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Day Two of the 30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge: Clean out and organize pantry
Prior to starting in on my pantry, I looked around online for tips and tricks. I mainly came across pictures of beautifully organized pantries that I cannot duplicate. Why? I just saw the extra stuff and the extra expense.
My desire is to simplify and get rid of stuff. I don’t want to add. I am finding out that the more stuff I own, the more stuff I have to clean. The more stuff I own, the more stuff I have to organize. So more stuff = more time cleaning and organizing. I just would rather spend my time doing something else…
A pantry lined with glass jars may look really nice, but I try to spend little money when cleaning and organizing. Thriftiness before beauty…I guess.
Vinegar is my (cheap) friend when cleaning. Vinegar can also be upgraded with Force of Nature. Because I use it for almost everything, I allow for occasional cleaning splurges (like tea tree essential oil or a great-smelling dish soap). And even then, I find a way to purchase only when on sale.
There are many great organizational tools out there, but I always try to figure out if I can make it work with what I have before going out and purchasing something. Yes, I do come across some organization tools that I would love to buy. But I try to do without first.
So I set out to clean out and organize my pantry without going out and purchasing anything. If your goal is a clean, simple pantry, here are my 5 tips for cleaning and organizing your pantry:
- Clear it ALL out. Once you see an empty pantry, you will not want to stuff it to the max. You may find a few forgotten items as you do this. Hopefully they will be exciting gems (dark chocolate maybe?) and not anything moldy.
- Reconsider if you need it. I found a few items that haven’t been used in years. There were even items that had never been used and were new in their package. (One was an unopened wedding gift from 7 years ago…) Simple solution? Either sell on ebay or send to the donation pile.
- Remove items that do not belong in your pantry. Don’t make it a dumping place for all your miscellaneous items. I found a few items that were stuffed into the pantry at some point. They now have a better home elsewhere.
- Use it up or combine. If you find half-used items, it’s a good time to just use them up. If you have a few random ingredients, try and fit them into future dinners. (This will help you save on this week’s grocery bill!) I was able to find extra space by combining a few items. (I was able to consolidate my many boxes of tea to gain space).
- Clean the surfaces and the items. I use a vinegar/water cleaner combo (recipe below) for the shelves. If your food containers are sticky, wipe them before placing them back in the pantry.
It didn’t take me long to clean my pantry, as it was virtually mess & stickiness-free. This is because I only put clean items back in the pantry. I would spend the extra two seconds ensuring that I wasn’t putting a sticky container in each time and it saved me lots of scrubbing.
It’s so much more efficient if you don’t have to deep clean. I am all about using my time efficiently. Spending a few minutes here and there with maintenance cleaning is way easier than having to spend time scrubbing and deep-cleaning later. I abide by this for my entire kitchen…just wish I would do this for my bathtub & shower also…
Here is my simple vinegar/water cleaning recipe. The measurements are approximations…so easy that you do not even have to measure.
one cup vinegar
three cups water
10 drops of Tea Tree essential oil
UPDATE: I now use Force of Nature instead!
I use vinegar for cleaning often, but it’s not the perfect solution. Enter Force of Nature to turn vinegar into the perfect cleaning solution. This cleaner & disinfectant is as effective as bleach, but so gentle your kids could help you clean. Force of Nature has zero harmful chemicals, residues, or fumes. I use Force of Nature and love it.
It turns tap water, a capsule of salt, and vinegar into a cleaner and disinfectant. Force of Nature is on EPA’s List N, the disinfectants approved for use against Covid-19. Force of Nature is EPA registered for disinfecting and sanitizing hospitals, ICUs, schools (and more!) and kills 99.9% of germs.
Also: using Force of Nature can actually save you money vs typical natural cleaners & disinfectants? Even in the first year when you buy the Starter Kit.
Get 25% off plus free shipping on Starter Kits & Value Bundles. Use Force of Nature promo code: MAKEITSAFE (Valid through March 31.)
In case you missed the entire 30 Day Challenge schedule, head over here to print your 30 Day Spring Cleaning Schedule.
You will receive free updates, morning motivation, printables, blog post highlights, and occasional deals sent your way. Frequency?? Just a few times per month.
Wendy says
I am with you, I don’t want to have to go buy a whole organizing system to organize what I’ve already got. So using what I have on hand is what I try to do also. And your recipe for a cleaning solution is going on my list of things to try!
admin says
Yes, because otherwise you may end up organizing your organizing systems…
Candace says
Great tips! I need to do this. My pantry gets overrun so fast. I buy things I’m sure I’ll cook then I end up throwing them out months later expired :). I guess I don’t cook as often as I should!
admin says
It’s always a bummer to find something you forgot about and have to throw away.
Thanks for reading!
Suzie@homemaker-mom says
Ok I just signed up for the 30 day challenge emails & printed the list. Thank you!!!!!!!
admin says
Great!
Tiffany | A Touch of Grace says
Awesome tips! Our pantry is on my list of areas to organize in our home. I love a clean, organized pantry!
Karren Haller says
Thanks for stopping by to link and share on The Oh My Heartsie Girl Friday Feature!!
We appreciate you shared your blog with us!!
Have a great weekend, Karren~Host
Stephanie @ Mommyzoid says
Awesome tips! I find my pantry so quickly gets messed up and there’s like two bags of the same thing open at the same time. So annoying! Love the printable! I will definitely be tackling the pantry this week.
I’ve pinned this to the Ladies Collective Linkup Pinterest board <3 Hope to see you back again this Wednesday!!
Stephanie @ http://www.mommyzoid.ca
admin says
I was always happy when I could consolidate. :)
Yes, I will be back this Wednesday!
Brandi Clevinger says
I use the same homemade cleaning spray. I’ve got to get into my pantry and clean/organize it. It’s terrible right now. I’ve been putting it off.
Thanks for your tips! I found your post at Small Victories Sunday linky party.
admin says
You are welcome! Thanks for reading.
Robin @ The Golden Rule Kids says
Such great tips and tricks on how to clean up your pantry. It also reminded me that I need to work on mine. Thanks for sharing this great ideas!
Rebecca says
Thanks for sharing these great tips. And I love the home made cleaner. I’ve found cheap window spray works well to take off grime too. If I put on uplifting music and say a prayer of thanks for so much bounty while cleaning the task goes faster. But I might wait a week or so to think about doing this since I spent two days last week cleaning out the garage !!!! LOL
admin says
Oh…the garage sounds like a big task! Yes, you should take a break before getting back into cleaning. :)
Cathy says
I ,love love this, and I so needed to read this! I posted a pic on Instagram this week and my pantry was exposed, it made me cringe wondering what people would think of the organized chaos! :-) I really appreciate you sharing your latest creation at Making Memories Mondays!
Cathy
admin says
I’m not on instagram…so I didn’t have to post a picture of my terribly cluttered pantry. ;)
Katie @ Cup of Tea says
Great tips!! I love a good clear out. And I need to do better about creating my own cleaning solutions. They are so simple and inexpensive!! Swinging over from Tuesday Talk!
Katie @ Cup of Tea
admin says
Yes, they are pretty slick once you find your favorites.
Lisa Sharp says
I found you on Tuesday Talk and I’m glad I did. This is on my spring cleaning list for sure! I love cleaning with vinegar, just be careful when mixing it with soap, most soaps react with vinegar and make ineffective.
Teressa says
love these tips! thanks for sharing!
Sharon Rowe says
I love cleaning and organizing! Thanks for sharing on Monday Madness link party :)
Nathana says
I like your game plan! My pantry is not terrible, but I am hoping to clean/organize it one more time before our baby is born. I also use vinegar for SO MUCH when cleaning. It saves money and is safe. Though, I do like to splurge on 7th generation disinfectant for the kitchen. But one $3 bottle usually lasts me for several months. I also got some Thieves oil from a friend and that is supposed to be great for cleaning–it sure smells good. But after using it I heard that it should be avoided when pregnant or with young babies, but other people use it for cleaning baby toys, so I am not sure what to think!
admin says
It is hard to know sometimes!
I have heard great things about Thieves oil, but have never tried it.
Marina says
I needed to do this long time ago :D I am procrastinating!
admin says
It’s still early…not even April yet ;)
Barb @ A Life in Balance says
Thank you for contributing to Motivation Monday!
JES says
Thank you for continuing to share the cleaning inspiration on the Art of Home-Making Mondays! These are very motivational! Have a wonderful weekend :)
Betsy @ BPhotoArt.com says
Great tips. While I may not be happy things have gotten cluttered and overloaded, it always feels so nice to minimize and declutter!
{Pinned and Visiting from #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup – hope to see you link up again!}
admin says
I will be moving onto more decluttering later…it’s such a long process for me!