The kids are home for summer break, and they have been going through our groceries like never before! Having five hungry kids can make our snack inventory disappear quickly! I’m constantly hearing, “Mom, can I have a snack?” and then seeing them running off to the pantry. They have turned that room more upside down than it has ever been.
We’ve lived in this house for a few months now, and I keep putting this project off. But with the way things have been going so far, I don’t think this unorganized pantry is going to survive the summer. It was finally time for me to put on my big girl pants and get this pantry cleaned up and organized! I am in love with the end results and wanted to share with you how I was able to achieve this look in only five steps!
Clean and Take Inventory
First things first, to get started on this huge home project, I needed to clean the pantry! I took everything off the shelves, checked expiration dates, and threw away what was old and gross. I made note of what we had in stock and what I would need to add to our grocery list. I laid all my remaining items out until my shelves were completely cleared off. Once they were empty, I took some disinfectant spray and my trusty damp sponge and got to scrubbing. There were all kinds of dried-up food and crumbs all over these shelves. They definitely needed a good cleaning.
Make a Plan
With empty shelves, it was the perfect blank canvas to begin my brainstorming. I took note of how many shelves I had to work with. I measured the length, height, and depth of each shelf. Equipped with this information, I began mapping out what containers would work best for the space in my pantry.
Shop
Armed with all the measurements, I shopped for the containers and organizers I would use. I was able to find everything I needed from either Amazon or The Container Store. They had exactly what I needed to make this pantry come together! To make sure everything was going to be neatly organized, I bought many different types of containers: lazy susans, wire grid bins, stacking bins, jars, and many more.
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Categorize and Organize
I would say this step was the easiest because of all the prep work, but it actually started off kind of slow. I placed the containers how I originally planned them out, but of course, once it was in place, there were some things that just didn’t make sense. I had to adjust my plan. I wanted to be sure it was organized to its maximum efficiency one and for-all! Once I finally figured out the best placement, it was such a breeze to fill the shelves up. Everything had its corresponding sections on the shelves and everything could be neatly put away in.
Label
Some may think that this step is unnecessary, but I happen to think that labeling is a crucial final step in keeping my home projects organized. By labeling each bin or basket, it helps my kids know what should be going in each one. It also helps me realize when we are running low on a certain item! Everything has its designated bin so things don’t get mixed up, lost, or overbought. I love labeling!
Maintain
After what felt like 100 hours of hard work, I stood back and felt very proud of what I achieved! I know that to keep my pantry looking the way it does now, I need to come in here at least every other week to make sure things are where they are supposed to be. I did have a conversation with my kids about maintaining the pantry’s organization, but I know that kids will be kids, and things may get a little chaotic. Especially when it comes to their snacks! Going in here to tidy up every couple of weeks will make sure I’m never in the spot I was first in before I began this project.
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I really hope that by sharing these five steps with you, you are able to achieve the pantry organization of your dreams! Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are and what home project I should work on next!