DESIDERATA

This is usually one of the most calming places in the house, or one of the most terrifying. If it’s been a while since the last pantry clean-out (like me), then it can be a little daunting.

The good news is that it’s a pretty simple thing: there are no emotional decisions. Food is either bad (toss!) or still good (keep!). It has fairly neat categories and doesn’t require much overthinking on « how do I want to store that? Do I need to store that ». See? Totally doable.

The non-negotiables:

• Take it all out. Yup, all of it. Put in on kitchen counters, floors, dining room tables, whatever. Just try to keep it all in the same general area – it will help when you go to put it all back.
• Wipe down all the surfaces. Give every shelf and the floor a good clean. It’s feeling better already!
• Toss what you can. Expired food goes in the rubbish bin. Do yourself a favor and google expiration dates of items. Like, turns out half my spices are just not salvageable. It’s honestly kind of a relief to not have all of those just hanging around.
• Sort what you have left. Group like items together. While you’re doing this, wipe them off with a clean rag, too! This will help you visualize how much space you need for each section, what bins to use, and putting it all back will go much more quickly.
• Restock the shelves. I like to arrange mine by most used items at eye level and least used at the top and bottom shelves. But you’ll really have to play with your space and what items you have to figure out what works. And if yours find yourself constantly going to shelf 2 for the olive oil, then put the olive oil on shelf 2. Work with your habits, not against them.

The maybe negotiables:

• Stock items in clear storage containers. This is a really important one to me – I need to be able to tell how much of an item I have without opening boxes or digging deep into shelves. It saves so much time on getting things properly stocked. (Plus, it just looks soothing!) the BHG ones at Walmart are seriously the best and are really affordable (comparatively).
• Make it fun. I have a sprinkle wall. Do I need one? No – they could just as easily live on a shelf or in a bin. But it brings me joy so see that happy rainbow. Try selecting one zone to really make pop and have a little fun with it. Let it reflect your style instead of just sterile functionality
• Do not stack items. If you can help it, try to keep everything visible from a glance. Maybe that means you need more shelves (Amazon has great stacking ones to give more height!) or stackable containers. But it’s so important to not have items behind others (unless it is a refill for something). Chances are it will never get put away that way, you’ll lose track of what you have, it won’t get used and will spoil, etc.

My pantry zones:

• Spices
• Appliances
• Baking/cooking staples (flour, sugar, etc)
• Specialty baking
• Oils, vinegars, and sauces
• Breads
• Breakfast items (cereal, oatmeal, etc)
• Grab and go snacks
• Pasta and Rice
• Backstock/overflow storage

Smarter, not harder (smart home integration)

Have Alexa add items to the grocery list as you restock. Oatmeal running low? All you have to do is say « add » and done. No hunting down pen and paper (that I will lose) or stopping to type something into my phone.

Your turn:

What zones do you have?

Which one is your favorite? Consider treating it like a display and putting a little extra into its aesthetics. Just for fun.

Happy Sorting.