How to organize your pantry and keep it clean

The pantry seems to be a place that can get quite messy. It often becomes the “basement” or “garage” for food items when we just need a place to put something somewhere. It invites clutter and makes it tough to find anything. Food tends to expire and disorganization seems unavoidable. While getting your pantry organized is the key to avoid the points mentioned above, it also helps to prepare meals easily, and creates a more calm and motivating environment overall. 

If you feel overwhelmed by your overflowing pantry and would like to have it organized and joyful, I have three tips for you:

1) Declutter your food storage:

Get rid of items that are expired, don’t belong in there, and you know you won’t eat (donate!). Don’t forget to gather all the items that are located in different places but belong in the pantry. If you have an overflowing pantry, make sure to use the majority of these items immediately before buying new stuff. 

2) Create subcategories: 

I organize the pantry as follows: baking goods (flour, sugar, etc), canned goods, breakfast items (oats, granola, bars, etc.), nuts and seeds, dried food (pasta, rice, quinoa, etc.), spices, tea and coffee, oils and vinegar. Create subcategories that make sense to you. Keep the ones that you need the most easy accessible. 

3) Make your pantry functional and joyful:

Keep your open food containers closed by using rubber bands, clips or tape. I like to use glass Tupperware for most of my items because it seals the food while displaying the contents clearly. The more organized and pretty the pantry looks, the more motivated I am to keep it clean. It also helps me to avoid overbuying food while encouraging healthy eating :).

I hope these tips were helpful and you are motivated to organize your pantry!