Is Your Pantry Organized?

Here’s how to put an end to the confusion and mess of an unorganized pantry

Having a disorganized pantry can create confusion and mess in your kitchen life and can disrupt your cooking because it may take longer for you to find the food items you need. A messy pantry can be a refuge to pests such as mice and cockroaches, which can result in food contamination and droppings. Organizing the pantry may seem to be the most trivial chore in the house, and yet it is an essential task. Putting in order your pantry can be done systematically and efficiently and can be finished within just a few hours provided you know how and where to start. If you are in a quandary on how to go about your pantry cleaning, here are a few tips that may help you in your dilemma.

1. Motivate yourself in doing this task. Do not postpone your cleaning; it’s best to do it right away. Think about it, a clean and organized pantry can mean that you don’t have to spend so much time looking for food items you need.
2. Clear out all the items inside your pantry cabinet. Take them out first and clean the cabinet thoroughly until all the dirt, dust and grime is wiped out.
3. Before placing them back into the pantry, throw away those food items that are expired or stale. Make an inventory of the items you need and take out those that are of no use anymore to free up space.
4. Arrange items appropriately according to category or use. In this way, it will be a lot easy for you to find them. Canned goods, paper items, household cleaning products, linens and dishes should be properly classified. For easy access, put in clear containers food items such as nuts, grains and rice.
5. When placing items on their proper shelves, arrange the most recently bought at the back portion and the older ones in front so they can be used first. Apply this every time you clean the pantry to prevent wasting of items as well as the money spent in buying them.
6. In case the storage space is not enough to accommodate all your items, you may consider extending another row of storage shelves. You may also add hanging hooks in available spaces for brooms or other items that can be hung.

Bear in mind that keeping your pantry organized all the time is a necessity and should be done on a regular basis. Regular maintenance and cleaning is a way to keep your pantry from getting messed up all over again and to prevent pests from coming back. Make cleaning a habit and eventually the task will be a breeze for you.