8 Simple Steps On How To Declutter And Organize Your Pantry

A pantry makes our living spaces neat and beautiful; one area that benefits from a pantry is the kitchen.

Why?

Because it helps hold more stuff than our kitchen spaces can: Non-perishables, dry goods, canned and pickled foods, condiments, kitchen supplies, all surplus (if you shop in bulk), an overflow of appliances, etc. The pantry is one area that most households love having. I know I love and appreciate mine.

However, as useful as the pantry may be, it is also one area that can quickly go out of hand and become a headache. If all we do is stash items regularly and retrieve what we need occasionally without assessing and organizing, this beloved space becomes messy.

Why is a pantry important?

It is beneficial to experience firsthand the advantages of a well-organized pantry to understand the benefits of owning one, and perhaps this will motivate us to maintain it properly.

Now, a pantry doesn’t need to be a whole secluded room with a door solely built in as a pantry. If this is what you have, well and good. But we can also DIY a pantry to do what a pantry does best- store. This can look like having a block of sturdy shelves hammered in a corner near the kitchen, or a stand-alone shelf that is store-bought and spacious enough to serve the need or an empty room in your house that has been tweaked up a little bit to serve as a pantry because its location and size befit it to be one. Whichever you have, it is a pantry that meets your storage needs.

Benefits of a well-organized pantry

Fact: A well-organized pantry enhances your cooking and your overall lifestyle.

Efficient meal preparation

A tidy pantry helps you locate whatever you need to prepare a meal. The flow is seamless. Have you tried cooking while your pantry is in a mess? Personally, I have, and it is not interesting, to say the least. An organized pantry makes it easier to locate ingredients, thus consuming less time. This may also encourage the habit of having more home-cooked meals.

Saves cost

A well-organized pantry keeps you in check regarding what you have in stock and in what quantities. This way, you don’t risk buying duplicate items, and in the long run, this approach saves you costs while doing your regular grocery shopping.

Reduced food wastage

An organized pantry gives you a clear visibility of what is in stock and its expiry dates. This way, you can choose to use ingredients nearing their expiry dates before a fresh stock-up. This may seem like a small task but useful nonetheless. You become a pro at inventory taking in your home, thus reducing food wastage by a big margin. Again, it saves you quite some money.

Enhances your kitchen functionality

One thing I love about my pantry is that it allows me to neatly store away some of the supplies and kitchen appliances that I do not use daily. When I need a supply that has run out from the kitchen cabinets, I can retrieve it easily from the pantry. This runs smoothly as long as the pantry is organized; otherwise, it’s just another space in chaos. Enjoy this feature by having your pantry stay neat and organized.

Enhances creativity

When you know exactly where to find your favorite ingredients and kitchen essentials, you can dive into recipe development without the distraction of clutter or disorganization. Whether you’re improvising with leftovers or inventing a new dish from scratch, the orderly layout of your pantry provides a sense of calm and clarity, empowering you to unleash your creativity with ease.

An easy cleanup process

It is advisable to clean your pantry regularly, and this process is made simple if you make keeping your pantry organized a habit. Having designated areas for each item and well-labeled storage containers ensures everything is put back in its rightful place after cleanup.

8 steps to declutter your pantry

We aim to have an organized pantry, but we will do it differently this time. We’ll not pull everything out only to put back the same things, even what we don’t need or what has expired.

So, let’s declutter our pantries first before organizing.

By decluttering your pantry, you’ll not only reclaim valuable kitchen space but also streamline other kitchen functions like cooking and meal prepping and, most importantly, reduce waste. Here are eight steps you can follow to declutter your pantry.

1) Remove everything from your pantry

This is the only time you are allowed to clutter your countertops for a short while, lol. Don’t attempt to organize while everything is still up on the shelves. You’ll do close to zero work. Imagine all that energy and time. Remove everything, including storage baskets and cans and what’s inside them. You’d want to start this organization on a clean slate.

2) Wipe the surfaces

I love doing this as the second step so that while I am attending to the next steps in this process, the shelves are clean and drying out. This way, I don’t have to put items back on wet surfaces that can easily attract mold and affect the freshness of some of the ingredients.

So, take your time to thoroughly clean and wipe the pantry surfaces. As usual, we start from the top, heading downwards. Clean every corner, especially those areas that are hard to reach.

Declutter your items.

Now it’s time to head to the place where you placed all the items you pulled from your pantry. One easy way to declutter your pantry’s items is to assess them one by one. You don’t want to do some activities twice as you’ll want to save time and declutter efficiently.

So, this is how you’d go about this phase;

Place a sizeable bin/container/box in the middle. This is where everything that needs to be discarded goes. This could include expired ingredients, torn items, stained items, and dead appliances. Yes, we still put back what’s not working. If it is beyond repair, it is time to let it go.

Group similar items together. Keep similar items together in their corner. This will make the transition from the countertop or floor to the pantry easier.

Wipe as you declutter. Containers, paper packages, and appliances are prone to dust and stains. As much as the contents inside are not affected, you’d want to keep these items clean and dust-free; they look more appealing that way. Wipe them as you go.

4) Make a list!

You may be new to this, or this is a regular activity in your household. I love taking stock of what’s in my pantry. This helps me avoid overbuying an item or missing out on an ingredient simply because it’s out of stock.

Before putting items back in the pantry, take stock. Do you recall grouping similar items? (see step 3). Use that to make a list of the items. It does not have to be a complicated type of list. Keep it simple.

Here’s a freebie you can use to list down your pantry items. Keep it in a place where it’s accessible, preferably at a glance. This is the first thing you’ll want to go through before you head out for grocery shopping.

5) Choose your storage solutions wisely

Before purchasing any storage, first, know your style and work with that. If you like decanting your products, go for the storage containers. If you don’t like decanting, then you don’t need the containers, and you can save that for other kinds of storage.

Examples of storage solutions you can use include containers, bins, baskets, hooks, racks, lazy susans, etc. Assess your pantry, know what works for you, and the type of storage solution that will meet your needs effectively. Be deliberate on what you choose as your pantry’s storage solution and invest in that.

6) Keep your pantry organized with labels

Labels are simple but effective, so make use of them. It is easy to retrieve and put back what’s clearly labeled. Even your family or a guest who wants to use your kitchen can easily find and place items in their designated areas.

7) Create well-defined zones

It is now time to put the items back in the pantry; again, you’ll do it differently on this, too. I always insist on creating zones when it comes to decluttering and organization; the pantry is no different.

When creating zones, consider the frequency of use for each item/category. Place the frequently used items within reach, such as from the middle to the lower shelves. You can then use the higher shelves for items used less frequently. This kind of arrangement ensures that the everyday essentials are readily available.

8) Keep your pantry organized

You have done a good job decluttering and organizing your pantry, and keeping it that way requires effort and intentionality. It is an ongoing task, and all you need is to dedicate a few minutes to the task. Schedule when to do this and let it register on your weekly/biweekly/monthly to-do list, whichever timing is okay with you.

Rotate your stock regularly. Work with a ‘first-in-first-out’ approach when dealing with your ingredients. Place newer items behind the older ones to ensure you use them before they expire.

Do regular inventory checks. At least this list can help make this process easier.

Declutter regularly, too. Set aside a few hours every few months to declutter and review the whole organization. Seasons change and needs change, so you’d want to work with a pantry that meets your needs in the current season.

Maximize your pantry space.

In cases where we have a large household and so more produce is needed, a good-sized pantry is required to comfortably house all the ingredients and related stuff. But this is not always the case. You may find that all you have is a small space, and you will have to make do with that.

This calls for a little bit of creativity and storing only what’s necessary. Here are some strategies you can consider.

Utilize vertical space. This allows you to take advantage of the full height of your pantry by creating additional room for storage purposes without overcrowding the shelves.

Optimize corner spaces. Work with corner shelves or lazy susans to make good use of your pantry corners. These rotating shelves can help make use of the underutilized corners of your pantry, and you don’t have to worry about forgetting some items behind the shelves.

Use under-shelf baskets. If well organized, the space just below your last shelf can hold several items. Use good, sizeable baskets to store other items under shelves in your pantry.

Install adjustable shelving. Adjustable shelving systems allow you to customize the height between shelves according to the size of items being stored. This flexibility ensures that tall items like cereal boxes or bulk containers can be accommodated without wasted space, maximizing the pantry’s storage capacity.

Make use of space-saving storage solutions. Explore space-saving storage solutions such as collapsible bins, stackable crates, or nesting baskets. These compact storage options are ideal for organizing smaller items or irregularly shaped items like produce or snacks, making efficient use of available space while maintaining a clutter-free pantry.