Every Spring, my grandmother cleans her house from top to bottom and changes over her closet from her winter clothes to her spring/summer clothes. At the wise age of 82, she still believes in "Spring Cleaning" and I will tell you that her house is immaculate, right down to the organization of her cupboards, utensil drawers, and even her refrigerator.
The other day I opened my pantry to grab a bottle of olive oil and I couldn't believe how disorganized it had become. Didn't I just organize this? How does it get so messy? So, I remembered my grandmother's diligent Spring Cleaning routine and decided I needed to Spring Clean my pantry. And while I was at it, I decided to do something about all those spices in my cupboard. Spoiler alert! It's now a spice drawer!
Here are 6 1/2 ideas to help you Spring Clean your pantry and organize your spices so your kitchen provides you with a more efficient way of preparing your family's favorite meals:
1. After you remove everything (yes, everything!) from the pantry, sort your food supplies by their respective types. (Snacks, cereals, canned goods, baking ingredients, oils and vinegars, condiments, etc.). Combine partial boxes of pasta and throw away anything that has been opened for a while.
2. Vacuum and wipe down shelving with an all-purpose cleaner.
3. Decide which items you access the most. In our house, I use my oils, vinegars, pastas and cereals and Jason is always raiding the pantry for a snack. Place those items at eye level so you aren't constantly reaching high or low for your frequently-used items.
3b. Idea: Place all snacks in a separate bin so it can be pulled out and favorites can be easily found.
4. Store items you rarely use on the top shelf. For me, I have a bunch of baking ingredients and I usually only bake for special occasions and holidays. Those items are stored together on my top shelf.
5. Utilize the bottom shelves for canned goods, paper supplies other items you commonly use but not necessarily everyday.
6. Clear out one drawer, preferably one closest to the stove, and use it to store your spices. Trust me, you'll never have to search your cabinet for that long-lost celery seed container again! It's also a fun thing to show house guests. I keep larger spice bottles and baking ingredients in the cupboard near my stove but it's much more organized.
Here are some actual photos from the Spring Cleaning of my pantry and spice supply.
One thing I noticed in my pantry was that I was storing some cleaning and pet grooming supplies in the same pantry as my food -not good. Make sure you store these items away from food, children and pets so everyone stays safe.
You may not have the time to do real "Spring Cleaning" like Gram, but 45 minutes organizing your pantry and spices will make you more efficient in the kitchen and preparing meals may actually be fun. Bonus idea: have the kids help you! They can learn about different foods and build their organization skills.
Cheers!
