Pro Organization 101: How to Achieve & Maintain Control in Your Kitchen Pantry

Picture this: you open your pantry to grab the cereal box and a tea bag, hoping to get your day started on the right foot. Instead, the ketchup falls out and smashes all over the floor and that bag of chips that you opened last night and wedged back into the cabinet spills into the open bag of flour.

Your day hasn’t exactly started how you planned it, and all the clutter can affect you more than you may realize. Let me help you. I’ll be sharing 4 tips to help you transform your pantry from cluttered chaos to clean and pristine, all while setting up easy-to-maintain systems.

Tip #1: Remove All Items & Review Expiration Dates Before Restocking

Let’s start with a little reminder. Your pantry has to work for you— not everybody’s pantry is going to be Instagram-worthy. It’s more important to have a fully functioning pantry where everything has a home and you know where that home is.

Keeping that in mind, let’s remove all the items from the pantry. No cheating here. Everything must come out. Be sure to check the expiration dates and discard anything old and stale. Wipe down the shelves to get ready for the next step.

Tip #2: Create Categories & Commit to Keeping Like Items Together

It’s time to group like with like items. I personally like to keep my groups a little more macro. For example: Baking, Dry Goods, Kids’ snacks, Canned Goods, and Breakfast. Others like to be more detailed and opt for a micro style of organizing for their pantry items.

Be ruthless in the decluttering stage. You may have 6 cans of baked beans, and even though they last for a couple of years, are you really going to get through all 6? Consider donating to your local food bank or homeless shelter.

Tip #3: Select Storage Solutions for Your Specific Items

Picking containers and figuring out storage solutions can really be an overwhelming task with all the options presented to us. I’ll give you a few space saving and sustainable options here. Try a lazy Susan. I’ve found this to be an easy way to save space, and the multi-functionality of it gives you flexibility in storing a variety of items, from kids’ snacks to oils.

Tiered spice or can racks are another amazing space saving solution. Clear bins are a great option as you can see exactly what you have. Store flour, rice, and pasta in glass jars as opposed to plastic. The Container Store has a wonderful new line of bamboo and Acacia products for anyone looking for more sustainable options. Again…your space, your choice.

Tip #4: Make a Plan to Maintain the Space & Move Through it Monthly

Let’s think about how we want to organize the pantry for optimized function. What does your day to day look like? What are your needs?  What are your family’s needs? Are the kids allowed to reach for their own snacks? What do you use daily? What do you use monthly?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can create the appropriate zones. For example, you might want the cereal boxes at eye level, if they are the first thing you reach for in the morning.

Maintain. Maintain. Maintain. Once a month make sure to revisit the systems that you have created and discard anything old and stale. You’ve got this! Most importantly, try to make your organizing fun and add a little style wherever possible. Something pretty to look at never hurts.

If you need a professional to help cull the clutter in your space, be sure to reach out to us — we can't wait to meet you!

Xoxo,
Michelle