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Small Pantry & Food Cabinet Organization

1/6/2017

36 Comments

 
We're continuing with Week One of the WHO Challenge.  By now, all of your kitchen drawers should be nice and tidy.  You should have already:
  1. Measured every (inside) cabinet space of your kitchen and recorded it on this handy project worksheet
  2. Emptied and scrubbed your kitchen drawers
  3. Purged/Donated unused items.
  4. Returned or relocated utensils to area(s) of the kitchen that make more sense.
If you're just joining us, click here for the Introduction, and here for Week One: Task One.  Today we are taking on the pantry and other food cabinet areas. Whoo-hoo!  
This post contains affiliate links to read my full disclosure click here.
Have you ever gone grocery shopping only to return home and realize that half of the items you bought, were already in your cabinet?  Why does that happen?  The reason is a lack of proper organization.

There are three things an organized space should allow you to do quickly and easily:
  1. Find what you need 
  2. Assess your needs and make the appropriate decisions to restock or discard items
  3. Return items to their proper place quickly when: 1) life has happened, and things have gotten messy; 2) other household members need to know where stuff goes; and 3) you get sick, and someone else has to step in for a while
An organized space will take you F.A.R. (get it?) .

I saved this challenge for today, because depending on how much food you have, you may need an entire weekend to complete it.  For this challenge you will need:
  • A clear open space to spread things out
  • A box/bin for donations
  • Your favorite cleaning solution
  • Protective liner for your cabinets (optional)

The Process: Empty, Purge, Sort, Scrub, Analyze, Return
  1. Empty the food out of ALL the cupboards even the spices and place them in your designated space.
  2. Purge anything that is expired.  Check the expiration dates on EVERY SINGLE item.  
  3. Sort and group items according to their type.  Items that have not expired but that you don't plan to use, place in the donation bin. 
  4. Scrub down all the insides of the cabinets and/or drawers with your favorite cleaning solution.
  5. Analyze your space. Give thought to the best location for things.  For example: items used most when cooking should be stored closest to the oven/stove.  Also, try to leave the cabinets closest to the sink or dishwasher available for clean dishes
  6. Return the items to the cabinets

Here is how I was able to apply these principles to  my pantry and cabinet space.  The photos below are from a previous organization challenge - long before I started blogging.  I'm so glad I kept them, so that I could share them with you. We home decor bloggers usually don't like to show you the bad stuff, but doing so every once in a while let's you know that we are not perfect.  
Boy was this ever a big job! I can't believe how much food had to be thrown away due to expired dates.  I didn't even need the large corner cabinet for food, once the purging was done.  This gave me much needed space for pots and pans. 

After everything was sorted, I scrubbed down the insides of my cabinets, analyzed my space, and returned the foodstuffs to the cabinets that made the most sense to house them.  Here is the end result, which we maintain to this day. 
Notice that marinades, sauces, and rubs went into one cabinet.  While baking items, condiments, and teas were stored in the other.  I used clear bins, a lazy susan, and labels separate items, and to clearly identify - and remind others (including myself) of where things should go.  

Since we don't eat a lot of prepackaged foods, these were the two easiest areas to organize. The pantry however, was all whole different ballgame.   TIP: whenever possible, remove items from their original packaging and store them in bins, squeeze bottles, or baskets.  You will be amazed at how much space you save. 
The Pantry
Like most things in my home, this is a tricky space to work with because of it's small size.  Each shelf space measures between 12 -15"H x 17.5"W x 12"D.  Needless to say, locating containers to house all my stuff was a bit of a nightmare.  We'll talk more about that in the next post, as this one is getting a bit long.  But for now, below is the before and the end result:
2
And there you have it!  My organized food cabinets and pantry.  In my next post, I'll outline the storage solutions I used, and will try to link as many items as I can.

In the meantime, how are you doing with the challenge of getting your home organized.  Please tell me in the comments below.
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36 Comments
Nikki link
1/7/2017 07:50:43 am

You're doing such a fantastic job, great work! Keep up the motivation! Nikki x

www.twentysomethingmuddle.com

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Ola
1/7/2017 01:05:37 pm

Thanks Nikki! I appreciate the encouragement.

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Shauna link
1/7/2017 10:40:20 am

This looks absolutely beautiful Wow!

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Ola
1/7/2017 01:06:51 pm

Thank you Shauna!

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Ava link
1/7/2017 12:15:30 pm

So wish I had time to do this right now. I'm getting ready to leave on a two week trip but I will bookmark it so I can work on it when I get back.

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Ola
1/7/2017 01:10:11 pm

Well that's a good "problem" to have Ava. LOL! Thanks for book marking this page. Have a safe trip!

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Rose link
1/7/2017 12:22:36 pm

Your after picture looks good. I like the lazy Susan idea. I could see using that is I used the same items on a daily basis. Only thing we use daily is peanutbutter. I try to keep all the condiments in the same cupboard. Usually I take care of everything too so it goes in the spot most convenient for me.

Reply
Ola
1/7/2017 01:13:00 pm

Thank you Rose. This was a colossal task. I'm so glad that the system works for us still today. Please keep me posted on your progress too. 😊

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Jasmine | Little Limelight link
1/7/2017 12:47:11 pm

These are such wonderful organizing ideas. The before and after pictures were very interesting.

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Ola
1/7/2017 01:16:43 pm

Thank you Jasmine. Thank you also for commenting.

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Amber Myers link
1/7/2017 06:45:24 pm

Your cabinets look great! I need to do this, big time. I'll probably be doing this soon.

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Ola
1/8/2017 07:43:43 am

Feel fer to join in on the fun Amber. I'd live to have you. Thanks for visiting.

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MishyV link
1/8/2017 08:41:05 am

Oh I know this struggle of messy storing spaces... yours look great now though! I really love those big jars, so pretty :)

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:06:39 pm

Thanks MishyV! It was a huge job.

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Amy Shellman link
1/8/2017 11:32:21 am

OMG. that looks amazing. I should do this too. I love the jars and things you used.

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:07:13 pm

Thanks Amy! I appreciate the encouragement.

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Melanie Frost link
1/8/2017 11:49:33 am

That box idea for cans is very clever! I was wondering where they all went until I saw the photo below. Just this week my hubby bought 2 boxes of mac and cheese only to learn that we still had 3 boxes in the pantry already. Great ideas!

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:09:13 pm

Omgoodness Melanie! Thanks for mentioning that. I got those from a company called CanOrganizer.com. I couldn't use the regular cam organizers because the shelf was too shallow.

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Stefani Harris link
1/8/2017 12:18:18 pm

OMG - I LOVE this - "An organized space will take you F.A.R." That acronym is perfect for how an organized space should be! Thank you for all this motivation to get my butt in gear and start [finally] purging and organizing!!

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:10:00 pm

Thanks Stefani! I definitely need that kind of encouragement to keep going.

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Lauren
1/8/2017 12:41:51 pm

Organizing your pantry is such an adventure isn't it? I just did this on my blog and it was quite the ride.

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:10:48 pm

Yes it is. Please share your link with me Lauren. I'd love to support you too. Thanks for visiting.

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Kristina Dapaah link
1/8/2017 01:37:00 pm

These tricks work magic. I bought the clear bins with the handles a couple of months ago and a spinning tray as well for some spices etc and it freed up so much space! I encourage anyone to try and of these tips - They really work and make a huge difference !

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:11:51 pm

Thanks for the confirmation Kristina! These little investments make a big difference.

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blair villanueva
1/8/2017 11:14:30 pm

i think i need to invests on good jars for my pantry, and start re organizing it. I remember its kind of unorganized, and at least I have simething to do this weekend :) Thanks dear!

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:13:18 pm

It will be worth it Blair. Thanks for visiting.

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Brenda link
1/9/2017 03:20:46 pm

Wow, your pantry looks great! It is much easier to have an organized pantry when doing your meal planning. Plus, it saves you money because you don't buy something you already have.

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Ola
1/9/2017 04:12:50 pm

Thanks Brenda! And that part about saving money is so so true.

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Valerie link
1/9/2017 08:53:19 pm

I need to get those labels. It would be so much more fun to organize if I got to play with those.

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Ola
1/9/2017 09:51:52 pm

I'll get the link for you Valerie. Thanks for visiting and for reminding me.

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Sondra Barker link
1/9/2017 09:35:07 pm

My pantry is a wreck lately! Thank you so much for the tips, these will make things much easier!

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Ola
1/9/2017 09:52:23 pm

I'm so glad you enjoyed it Sondra. Thanks for visiting.

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Kusum link
1/10/2017 07:25:50 am

Wow that is a very efficient organization list. You did a great job with the before and the after, applause!
xx, Kusum | www.sveeteskapes.com

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Ola
1/11/2017 06:55:52 am

Thank you Kusum!

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Judith Francois link
1/10/2017 06:59:52 pm

Really nice! I've been meaning to clean up/organize my cabinets. This give me lots of ideas. Thanks :)

Reply
Ola
1/11/2017 06:56:24 am

Merci bcp Judith! Thank you also for visiting.

Reply



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