Before you head into the kitchen to start cooking up that big holiday dinner, why not spend some time working on your pantry organization. Imagine how much easier it would be to cook those family favorites if you could actually find all of the supplies!
Step 1: Sort and Purge
The first step for most any organization project is to sort and purge. The reality is you’ve got to make things a bigger mess before you can have gloriously clean and organized shelves. Real Simple has these tips:
The first step is to get everything out of your pantry so you can see what you have and start sorting. Separate items into these four categories:
• Items you use every day
• Items you use less frequently
• Unopened items that can be donated to a food pantry
• Expired or suspicious items to trash
Step 2: Clean, Clean, Clean
Be honest…when was the last time you saw the back corner of your pantry? Or the floor? Can you even remember? And if you don’t know when you saw those spaces, it’s likely you haven’t cleaned them in quite awhile either. So now that everything is cleared out it’s the perfect time to take the opportunity to clean everything from top to bottom. It should be a quick and easy process since the pantry is empty, but just in case, let your family know where to find you in case you never make it back out.
Step 3: Get Organized
Now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty of getting organized. Better Homes and Gardens suggests organizing by zone.
Divide your pantry in zones to keep your food organized and to reduce your meal-preparation time. First, identify food and cooking categories that suit your lifestyle (weeknight dinners, portable lunches, baking, etc.) Next, designate an area for each, with the most often-used zones in easy reach. Finally, label each zone.
It’s important to take the time to figure out how you plan to organize your pantry before you purchase any storage containers. Once you have a system in place you can decide what size and style of containers will work best for your set up.
Pull out drawers or baskets make a nice addition to any pantry. They are perfect for housing those odds and ends the invariably get stuffed in the pantry. With a pull out drawer you can see everything you have so that you don’t end up buying 18 bags of potato chips (unless you just really like potato chips, then 18 bags are perfectly fine).
Woman’s Day suggests using containers for odd shaped items.
Storing items in containers lets you throw out bulky packaging and free up some room. Square ones are the most space-efficient.
There’s an added benefit if those containers can be stacked. That allows you to use the vertical space as well as the horizontal shelf surface.
Step 4: Get Cooking
You’ve done it! Now that your pantry is clean and organized you can turn your focus on cooking your holiday meal. Because let’s face it, your family is stressful enough, your pantry doesn’t need to add to the chaos! On second thought, maybe a glass of wine is in order before you start cooking!
Let Closet Envy Take The Stress Out of Organization
Are you looking at your pantry and wishing you had a whole different design? Closet Envy can help with that. We can work with you to create the pantry of your dreams. You’ll be so thankful you scheduled that free consultation!
