you clean your home or even paint walls, always work your way from top to bottom.

You may also want to create some sort of order for how these are placed down—for example, if I was doing my pantry shelves one by one.

I would put items back where they came from onto their original shelf only after everything else had been placed back into place.

So no food got mixed up between sections accidentally due to someone not paying attention when placing them back where they belong/into other sections quickly enough after removing them all together without removing everything else first.

Wipe down shelves with a damp cloth as you go.

Wipe down shelves with a damp cloth as you go.

Wiping your pantry shelves down as you sort items is a good way to reduce the amount of dust in your pantry and keep yourself from sneezing while organizing.

Using a clean, damp cloth will help get rid of any residue on the surface of the shelf while leaving it dry enough that it won’t soak through into your food containers.

I use my Force of Nature multipurpose cleaning and disinfecting spray to complete the job.

Now it’s time to categorize and sort what you removed from the pantry.

Once you’ve removed the items and sorted them into categories, it’s time to organize them by storing them in containers.

• Organize food by type.
• You can store all of your dry pasta in one container, rice in another and oatmeal in still another. This makes it easy to see at a glance what ingredients are on hand so that they don’t get forgotten while shopping or accidentally bought twice. Maybe there’s even room left over for another box of crackers!
• Store like items together. Once you’ve got all of your dry goods organized (and if necessary, sorted into categories), keep like items stored together using baskets or bins—such as baking supplies near baking supplies where you’ll be able to find them easily; canned foods near canned foods; frozen foods near frozen foods; etc.—and label each container with an index card taped onto the top so no one has any trouble finding what they’re looking for later on down the road when dinner rolls around again.”

Put dates on food as you put them away.

Remember to add the date to food as soon as you buy it.

Add dates to every item, so that when you’re ready to use something, you know how long it’s been around and how soon it needs to be used up.

Some people prefer writing the date on the bottom of containers; others prefer writing on masking tape and then sticking that onto jars or containers (that way there’s no marker residue left behind if for some reason the label comes off).

If a piece of produce has gone bad, throw it away immediately—don’t try to save “just a little bit” and end up wasting more than you would have if you’d thrown out what was bad in the first place.

If something has gone moldy, toss all items from that container ASAP—not just part of them—so that whatever was contaminated doesn’t spread through your whole pantry like wildfire!

Date foods when they’re opened for the first time: This helps keep track of what’s leaving its seal over time and potentially going bad without anyone noticing until too late!

Date foods when they’re cooked: This one is self-explanatory (and makes sense given how much faster cooking times decrease with age), but it’s worth mentioning again here because people tend not think about this unless reminded!

Don’t forget about those leftovers from yesterday night either–if they weren’t eaten within 24 hours after being prepared, then there are probably other things inside which should also get thrown out ASAP rather than risk spoiling everything else due related cross-contamination issues.

Don’t return unopened boxes of food to the pantry.

• Don’t return unopened boxes of food to the pantry.
• but rather make a note of what’s there so that you don’t buy something else when you’re grocery shopping.
• If you have some unopened boxes in your pantry, take a few minutes to go through them and pull out anything that seems like it will be non-perishable for a long period of time (like canned goods). Store these items somewhere else—in another room or cabinet—so they aren’t taking up valuable space in your pantry.

Next time you buy canned food, buy several of your favorites at once, and store them in a separate container.

The next time you buy canned food, buy several of your favorites at once (if it’s on sale) and store them in a separate container. When you have plenty of canned goods on hand, it’s easier to keep things organized and ensure that none of them go bad.

Clean out your pantry completely at least twice a year.

You should clean out your pantry at least twice a year.

The first time clean out your pantry you will focus:

• Getting rid of any expired food.
• Items you no longer use.
• Or items you don’t like and any other unnecessary items.

Then, the next time you do this process (and make sure it happens twice a year).

You’ll be focusing on making sure that all of your food has a home in the pantry !

That way it will so that it is easy for everyone to find!

Store food in clear containers IF possible.

You’ll want to start by storing food in clear containers whenever possible.

• This is because clear containers allow you to see what’s inside of them more easily!
• Therefore you will be able to quickly find the food that you need at any given time.
• Additionally, they’re often easier to stack, label and store when not being used.
• Clear containers also provide better visibility when looking for things. Things such as items that may have gotten pushed back behind other items.

Now, you can quickly locate what you’re looking for without having to move around too many things around.

Clear containers are also helpful because they make it easier for everyone who uses the pantry—kids included.

Decluttering and organizing your pantry doesn’t have to take forever. Once it’s done, it will save you time every week.

• Do the whole thing at once
• Make sure you have enough storage containers.
• Make a list of what you need to buy
• Don’t forget to clean out the refrigerator and freezer!

I hope this article has helped you get started on decluttering and organizing your pantry! It doesn’t have to be a daunting task, and once it’s done, your life will be easier. If you have any questions or comments feel free to let me know in the comments section below.