So your pantry closet is bursting at the seams with items so mixed up you do not even know what is in there? An organized pantry can save money on groceries and make meal planning easier by allowing you easier access to what you already have and what items you may need. No more guessing or wondering what lies deep inside that closet. Does this Spark an idea?
Taking Inventory and Sorting
The first step is to take inventory of what is in the pantry. Take everything out of the pantry and set aside. Do not be tempted to spend time looking at each item. Next, sort through the items and throw away trash and outdated food items. Finally, sort the remaining items by putting similar products together.
Cleaning and Organizing
Now that your pantry is empty it is time to clean the shelves, replace any broken shelving and add new shelving if necessary.
Use clear containers with tight-fitting lids to store bulk foods such as pasta, rice, dry beans, oatmeal, chocolate chips and coffee. Put individual-size items like granola bars, fruit snacks, pudding cups and snack-size chips in plastic bins. Add a plastic over-the-door spice rack to hold spices and packets of seasoning mixes.
Restock and Label
Now that everything is organized into groups it is time to restock the pantry. Place the items you use the most frequently on the middle shelves, the least used items on higher shelves and any snack items in plastic bins on lower shelves so children can reach them easily. Place bulky or overstock items like paper towels, garbage bags, napkins and paper plates on the bottom of the closet.
The finishing touch to help keep everything in its place is to label items. Label containers so it is easy to see what is in each one; put labels on the outside of the shelves so you know where everything goes. Then make sure that all family members know they should replace items in their proper spot so your pantry will stay organized.
Tags: your pantry, items like, plastic bins
