Give your pantry a makeover
- by Francesca Clarke on Oct 24th 2007 2:00PM
- Filed under in the kitchen, organization and storage, cleaning
Thanks to Debra and Anna you've probably already managed to organize your bedroom closed and overhaul your linen closet. Now it's time to tackle that dreaded pantry. My pantry was haunting me, overflowing with cracker boxes and craft supplies, just begging for a makeover. Last night I took on this project and I'll share the process with you here.
What you'll need
- Baskets (various sizes, that fit in your pantry)
- Tupperware containers
- Cleaning supplies
- Garbage bag
- Flat surface for sorting
How to organize your pantry
- Take everything out
Take everything out of the pantry. Put in all on a flat surface (the floor if you have to) where you can see everything you have. - Have a garbage bag handy
Don't be afraid to trow things out. If you've had the same seasoning go through 2 children and three moves with nobody using it, they probably never will. Take this chance to start fresh and get rid of any stale food, or foods that you know you'll never use.
- Wash the shelves
It's pretty rare to have a completely empty pantry, so take this opportunity to give it a good clean. I was surprised how much spilled flour and rings of honey were plastered to the shelves.
- Sort into baskets
When you have sauces lined up in front of each other it can be hard to know what you have. If it's all in a basket you can just slide it out and have a look, then put it back neatly. I have a basket for pastas and rices, and another one for sauces. I used smaller baskets for packaged soup mixes, and seasonings. Be realistic about what amount of each item you typically have on hand. Leave plenty of room, so that you have a place for new things.
- Put your bulk into containers
Buying in bulk can be a great way to save money and control portion sizes. My pantry had dozens of bags of bulk foods thrown on the top shelf. I never knew exactly what I had, so I was continually buying duplicates and wasn't really using them.
- Re-stock your pantry
When you're putting things back in the pantry, consider what you use most, put those items in easily accessible areas. Things that you're not using as often can go on the top shelf; they're still organized so they won't get lost in the shuffle, but you don't need to access them everyday.
We store kid's craft supplies in our pantry. It's a central place, and we're short on storage otherwise. I found that things were starting to get mixed us, tape appearing in with canned foods, and glitter surfacing with behind jars of pasta sauce. It's important that you designate areas in the pantry even if they are sharing the same general space. We're keeping craft supplies on the bottom, and organizing that too made things much easier to manage.
_thumbnail.jpg)
Make liquid soap from bar soap
More do-it-yourself wedding centerpieces
Construction Chronicles -- Stain, seal, and protect your deck
_thumbnail.jpg "Making and using a facial mask")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-24-2007 @ 11:41PM
Brenda said...
Wow, that's impressive! I was going to say "there's no way your pantry could have been that bad" but then I went through the photos, and WOW! I have a VERY small pantry with the same problem, and I'm excited to give this a try. Any hints on where to find cheap baskets?
Reply
10-25-2007 @ 8:01PM
Francesca Clarke said...
The baskets are from the dollar store. Unfortunately, they are about a cm too long and it's a waste of space to turn them sideways. I've cut the lip so the door can close. Moral of the story: measure first, buy second!
Reply