Welcome to our second installment of our blog series - Home Projects You Can Do While Sheltering in Place. As a refresher, each of these blogs will include tips on how to complete a specific project in your home without having to venture out for any supplies. Last week we focused on the kitchen cabinet clean out, this week we are going to move on to reorganizing the pantry.
Even with the best efforts, our pantries can get disorganized after a while, especially in times like these when the whole family is at home all day. Fortunately, this project shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to complete, depending on the size of your pantry.
- Start by clearing everything out one shelf at a time. As you remove each item, check the expiration date and toss anything that has expired. You might be surprised by some of the items hiding out in there!
- As you are taking things out, begin to organize like items together on your counters.
- Once everything has been removed, vacuum and wipe down your shelves and/or drawers.
- Now, revisit all of the items on the counters and make sure everything is grouped by categories such as:
- Canned goods
- Cereal
- Pasta
- Sauces
- Chips & Snacks
- Boxed items (mac & cheese, rice, instant potatoes, etc.)
- Baking ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, etc.)
- Cooking staples (oils, spices, etc.)
- Before you begin putting items back into the pantry by category consider which items your children might need access to and place them at an appropriate level. We recommend having a designated breakfast and/or snack area for the kids.
- Place your most used items at eye level where they are easy to see and grab.
- Use the higher and lower shelves for items that you use less often.
- Place taller items towards the back of the shelf, shorter items in the front.
- Boxes can be turned on their side for stacking, just make sure to show the label so you can see what is in each box.
- If you have extra room after the clean out, consider moving other items that are taking up space elsewhere into your pantry, such as paper towels, small appliances, or cook books.
Once you are finished, show your family the newly organized pantry and let them know where everything is located. Join us next week for another home project you can complete while sheltering in place. Stay safe!
