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How to Organize Your Pantry If You Have 20 Minutes … or 2 Minutes

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Credit: Sarah Crowley

Whenever it comes time to organize the pantry, our family’s typical cycle goes something like this: I clean out the pantry and try to get the kids to help me. It takes the better part of a day. I rant and rave about how we all need to put things back where they belong. People try. People stop trying. Pantry becomes disorganized again, and I begin having trouble finding things. As I look for things I can’t find, I discover the true state of the pantry and the cycle starts over again.

Rather than a multi-hour overhaul every few months, I’ve finally learned that regular maintenance is the answer. A little effort in the form of a quick cleaning session will save you hours down the road. Here’s how to show your pantry some love if you have two minutes or 20 minutes. Put in the time (just a few minutes here and there!) to keep your pantry in pretty good shape.

Credit: Sarah Crowley

How to Clean Up Your Pantry in Just 2 Minutes

Credit: Zoe Burnett

If you have just a couple of minutes to clean your pantry, you’ll have to focus, but you can do enough to make a visual difference and help keep items from getting too out of line.

Try to tackle these tasks while your coffee is brewing, the microwave is running, or you’re waiting for that soup pot to fill.

• Put out-of-place items back where they belong :
• Decant items that are in bags, if you have containers : If your system includes decanting rice, flour, snacks, or whatever, and you need to refill some containers, do it. This way, you can toss bags and boxes that make the pantry look messier than it is.
• Straighten boxes, containers, and cans :
• Sweep the pantry floor :

Credit: Sarah Crowley

How to Deep Clean Your Pantry in Just 20 Minutes

Credit: Zoe Burnett

If you have a little more time to clean the pantry, you can make good headway in achieving a more organized space.

While you wait for your dinner to roast, do all of the above, plus everything on this list.

• Scan for expired or no-longer-needed items and remove them : Do this as you complete the rest of this list.
• Sort cans and boxes on shelves by type :
• Put containers in order by type : In addition to canned and boxed items, categorize your containers. If you decant, put the flours and sugars together. This way, you don’t mistakenly think you’re out of wheat flour when it’s just hidden behind the chocolate chips in the wrong section of the pantry.
• Straighten items on turntables : Turntables are easily overlooked when there are boxes, bags, and cans to tend to. But spending a few minutes to place items on your turntable so they are easily seen and easily reachable, by putting taller items in the middle , for example, brings order to these all-important pantry places too.
• Straighten loose items that are in baskets :
• Move items that live on the floor and sweep/wipe the areas underneath them : This is a bit more than a quick sweep. Take out the items you might store on the floor and sweep the entire floor beneath them. If you have a cabinet situation, take everything off the shelves and wipe it down.
• Add labels : Labels will be your best friend. They’ll help you see what’s what and they’ll direct the other members in your household where to put things. Label anything that needs it — even the side of a shelf. (Tape is fine if that’s all you have!)

Credit: Kitchn

Shifrah Combiths

Contributor

With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.

Source : food