Whether your pantry is a closet, cabinet, armoire, or shelf, every home needs a food storage location. Unfortunately, a pantry is a pain point for most families. It’s either a glorified space to hold expired food or too crowded to find what you need. Most pantries have their share of issues.
Never fear! Pantries happen to be our specialty. Read on for 5 simple tips to help transform your pantry from cluttered chaos to clean and pristine, all while setting up easy-to-maintain systems for year-round organization...
1. Start with an Empty Space
The first step to any successful organizing project is to pull everything out of the space. Pantries are no different. Grab yourself a trash bag (or 4… I guarantee you'll use them) and throw out anything expired, or you just don't eat anymore.
Yes. Even those Gerber Puffs from when your kid was 2 (and is now 14). Also, do yourself and your allergies a favor and give everything, including the shelves, a quick dusting.
2. Create Practical Categories
Once you see everything in front of you, it's time to group items into loose categories. Think broad groupings like "baking,” "grains,” "breakfast,” etc. All those adorable decanted jars are C-U-T-E, but what happens when you stop liking Oat Bran? It's soooo much more manageable and efficient to have a basket for breakfast items.
3. Select Thoughtful Storage Solutions
This is the fun part! Before you buy, decide your aesthetic. For example, white + clean lines is my go-to, but I also love a good quality wood product. Turntables for corners and jars are a must! Take measurements and plan before you shop to save yourself the headache of a ton of returns.
4. Ditch the Packaging
Wherever possible, ditch the boxes and packaging. If you're dealing with food that won't immediately go stale, throw away all the extra cardboard and plastic to streamline what you're putting back in your space. If you have items like crackers, cookies, or cereal, consider investing in a resealable plastic or acrylic container to store where you can see them.
5. Develop a Simple Maintenance Plan
The last, but incredibly necessary, step is...drumroll, please...LABELS! They finish off your space and make it really simple to teach the rest of the family how to help maintain the space. You won’t have to worry about finding the bread in the spice bin!
You can do this! It is possible to have a pantry you're proud of while making it functional for your family. Systems and storage solutions are the keys to success.
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!
Cheers,
Kate
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