It is almost that time again! Time to start spring cleaning! What better place to start then in the heart of the home, the kitchen. Whether it be the pantry, the fridge or a cluttered countertop we have the tips on how to spruce up your space for the upcoming spring months! If a kitchen clean up sounds daunting and overwhelming keep on reading to make your cleanup simple and productive! 

PANTRY

To tidy up that crowded pantry start by categorizing your items. Some things may be flying off our shelves quicker than others and by keeping everything in its rightful category you can easily decide what to donate/throw away. For the items that are there to stay keep them in clear containers so you can see the contents inside and organize these items accordingly. Once everything is in a container, use labels to keep everything in its assigned spot! 

FRIDGE & FREEZER

When it comes to the fridge or freezer you want to organize your food by zones, and keep these zones labelled! For example, keep all your condiments on one side of the fridge door and all your salad dressings on another. Everyone is working with limited space in these areas and by assigning a certain amount of room for a category of food you will only keep the necessities! For the freezer, make sure that the items you tend to grab the most are right in the front.  

COUNTERTOPS

All flat surfaces become a magnet for clutter! When it comes to your kitchen countertops you want to be very picky about what you leave there. A great suggestion is to organize your counter space by stations. For example, have a station for coffee where you keep your coffee machine and pods or have a station for baking where you leave your mixer. To avoid clutter and chaos, the appliances you are not consistently using on a daily or weekly basis do not need to be left on the countertops.  

Let's face it, the pantry is an easy space to forget about and clutter can build up over time. But there is nothing like a lockdown to get you really questioning the organization of your nonperishable goods. We have gathered three key steps to aid in overcoming that pantry clutter. If you are looking on tips to revamp and reorganize that daunting pantry, then keep on reading!  

STEP ONE: CLEAN-OUT UNNECESSARY ITEMS

If you have been avoiding cleaning out your pantry for some time now then chances are there are many items you no longer need or have even expired. Think of what you use most in the kitchen and separate your pantry items according to staples you often cook with and things you no longer reach for. Anything that is unopened can be donated. Anything that has an overdue expiry date or any dinged up/rusted cans can be recycled. Once you have downsized your pantry items the fun part begins! 

STEP TWO: CATEGORIZE AND LABEL CONTAINERS

The key to an organized “picture worthy” pantry is decanting boxes and bags of food into clear containers. Not only does this give your pantry a seamless look it is also more practical to see the contents in the container than the ingredients on the side of a box. Use matching glass or plastic containers to really have a uniform pantry. If there are cooking instructions or ingredients you must keep, cut them out and tape them to the bottom of the containers. Once your goods are in containers invest in a label marker or hand write labels from your local dollar store to distinguish containers.  

STEP THREE: UTILIZE YOUR SPACE WELL

Now that your goods are sorted, categorized, and labelled you can begin filling up your pantry! You want to utilize the space you have to the best of your ability. Add Lazy Susans for smaller items that you have multiples of, such as spices. Add drawers or trays to your shelfing to store canned goods, and to make items in the very back of the shelving more accessible. Use baskets that match your containers to store items such as fruit or individually wrapped granola bars. When all is organized make sure to leave space for items to be added into your pantry and remember to declutter frequently!