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E-mailTime to take care of your pantry.
With each change of season it’s a great idea to air, and take inventory of certain areas of your home. One area is the pantry. Holding all those good foodstuffs in storage for meals and entertaining it is necessary to make sure your foods are still sealed in their containers, not past the spoilage date, and there are no signs of infestation.
Even if you’re just using a couple of kitchen cupboards to hold your pantry supplies it makes good housekeeping to go through, take stock, and stock up on a regular basis.
Cleaning
First on your list should be cleaning of your pantry shelves.
Old flours, cereals and foods can become a breeding ground for pests aka insects. If your shelves are not papered a good wipe with your favorite cleaner depending on your shelving material will be good.
I like to vacuum my shelves first. Then wipe them down with a damp cloth. And occasionally I will put some lavendar essential oil on a piece of cotton and stuff it in the corners. Alternately the cloth you wipe with can have a bit of the essential oil on it.
Restocking your shelves
When placing your food stuffs back on your shelves here are some tips on food storage and things to do to have a manageable pantry.
Put the oldest purchased of an item near the front so it will be the next one you pick up.
Make sure flours and cereals are sealed tightly. I have purchased special canisters to hold my flours and put a bay leaf in each one to ward off pests. Alternately you can store your flours in the freezer. My freezer is not big enough.
Check cans for bulges and dents. Toss those that are dented and or bulging and past their pull date.
If you’re ultra organized and like to know at all times what you have post your pantry list on the inside of the pantry door.
Have it even more ultra organized and place your pantry list behind a sheet protector. Mark off when you use an item so you know what you need to add to your grocery list.
Now that your pantry is all nice and clean it's time to put everything away in an organized manner so you can find it again.
Get a grocery shopping list template, pantry inventory checklist and much more in Household Notes the Home Organizer Checklists on CD.
