Some people peruse Pinterest looking for new fashion and beauty trends. You? Your feed is full of pantry organization, containers, and storage solutions. Yes, the pantry is one of the most often used areas in the home, and as such, it can be pretty hard to keep clean and tidy. But there is a way to make a Pinterest perfect pantry that’s both beautiful and functional.
You can’t explain why, but certain items in your home somehow migrate to the pantry (like AA batteries, pens with no caps, and a random remote control for a DVD player you ditched years ago). The problem: when there’s clutter, it converts your pantry into a source of stress. According to a survey, 73% of Americans conducted at least one pantry purge or reorganization in the past year, with 33% of them doing so at least once a month.
Organizing expert Jodi Heyman, Head of Product Design for mDesign, offers simple solutions to create a Pinterest perfect pantry.
Perform A Purge
Almost everyone has an expired food item (or four) in their pantry. It’s almost impossible to prevent; things get moved around and often pushed to the back of the shelf. So start by doing a deep purge of your pantry. Pull out everything (yes, everything) from the pantry. If that’s too overwhelming, start with one shelf. Look at the labels and if something has expired, toss it. And if you purchased a jar of peaches thinking you’d make a pie (but no one likes peaches in your house), donate the items to a food bank if they’re still good.
Scrub The Shelves
There’s no point in making the pantry pretty if the shelves have stains or are dirty. Once you’ve purged, take the shelves out and start scrubbing. Sure, it may take some time, but the result will be well worth it. (And while you’re at it, you might want to clean your kitchen, too.)
Use Bins With Labels
It’s so frustrating to find half-eaten bags of chips mixed in with boxes of mostaccioli. The fix: create categories so that similar items (like canned goods) will be grouped together. “Dividing products by category and placing them into bins or baskets will eliminate any stresses due to lost snacks,” says Heyman.
Utilize Door Storage
If you’re not making use of the pantry door as a space to store stuff, you’re missing out on some prime pantry real estate. “Buying extra shelves or an over the door storage bin is perfect for utilizing empty space,” she says. Just make sure that you don’t store too much stuff or else your doors won’t close.
Use A Spinning Turntable
There’s always a corner in the pantry where a lone cookie hides and crumbs collect. Getting a Lazy Susan will cut down on the chaos that corners create and even make it easier to see the spaghetti sauce that you recently bought. Says Heyman: “Perfect for the corner of your pantry where items can easily get lost, a rotating Lazy Susan will save you from digging to the back of your pantry for that can of chicken soup.”
You don’t have to dream of a Pinterest perfect pantry. Dedicate an afternoon to cleaning, categorizing, and buying containers and labels, and you’ll have a pantry that not only keeps your food fresh and organized, but you won’t have to worry about a can of cream of mushroom soup falling out and hitting the floor.