One of the worst places to lose track of items is in the kitchen. If your kitchen is thrown off, it can affect how often you actually want to use it. Not to mention you might waste money on constantly repurchasing food you already have.
A quick way of getting your kitchen life together is to start with the pantry. Keep reading for 7 tips on pantry cleaning and organization.
1. Deep Clean Before Organizing
Even with a regular pantry cleaning, you still need to do a deep cleaning before organizing. You want to organize in a super clean pantry. So extend cleaning to the areas you don’t often use or see.
Start by clearing all items from the pantry so that you can give each shelf area a proper scrub. Use a natural cleaning agent to remove tough grime and clear away any debris.
Use warm water and baking soda to remove any odors. Clean and replace shelf liners if they’re worn. Shelf liners can protect shelves and make cleaning more effortless in the future.
2. Declutter and Organize
It’s vital to declutter your pantry often to keep it organized. For proper pantry organization, declutter right after the deep clean. This is before returning your items to the food shelves.
Start by checking expiration dates and toss away anything expired. Then look for those items which have been on the shelves too long without using. Your family may not eat these items so consider donating them to a local food bank.
Next is to take the remaining food and group it based on food categories. Group spices together and do the same for other food categories like baking items. Toss away any item that doesn’t seem helpful.
Use Labeled Food Containers
Get some organizers and bins if you want to keep your pantry well organized. You also have to decant dried foods to keep them fresh and easy to track the remaining stock. Decanting also encourages you to buy foods in bulk which helps to save money.
Clear glass jars or plastic canisters with airtight lids are the best for food decanting. You can use them to store items like flour, sugar, spices, salt, or pasta.
Add some baskets if you have a bunch of smaller items like potatoes, garlic, or seasoning packets. These baskets can also be handy when storing wrapped items like snacks.
Don’t forget labeling when transferring food to containers. Label right after the transfer to prevent mixing up your food containers. This way, you’ll be able to know what’s inside your containers at a glance.
Choose a Friendly Organization System
Pantry organization is about making your life easier. It can save your time by enabling you to find what you need quickly. Consider a pantry organization style that you’re most comfortable with.
Think about your kitchen routine and how you can make the pantry work for you. One convenient pantry organization strategy is organizing items based on your usage needs. This could mean putting complementary items together.
For instance, you could organize all breakfast-related food items together. You could also put the commonly used items on the forefront lower shelves.
Another organizing option is using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. This method is suitable for organizing fresh food in the pantry. It allows you to use older items before the new ones and thus helps reduce waste.
Explore Space Adding Ideas
Pantry organization can amplify kitchen space and avoid spending on renovations. But if you want the kitchen to feel extra-large, consider adding extra functional space to your pantry.
Sometimes even a larger kitchen can get a significant boost after adding storage space. You may no longer ignore the pantry because of the limited shelves and storage.
To amplify storage space, consider adding deeper or wider shelves to the existing ones. Have different options of storage in your pantry to ease storage and organization.
Consider adding hooks behind cabinet doors. The space behind the door can boost space and allow you to store hanging items like spoons, frying pans, or measuring cups.
Additionally, you could add hanging wire on kitchen walls. Hanging storage makes your kitchen versatile and provides storage space for aprons, pots, and oversized utensils.
Sort Pantry Space Into Food Zones
With a friendly organization system, there’s no guarantee you’ll end disorder in your pantry. Food items can get mixed up when you’ve organized based on FIFO or usage.
Adding new items in a FIFO system means putting new items at the rear end. This approach may end up disarranging items. To prevent potential confusion, create food zones in your pantry. This method can still work together with the FIFO and usage strategy.
Creating food zones means organizing food in a variety of ways to ease access. For example, group recipe ingredients into baking, Italian, or vegetarian ingredients. You might also group things like grains together.
Food zones will ease storage, especially when you’re from shopping. You’ll never waste time searching for the right place to store new food.
Ensure Regular Kitchen and Pantry Cleaning
Deep pantry cleaning can be hectic, especially if you don’t clean regularly. Piled-up debris and dust can mean spending several days of deep kitchen cleaning.
It would be best to do a deep clean twice a year to prevent a buildup of crumbs, debris, organizations, and dust buildup. This also allows you to retake inventory and identify and discard expiring items.
Regular pantry and kitchen cleaning can also help maintain high hygiene standards. Without regular cleaning, there’s a potential for food contamination.
Always clean the food containers with a dry cloth to remove dust. Also, follow a regular cleaning routine to keep shelves ever clean. Keep the pantry clean as you do for the kitchen and the rest of your home.
Find Kitchen and Pantry Cleaning Services in Ohio
Looking for kitchen pantry cleaning help? We can help you turn your kitchen space into the cleanest place in your home or office.
VpcServices is your affordable cleaning partner in Ohio, offering whole-home cleaning services. We have the experience and the tools to remove dirt from all corners and leave your home spotless. Contact us to get an estimate on getting your home cleaned professionally.
