Don’t beat yourself up if you’re overwhelmed by cleaning and organizing your kitchen. It can be one of the most intimidating tasks in your home. And like any intimidating task, the best approach is to start with one task.
If you try to do everything at once, you’ll end up accomplishing nothing. Start with a single project and the progress will fuel your motivation.
Where do I recommend starting? Pretty simple: the pantry.
I like starting with the pantry, because you can see the benefits right away. In turn, this inspires you to keep going.
The 5 Big Benefits of an Organized Pantry
Having an organized pantry isn’t just a Pinterest flex – it’s got some real benefits. Here are a few of my faves:
- Less food waste. When your pantry is disorganized, stuff seems to disappear. And by the time those items resurface, they’re usually stale or spoiled. By organizing your pantry, you know exactly what you have. This means you can actually use it before it goes bad.
- Save $$$. Stop overbuying food that you already have at home. A quick glance at your pantry shelves will show you what you have and what you need.
- Faster food prep. When you can find what you need, food prep gets a whole lot easier. No more running to the store to grab an item you forgot when you’re in the middle of cooking a meal. Everything you need is right where it should be.
- Save space. If you think you need a bigger pantry, you might just need a better organized pantry. With an organization system in place, you maximize the space you have and use every square inch to its full potential.
- Cleanliness. When your pantry is disorganized, it’s easy to let messes go untouched. But when your pantry is organized, CLEAN becomes the default. (Plus, it’s easier to maintain a clean pantry when you can easily access every shelf and corner.)
Simple Tips for Cleaning and Organizing Your Pantry
Here are our 4 easy steps for cleaning and organizing your pantry.
1. Gather your tools
Purchase (or gather existing) containers, bins and organizational tools ahead of time. (See below for the ones we love.) Measure your shelf depth and try to get containers that will maximize that depth. Consider accessibility and use items like lazy susans, can organizers, and risers.
Pro tip: If you have these ahead of time, you can put your food into them as you empty your pantry.
Our favorite pantry tools and systems are CLEAR bins and organizers, so that you can see what you have at all times. If that doesn’t work for your budget, feel free to work with what you have, or check out the dollar store for some budget-friendly bins too!
2. Take everything out. Seriously. Everything.
Toss anything that is expired and donate anything you won’t use. (Just like clothes… if you dirty bastards haven’t used something in 6 months, chances are it’s not ever going to get used.) Wipe the dust and food off of the packages as you remove them, too. (This is the #cleaningarmy, people! Don’t be a savage.)
Place everything else into your bins as you go, or into piles of like items. For example:
- Canned goods
- Pasta
- Spreads
- Cereal / Breakfast Foods
- Baking Supplies
- Kid Snacks
- Adult Snacks
- Beverages
- Oils / Vinegars
- Spices / Mixes
- Chips
3. Clean it thoroughly
You know the drill. Get after it with your vacuum. Vacuum the walls, shelves, baseboards and floor. Then you’re going to wipe down every surface. (Our recipe of water, bleach and Tide works wonders here. But if you have stubborn food spills, you can bring out Mr. Clean.)
Do you like your current shelving? If you have wire shelves, you might want to add a custom cut piece of particle board or plywood on top of the shelf, so that you have more options when it comes to organizers. Evaluate the heights between shelves if yours are adjustable, now is the time to change those up to work for you.
4. Put it all back together
Next, put everything back into the pantry. Some things to consider when deciding on placement:
- Weight. Don’t overload one shelf with all the heavy things or you could risk breaking it. And keep heavy items close to the supports. (the wall or a bracket).
- Safety. The heaviest things should go on the floor, and lighter items should go up high to avoid injury when you are taking it out. If you keep medicine in your pantry, keep it out of reach from the littles.
- Eyeline. Who is this for, and how much will they need it? If it’s for the kids, do you want easy access for them for quick snacks, or do you want those up high where they can’t reach them, so they might actually eat their damn supper?
- Expiry. Use the first in, first out approach. Older items go in front, newer behind, so that you use the older items before they expire.
- Labels. Make sure you label your bins, so that you can stay organized. Depending on your bins you can use a label maker, chalkboard labels, stickers, dry erase markers, or bin tags.
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Products we love for pantries:
- Home Organization:
Now it’s time to get to work.
For a list of our favorite products, click here.
– Becky @gocleanco
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gocleanco
Dec 7
Holiday guests are on their way, so you know what that means, I am in a cleaning frenzy! I got the guest bathroom ready for family simply and efficiently with @clorox_canada bleach solution. @clorox_canada bleach is versatile and can be used around the home. Household bleach is derived from sodium chloride — common table salt. @clorox_canada bleach breaks down to mostly salt and water. I like to wipe down all the high touch areas too, to help keep germs to a minimum and my home sparkling and not just with twinkle lights ✨🎄 Bleaching Towels in a Top Loader: Put your detergent in the bottom of the machine; add your towels and ⅓ cup of Clorox Disinfecting Bleach to the bleach dispenser cup and run on a normal or heavy-duty cycle. Bleaching Towels in a Front Loader: Put your towels in, add the detergent to the dispenser cup and the ⅓ cup of Clorox Disinfecting Bleach to the bleach dispenser cup and run on a normal or heavy-duty cycle. @clorox_canada #sponsored #yeahbleachdoesthat #happyholidaysfromclorox
gocleanco
Dec 3
My little sister’s surprise bedroom makeover. SPOILER ALERT: She loved it. She texted me that she thought she was in the wrong house 😎 Big thanks to @bollandbranch who gifted her the bedding she has been begging me for 4 years! #merrychristmashappybirthday
gocleanco
Nov 25
Wish y’all coulda been in the car for the debrief on the way home. 🫠🫠🫠 Reminder that the machines that you lean on to “clean” the things in your home also need to be cleaned and maintained. Top 2 dirtiest things in peoples home? The dishwasher and the washing machine. Period.
gocleanco
Nov 18
I circled rollerblades in the Sears Wish Book every year…and every year my mother would patiently explain that we lived on an acreage with gravel roads and rollerblades do not work on gravel…and every year I would be so disappointed when they didn’t show up under the tree. 🤣🤦🏼♀️ #nostalgia #christmastime
gocleanco
Nov 15
PSA: A lot of people don’t know you can do this when you order a gift off of Amazon. At check out, you can select that the item is a gift and then choose the option to add a gift bag and a custom message and this is how it is delivered! You don’t have to worry about the surprise being ruined if they open the box because it’s already wrapped and they can plunk it under the tree. Perfect if you have family far away that you won’t be seeing this holiday season. Saves ya time and energy in the chaos of the season. 🎁🎄🎅🏻🕰️🕰️🕰️ #christmastime
gocleanco
Nov 13
Nostalgic Christmas!!!! Bring on the tinsel and the garland. I can handle it. 🤭We have some fun things planned to take you back to the days when we made ornaments outta fishhooks, so STAY TUNED ya filthy animals! 🎄🎁 ⛄️ 🎅🏻 🤶🏻❄️ ☕️
gocleanco
Nov 12
Best part of getting my hair done is hanging with sister @hellohairhouse the results aren’t too shabby either
gocleanco
Nov 9
Just out here doing the lords work. meganrreed_
gocleanco
Nov 4
Okay my DM’s are full of people asking for this to live on the feed. Brew a cup of coffee. I use a @nespresso pod but any regular cup java will do. Add in one scoop of your fav protein powder (or do half if you find this too sweet). This-is-a-wing-it-to-how-you-like-it-recipe as most cups of coffee are. I used vanilla protein powder here with a sprinkle of cinnamon, tastes a Christmasy! My go to is usually chocolate protein because it tastes like a mocha. Froth it with frother and drink it hot or over ice. This gets me 26 grams of protein right in the morning which helps cause I’m not a breakfast person. I’m trying y’all. 💪🏻 🍑
gocleanco
Nov 1
You asked and I delivered! You have been requesting I test the viral Tineco floor washers forever so here they are! Full break down of the S5 and S3 model in my stories plus they are both on sale at Canadian Tire and Amazon! @tinecoglobal #sponsored #floorcare #evolutionofclean
gocleanco
Oct 28
Best one yet. 🤣😂🤣🤣 I told you guys he looks like @mrclean
gocleanco
Oct 25
I have shared my new BLANCO sink and faucet but let’s talk about accessories, did you know BLANCO also has under sink organization systems? I completed my BLANCO UNIT with the BOTTON II, it tidies up the mess under your kitchen sink and it pulls out like a drawer; you can store your cleaning supplies in it and also has a handy dandy little handle so you can take your supplies with you around the house. I have a post up on their blog that goes into depth about BLANCO maintenance and care, and more tips in my stories so make sure you check them out. You folks had lots of questions about BLANCO last round and I am happy to help. Plus BLANCO customer service can answer any maintenance questions you might have. #sponsored @blancoamerica1
gocleanco
Oct 22
You can’t win them all. 🐷🩰
gocleanco
Oct 20
Ghosts have chores too! #happyhalloween
gocleanco
Oct 13
It’s a blessing and a curse, really. #housework
gocleanco
Oct 11
Me for the last 24 hours straight 🥴😵💫 What didn’t you snag that you had on your heart set on for Prime Big Deals Days? Drop ONE THING you didn’t nab in the comments below and maybe we will do some surprise Amazon deliveries! 🥰 The only thing I have had time to buy for myself is a Home Alone Pillow with Kevin’s face on it and some Tide Rescue 😂 Swipe to see ➡️➡️➡️
gocleanco
Oct 9
It is the final week of the Fall Cleaning Challenge which means we are cleaning the Common Area’s in our homes (that’s hallways, closets, mudrooms, porches and laundry rooms) we are ALSO taking our buckets, Aquablades, power washers and shop vacuums outside to clean up our outdoor spaces before the ❄️ hits. This is a big week. What’s the biggest disaster area that you need to tackle this week? I’ll go first. It’s my scary linen closet which currently it has a sign on on it that says CAUTION ⚠️ 😂 I also got a new leaf blower that I am very excited to blast some dirt and 🍂 with. Pace yourselves, WE GOT THIS! 👊🏻 #cleaningtips
gocleanco
Oct 8
If you are sick of doing dishes, we got this off Amazon for Stella’s apartment cause she didn’t have a dishwasher and she would not stop complaining about it. The little window is so cute, you can watch everything that happening in it, it’s almost as dramatic as and episode of Love is Blind. 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ from Stella! #amazonfinds
gocleanco
Oct 7
Hiiiii 👋🏼 Sarah here. I’m the one behind the cleaning hacks, motivation, business tips, home design, decor and sometimes fashion advice and sassy commentary. Oh and I wrote some books in the early days too 🤓 How long have long have you been following along for the ride? Thanks for sticking with me 💕💕💕
gocleanco
Oct 6
Takes me just as long to pick a blanket as it does a pillowcase. 🫠🤣 Everything is linked up in my Amazon Store front! Link is in my bio. Reminder it’s Prime Deals Days next week so expecting lots of stuff to be on sale next week! My rug is from @ruggable and is 9x12 and called the Kamran Hazel. #falldecor