Ever since Marie Kondo appeared on our screens, our social media feeds have been filled with ultra-tidy kitchen pantries, encouraging us to join the pantry organisation bandwagon.
ClickClack has teamed up with none other than professional home organiser and Founder of The Organising Platform, Chelsea Smith, to demonstrate how you can achieve an Insta- worthy pantry in just a few simple steps.
Chelsea shares her five top tips on getting started with your pantry organisation project.
STEP 1: INVEST IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS
Airtight containers can make a serious difference when it comes to shelf life and food health. From keeping chips crisp to coffee beans flavoursome, airtight containers can work wonders for almost every food in your pantry.
TIP: Make sure your containers are transparent. It will be so much easier to find your ingredients and you’ll know with one glimpse when you’re running low on stock. Check out my favourite food storage solutions from ClickClack’s pantry organisation range.
STEP 2: CLEAR IT UP!
Next step to a WOW-pantry is getting rid of things you don’t need. Just stop and think: Do you really need five different types of raisins? And what about those Asian spices you bought last year to make one recipe and never used ever since? The answer is ‘no’. Take the time and go through your pantry. We’re positive you’ll find a stack of ingredients gone past their expiry date and you simply will never use again. Once this is done, give all the surfaces a good wipe-down and remove any lurking crumbs.
STEP 3: CATEGORISE YOUR ITEMS
One of the most important pantry organisation steps is grouping your items in a logical way. For example, put all the different types of flours and pastas together. Herbs and spices might form another group. This will help you to find your items easier and create long lasting order.
STEP 4: IT’S TIME FOR DECANTING
Get rid of the awkward plastic bags and pop our food items in your containers – these will not only increase the longevity of most dry foods but also creates extra space! Stackable food storage containers are the most space-efficient way to organise your kitchen pantry and they look oh-so attractive.
STEP 5: CLEARLY LABEL ALL CONTAINERS WITH EXPIRY DATES
Last but not least, it’s time for labelling. There are so many wonderful labelling options out there such as little chalkboards, stickers, customised labels in typewriter font or even in calligraphy!
You can even write on your transparent food storage containers by hand yourself. Either way, make sure you include the ‘best before’ dates to keep track of your items’ expiry.
