Organizing a Home Food Pantry

A messy home food pantry can make finding things difficult, especially if you are in the middle of cooking something and need to find an ingredient pronto. When your pantry is organized and clean, it shows that you are willing to give your kitchen the proper amount of attention and maintenance it needs to function at its best. Taking the task one step at a time will make it less overwhelming and will yield a wonderfully organized finished product.

Things You'll Need

• Damp rag
• Shelf paper

Instructions

1. Remove all food cans, packages and containers from the pantry. Throw away any expired food as well as any old shelf paper.

2. Wipe the shelves down with a damp rag to remove all dust and debris. Line the shelves with fresh shelf paper, available at all home-improvement stores and online.

3. Separate all the removed food containers into the following groups: canned vegetables, canned meats/soups, boxed dinners/instant rices, breakfast items, canned fruits, snack items, baking items and grains.

4. Place the groups that you use the most frequently on a shelf that is eye level. Leave the groups together and face all labels forward.

5. Put the items you rarely use on the highest shelf and the items you occasionally use on the bottom. Face all labels forward, and place tall items that could hide other items in the back.

References

• Country Mom: How to Organize the Pantry
• Family Corner: An Organized Pantry