Get It Done: How to Clean Out the Pantry

trasgorshek Thank you, Becky! I love your sense of humor, now I don't feel so alone in my procrastinations!

I have to admit, I'm jealous of those with walk in pantries. Ours used to be a coat closet but its location never really worked for me and I was in dire need for more storage so I painted the inside, faux painted the door, changed the door handle and added clavos nails, installed some shelving and converted it over. I love the added storage, so do the kids. Now they can see their favorites and grab instead of constantly yelling for mom and asking where everything is at. Plus, when guests are over I can just direct them to the colored door. There are three doors in that area and they used to all be white, confused everyone.

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi Becky. I just had a giggle to myself envisioning you in rain boots and a bandana headed into your pantry for the big "clean out". I just did this recently and ok, truth is my oldest can of corn was 2009...ack! Thanks for keeping us on the clean and narrow. Thanks for using my pic too! Charmean

Doors Home If have a wonderful pantry and would like to showcase your creativity, We carry full light doors that will help you display your canned good designs!
www.doors4home.com

solraven When I asked my boyfriend to move in w/ me three years ago, he came with a bonus surprise; he's really great at organizing. One of the first things he did was pull everything out of the pantry/laundry room and put it in the kitchen. It took him three days, but when he was done, it looked like a grocery store. Between that and our walk-in closet, I can't tell you how many girlfriends asked if they could borrow him. They all promised to give him back, just as soon as their closets and bookshelves were all done. :)

momof5x I like the Charmean one, simple, easy to clean and accessible. I want something like this for my new kitchen which has a small connecting storage room. Thanks for the advice :) Actually would work perfectly with the space I have.

Lanie Brown Oooh, I like the idea of a surprise of fun wallpaper on the back wall of the pantry! And I love your quirky writing style too, Becky. I have a client who converted her hall coat closet to a pantry in her 1205 sf home; clever and practical!

olldbobbi I like to use a vinyl wallpaper on my shelves instead of contact paper. It's a lot easier to work with and equally durable and can be easily cleaned with soap and water. The best thing contact paper sticks to is itself!

Timeless Wrought Iron Oh the shame! My pantry is a complete disaster compared to this plethora of pretty pantries. Thanks for the much needed inspiration.

Melissa Paradis I just went through all my drawers, cabinets and shelves the other day...our pantry has yet to be built. Carpenter husband...it will be a 15 year remodel. I got rid of a ton and consolidated. Then I decided that I would not be going to the grocery store for as long as possible. I forced myself to use up stuff that I ignore. I am also trying to clean out the block freezer of old meat. I am now cooking up lentils, beans and risotto. Cold bulgar and lettuce salads. Muffins with dried fruits. Whole grain bread with the 7grain cereal that i have been housing for 3 years. It is almost as if I have been given a "mystery box" that I am forced to cook with. Pantry clean out is a money saver and a way to force culinary creativity.

zombieknit Hi Charmean, we found much older stuff than 2009 when we cleaned out our pantry recently. I love the featured pantries, and my next one (new house) will be better (to quote Ed Wood), partly because I will be having a properly designed pantry with pull-out vertical shelves and partly because I will be trying to restrain my husband's tendency to "buy things because they are on special". After the EQ we had to live on what was in the pantry and that included 5 jars of butter chicken sauce! I think many of us have an idea that more is better, even if we don't have the space for it.

Beth Looking at these pantries I was puzzled, and then I realized my clean, orderly pantry has few store bought pre-made food items, but dozens of home canned jars of fruits, vegetables, and items to make homemade pasta, bread and even cereal. Add in the All American pressure canner, grain mill and other tools we have invested in, we are able to feed our family awesome food, while also being prepared for the economy getting worse.

olldbobbi Becky, I love reading all your ideabooks! You put fun and humor into otherwise too serious subjects. Stocking a pantry with only red and white containers? I have visions of Campbells soup cans everywhere! Question: Is there a way to contact you? I have an idea for an article that I think would be very useful and interesting, especially in these days of short sales and repo's. Thanks! Bobbi

bettyinmunich Most of the pantries pictured above are staged-boo. For ideas based on real pantries, have a look at Lydia Walshin's blog The Perfect Pantry. For four years she had a weekly feature on her blog where readers would send in pictures of their pantries. It was fun to see how people organized their food stores and all in all 185 pantries were features. It inspired me to do a major rehaul of mine and here are the results: http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2010/05/other-peoples-pantries-121.html
Who knew this feature would be so popular? I loved it and looked forward to it every week. So if you are remodeling a kitchen or wanting some great ideas for your pantry this is the place to go!

jkcurcio Chalkboard contact paper? How cool - where do you find it?

bennycatgirl Thanks for another great article, Becky. Loving the cleaning series. :D That last pantry image made me positively lightheaded with giddiness - what an amazing space.
Another item that folks might find handy? Lazy susans that will fit your cupboards or shelves. I use two different sizes (large and medium) in metal (for oils and spices) and wood (for other condiments). it may reduce a bit of "cupboard floor space" but makes what you have much more accessible.

breadmaker4 Take your jars to the store and fill them from the bulk bins??? Sure if you want to pay for the weight of the jars over and over again....what a ridiculous idea.

prospera Great article! When going through my cupboards, pantry, and also when cooking, I have the Internet handy and, if in doubt, always check www.stilltasty.com. I also mark everything before putting it away, even though it has already been marked or coded. Most of the time those are hard to find or read in a hurry. I mark the best by date and date purchased with a permanent felt pen. I also code where I got it. If I open it and don't use it all, I mark when I open it. The reason I like still tasty is because they tell you if the product is good beyond the best by date (which it usually is).

I figure out when neighborhood kids are coming by for food collections and set my clean out date around that. We have an online neighborhood newsletter that people can post info like that (nextdoor.com).

I also use turntables (mostly in the lost space in the corners) and sealed bins for food vulernable to insects. On the floor I have the Ikea square kid's bins with wheels on them to make them easier to get out. My lower cupboards all have pull out wooden drawers as well, an absolute backsaver!

bennycatgirl @prospera - Thank you so much for the link to http://www.stilltasty.com - what a useful site!
I'm off to to add "best by" dates to some dry good containers (with handy washi tape labels) now!

rlwtrojan I take jars to the store-- less trash. Just get a tare (weight) the first time you use a jar and write it on the jar with the sharpie-- grocery stores that sell bulk are used to this.

prospera A picture of my pantry. May not be visually appealing, like the red and white one, but I can find everything quickly, and nothing gets lost.

mini4679 Removing all the items from the shelves at one time can be quite intimidating for the cleaner...I suggest attack one shelf at a time !

Becky Harris Bobbi P, you've obviously never heard of "The Jar Lady" :

http://www.sunset.com/home/natural-home/zero-waste-home-0111-00418000069984/page3.html

you have the stuff weighed first, then you put it in the containers instead of plastic bags.

prospera After living in a home with the most frustrating kitchen on the planet, I was determined to have a kitchen with absolutely NO wasted space, not an inch. I nearly pulled it off, even opening up the back "corner of doom" to the media room, where it is used for an equipment cabinet. This was cheaper than buying a corner pull out device, or a stand to hold equipment in the media room, so we saved on two counts.

When we moved in, I noticed that there were small dummy cabinets on both sides of the island where the inset for the chairs were located. I missed it on the plans, thinking it wasn't that deep. My cabinet maker pulled off the dummy panels, added some shelves and hinges, and now I have my spice pantry on both sides. It is across from the regular pantry, and is also across from the refrigerator. When cooking, I just gather ingredients on the island and everything is within easy reach.

Next to that is a pop-up mixer cabinet (with tray holder to the side) and around the corner the trash and recycling roll out bins. Previously the spices were in bins in my pantry, so I freed up a great deal of space there as well.

To make life even easier, directly across from the pantry is a courtyard where I have fresh herbs growing in giant pots, all on a drip system. I just pop out the door for fresh parsley, basil, sage and mint anytime I want it. I plan to add more as time goes on.

cfox2 When I got the last can of cream of mushroom soup , opened it and went YUCK!, checking expiration date...3 yrs old. decided it was time to get busy. I'm ashamed of how much very expired food I had. What a waste. I'm determined to do better from now on. New stuff to the back like the grocery store, etc.
Worse than cleaning the pantry though was my walk in closet..I looked at it for several months before I got brave enough to conquer it....finally done!! Whew, a relief.

olldbobbi cfox2 - good job! Be proud of your work, and take a nice iced tea break, you've earned it!

Beth breadmaker4 says:'Take your jars to the store and fill them from the bulk bins??? Sure if you want to pay for the weight of the jars over and over again....what a ridiculous idea'.

Actually its something many folks do at Whole Markets and other great stores here in California. You keep one jar empty so the checker can weight it, then deduct the weight from the jar with whatever item you have in the other jar. Remember buying in bulk means using gallon jars etc, so one isn't shopping that often.I myself have fine gauze bags that I place beans, rice etc bulk items in which is akin to using a plastic bag, but is more 'green'. And not at all ridiculous.

This past week on NPR's San Francisco KQED author Beth Terry, author of "Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too" and the blog myplasticfreelife.com was a guest, and she spoke a lot about taking your own clean containers to the store when shopping for bulk items.
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201208011000

prospera cfox2, Bobby is right. You're way ahead of the game. Part of my system, since I use turntables, is to also use a thick black permanent marker and put A,B,C, on the label, in order of oldest first as I place like items in the pantry. I then stack them in that order. With a quick glance, I know which one to grab first. It also makes it easier to grab items when a food closet collection comes up. If I donate an item that is beyond the Best By date, I put in a print out from stilltasty that shows it's okay to use. Food drives are also a good time to go through and update one's emergency stash as well.

olldbobbi prospera - brilliant system!

Gail I tackled my pantry this spring, am still not really happy with it but that is because of "looks" of it, but I did add some can organizers that I got from Pantry Maid http://www.pantrymaid.com/Food.html. I love them and would love to have more. Love the examples shown here. Thank you for the inspiration.

kuva I would just like to say we were lucky enough to live in our friends posh kitchen and test the functionality before designing our own. We found that the pantry cupboard drawers are quite annoying because they mean you have to open a door plus a drawer to get access to items and also they reduce the height of shelves significantly. No pantry drawers for us!

Do you think you could convince the food companies to release these matching white and red labels? ;)

chakra17west An Indian Meal Moth infestation helped inspire me to clean out and store all foods in uniform air tight containers.... And I won. They are GONE!

Naomi Waithira Project weekend. Thanks Becky, good to know am not the only one constantly reminding myself to clean up last year's Christmas supplies!

Becky Harris You guys, I actually did the food part of my pantry on Sunday and it was like an historic archive of all the crazy diets I've tried over the years - each one came with it's own disgusting type of bar, which were all expensive, uneaten, and expired! Also, who knew I had five unopened baking sodas and a stockpile of hot cocoa (which I NEVER make).

The other shelves are full of old Laura Ashley paraphernalia from my room in college, art supplies and old costume jewelry. Don't ask me why or how, but it's a project for another day!

writerinfact breadmaker4, perhaps the store with the bulk foods near you is a little less cooperative than the ones near me; if you ask their procedures, it may be possible that you, too, can weigh the empty jar and only pay for the fillings. I've done so for years.

olldbobbi I read recently that the best way to bring moths into your home is to buy bulk foods. Has anyone else heard/read that too?

writerinfact Wow, looking at all these lovely pantries is depressing; I live in a rental with another "world's worst kitchen" and can do nothing to improve it except move! The pantry, if one can so dignify this particular space, is split between a tiny closet-type space with a total of 4 fixed shelves and a double-closet sliding-door space with 4 fixed shelves, just around the corner in the hall. Since that is the total of storage space (other than the under-sink and 1 adjoining cabinet on either side of the sink itself), it's not only cramped but distressingly disorganized. It's not that the kitchen is too small, but more that it's around a hundred years old and was never "designed" - personally, I think of Topsy, who "jest growed"! One of these days, I will indeed solve this kitchen dilemma by moving on, and - you bet - a proper pantry is very high on my "must have" list!

Ferah Tanatar_Soner Talk about moths: after going through all kinds of different containers (even airtights - maybe they weren't that airtight because, lo and behold, there they were!) I have finally discovered how to fight moths: place some laurel leaves with your drygoods and a laurel bouquet in the cabinet.. voila! gone forever!

olldbobbi writerinfact, until we bought last year, I had a similar situation. So I went to Target and bought 3 two-door pantries ($50 ea), sanded and wallpapered the doors and used them for my food storage. They were shallow (I think 12") so they didn't take up much floor space, and they were a perfect temporary solution.

Lizbeth Carulla arquitecta love your #5

thanks for all the tips

Gail http://andreasingarella.com/gallery.php?gallery=trinket Becki, check out this site for your costume jewelry, very pretty up cycling idea for those things.

writerinfact Bobbi P, I've done the same thing in the past. In this one, unfortunately, there are too many windows in two places, plus both "front door" and bathroom door, plus the "hallway" that leads off the kitchen to 2 bedrooms (it's a short hall!) and the door to the living room. And let us not forget the garbage can (yes, literally) and the recycling can (same "style," only larger). For a dining room, we have a table smack in the middle of the kitchen, which also serves as the only available work space. As much as I hate the process after so many iterations, I dream about moving!

cbags1 We made our pantry look like an Italian specialty store. Vistors just love it!

mini4679 I think by now everybody has cleaned and organised their pantry!

lbg51 Something as simple as arranging all items so that labels face front in perfect alignment can make a big difference in enhancing sense of order. lbg

Beth Bobbi P said:"I read recently that the best way to bring moths into your home is to buy bulk foods. Has anyone else heard/read that too?"

Actually buying food from the bulk bins is better since the turn over is better.Its buying in packages where the pasta, cereal has been stored in some back room or storage facility that one encounters moths more. If someone buys packaged or even bulk items, place them in the freezer for 24 hrs which will kill and eggs etc. Then seal is secure tight lid containers. I store ALL my grain products in the freezer.

prospera All my grains and flours are also in the freezer. The shelf life is extended immensely that way. My mom told me the bugs are already in the grain, no matter what kind you buy, it's just that they haven't hatched yet. She also used bay leaves in the days we didn't have enough freezer space. When finding a weevil in some flour when I was a little kid, she told me the old joke about the kid who was eating his bowl of cereal and told his mom that there were black spots in it. The mom said to go ahead and eat it, they were just specks. The kid answered, but mommy these specks have necks!

Never occurred to me that my freezing killed them, I just thought they didn't hatch before I used it.

Writer, the one thing about living in and using badly designed kitchens did for me, was help me figure out how to build a great one, once I finally had the chance. I made notes as I went along and a fabulously talented cabinetmaker was able to bring it all to life for me. It was my priority in the house, the rest can wait. I wouldn't have known how to design a great kitchen had I not had to work in all of those bad ones. It was worth the wait.

Becky Harris Add weevils to bed bugs with the things that might be crawling around the house that give me the willies. ewww!

writerinfact Thanks for the encouragement, prospera! Very badly needed, I might add. I keep telling myself, "This, too, shall pass" but some days it doesn't work as well as others!

cfox2 I have to ask.....where do you all live that you have moths in your food? We are in Colorado and don't have any problems like that....but are getting ready to move to Missouri in the next year...

thegreenbee "Tip: Take a before shot so that you can feel extra satisfied when this is all over."
My brain read this tip as "take a shot before"- lol! Either way is probably right!

Beth cfox2 says:I have to ask.....where do you all live that you have moths in your food? We are in Colorado and don't have any problems like that....but are getting ready to move to Missouri in the next year..'

We don't have them here in our newer small place but had them in the older cottage we had in Jackson CA and I believe it was because it was a 1800's un-insulated place,whereas this cottage has insulation and stays cooler in summer. And we don't buy pre-packaged foods which may help as well, and the bulk grain items we have are in the freezer.

Ferah Tanatar_Soner thegreenbee says:

"Tip: Take a before shot so that you can feel extra satisfied when this is all over."
My brain read this tip as "take a shot before"- lol! Either way is probably right!

hehehe.. thegreenbee, that has to be the best advice ever!! LOL!!

Dura Supreme Cabinetry If you don't have the spare closet or dedicated space for a pantry, there are still ways to create pantry storage in your kitchen.

This drawer spice rack stores away small items and is easy to reach.
Cottage Kitchen – Personal Touches

Adding open storage to the side of your stove's mantel hood is decorative and convenient.
West Indies Beauty

Use your corner space! By adding a large corner cabinets with convenient swing-out wire baskets will help you use the full potential of your space.
Urban Loft - Storage Solutions 1

Use a pullout pantry for tall thin spaces. This provides an amazing amount of storage on full-extension glides. No more straining to reach to the back of the cabinet.
Urban Loft - Storage Solutions 2

Pink Fortitude, LLC Ahhhh... There is nothing like daydreaming about an organized pantry. Hubby is getting a workshop first, then a bathroom for the boys, and last but not least... I will be expanding our tiny pantry an extra 12 inches. This ideabook will certainly be bookmarked for next year's project. Until then... I can dream of red and white labels!

Beth There is no set rule that a pantry has to be in the kitchen. As a home canner, I have friends who have a bench seats in the table nook area where they store canned goods. Another friend has a 5x5 padded ottoman that she stores her little used kitchen appliances. Another friend took the coat closet near the kitchen that wasn't being used and turned it into a pantry with plenty of shelves.

newmouse I LOVE Cbags1's Italian specialty store pantry. It's beautiful and you are totally ready for hurricane season!

meanjeang1 If you really want that "generic" red and white label look, fire up your printer and go crazy with matching fonts, large and small. Make a label for everything you want covered, indicating what's inside. You could also use a different color scheme, like yellow and blue or purple and green, get creative. Like book covers!

When transferring boxed goods to other containers, be sure to cut out the directions and either attach it to the outside of the new container, maybe on the lid or drop it in the container. Be sure to fish it out before you pour it out to measure.

narelie Thank you thank you thank you! My butler's pantry was a disaster after only one year in my new home. It was hastily "arranged" upon moving in, and then the rest of the house organization and decor took up all of my time. You gave me the courage and ispirtion to get back to the pantry and really think about how it was functioning (or not). Now I have food stuffs in easy to see and pull out baskets, appliances together on an easy to reach shelf, my cookbook collection on a lower reachable shelf, and my spices in a kitchen drawer at my cooking area.

kristiblincoe Where can the back of door spice rack be purchased?

Beth kristiblincoe Where can the back of door spice rack be purchased?

If its photo #9 our Lowe's carries them, and Amazon.com carries some as well. They aren't just for spices.

Zbynek I like this solution ... small Chambers

susancapizzi What do you do if the shelves in your pantry are wire shelves? Unless the products are of a certain size they fall over. Any suggestion on what to maybe line them with?

Becky Harris Susan, how about using a hard placemat or a tray for the small items on the wire shelves? In fact, maybe you could put things you pull out together all on one tray, such as baking supplies on one, herbs on another ...

prospera Turntables would work as well, as they come in various sizes. Baskets, or use any solid surface that would line it, such as thin wood or metal. I use clear plastic bins as well. For smaller jars, such as spices, try the tiered shelves.

susancapizzi Thanks! I appreciate the feedback & will do as suggested :)

grammysal I HATE wire shelves. I use Shelf It shelf liners. They're translucent white plastic sheets that have tabs to hold them in place. They come in a couple of widths and you can trim them to fit. I got mine at amazon.com. They work for me.

Beth One thing I wanted to note, that may seem obvious, is only have things in the pantry you will actually use. And rotate the canned goods so the oldest gets used first. Check spices to make sure they are fresh, otherwise toss them. And buy the smallest container or a spice if you will not being using it often. Saves money in the long run.

I remember when we helped a friend move her mother and in cleaning out her pantry she had items five years old that needed to be tossed. But because the pantry was so poorly organized she couldn't see the two cans of tomato paste she had, so she bought two more and one would get lost in the pantry so she would buy more. Repeated this to where we tossed a good dozen cans of the stuff.

peggo I only put FOOD in the pantry, (oh and saran, paper towels) everything else (pots, bowls) are in the kitchen cabinets. My pantry is like a "store" I find it much easier to access what I have and need, plus my cabinets are cleaner without oils and spices in them.

writerinfact Peggo, I envy you! "I only put FOOD in the pantry, (oh and saran, paper towels) everything else (pots, bowls) are in the kitchen cabinets." I surely wish I had kitchen cabinets to put things - ANY things - into!

peggo Its all where you live-I live in Wyoming, its -14, now, thats the price I pay for having a spacius kitchen! (spacious?? -I was schooled in California)

peggo I had a "U" shaped kitchen in CA., I figured that a pantry is really just a closet, so I had my hubby rip out the one corner,build a closet, put floor to ceilng shelves, and presto-PANTRY! I loved it, then decided to move.-Relocate-