Organizing your Pantry

As the seasons change, so do we. In the summer, we may be outside more and neglect the things and the “stuff” in our lives that accumulates. Par example: letting old things in our pantry breed and produce for over four seasons. Possibly, it’s time to clear out your pantry.

Purge Your Pantry
pasta

Dry pasta image courtesy of Photos.com
Multiple open boxes of pasta, several bags of rice, cans of beans (from what presidential era) and jars of micro-organism filled spices on every shelf. This is super common, so don’t feel alone. It’s probably time that your pantry needs a purge and to be organized. It only takes an hour or so to clean out the shelves, sort and purge your goods, and replenish where necessary.

Clear Out and Organize

Get everything out of your pantry so you can see what you have and then start sorting. Separate items into these four categories:

  • Daily used items
  • Items less frequently used
  • Empty bottles to recycle
  • Unopened items that can be donated
  • Science like experiments — TRASH

Clean

Vacuum any crumbs off of shelves and then wipe down each shelf with a damp cloth and let dry before reloading.
If you’d like to find a local food bank, check http://www.feedingamerica.org