Decanting Pantry Food

declutter

1. to remove mess or clutter from (a place).

2. to organize and prioritize (one’s commitments, material possessions, etc.)

3. to let it go

Declutter First, Organize Next.

Pulling out what you no longer want is key to creating space and will make the organizing process smoother. Whether it’s clothing from a hanger, shoes from a rack, books from a shelf, paper from a filing cabinet, or toys from a bin, it’s time to make decisions on the things you are ready to let go. Focus first on decluttering. When the unwanted is out of the way, begin cleaning and organizing.

*** Read both steps before getting started, and choose how you will like to proceed. If you have a lot of food to go through and are limited on time, break the process up into the DECLUTTER step now and the CLEANING & ORGANIZING step later. ***

Step One

Declutter the Pantry and Food Cabinets

Take a “Before” photo of the pantry or food cabinets.
Have on hand plenty of plastic trash or paper bags for 1) trash, 2) recycling, 3) compost 4) give away/donate items
Prep a bottle of all-purpose cleaner or mild soap, and a clean sponge or rag.
Grab a pen and pad of paper for notes.
One area at a time, pull out the old and expired food from the kitchen cabinets, pantry, refrigerator/freezer, even the emergency kit (make a list of what needs immediate replacement in the kit.) You may have heard that labels offer “suggested” expirations, but are you willing to take that chance?
Compost expired food and recycle the packaging. If you have non-expired, non-perishable dry food you want to give away, set it aside in the “donate” bag.
Make note of what you are buying too much of and prevent future waste.

Step Two

Clean and Organize the Shelves & Cabinets (can be done the same day or another)

If you didn’t already take everything out during the declutter process, do it one cabinet or shelf at a time. Place on a nearby table or countertop surface. Start sorting and place like with like. Your brain is making an important mental note of what you own.
Sort like items – soups, grains, beans, breads, snack foods, baking items, spices, breakfast items, drink (tea, coffee, cocoa, etc.) Keep like with like to find things faster and avoid buying duplicates.
Wipe empty food cabinets and pantry surfaces with a wet and warm, soapy cloth or all-purpose cleaner. Crumbs and goop accumulate over time, like on that bottle of honey. Keep ants and critters from sniffing out the goods and protect your cabinets with regular cleaning. Allow to completely dry before putting things away.
Put away like items together, labels facing forward when possible. Think “grocery store display.”
Take an “After” photo of your organized pantry & food cabinets.

Feel like getting a little more organized around the kitchen? Read up on how to make a Drink Zone.

Isabella Guajardo, founder and owner of Bella Organizing, is a San Francisco Bay Area professional organizer offering home organizing, interior redesign, and residential move management services throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call (510) 229-7321 or email info@bellaorganizing.com for more information. Gift certificates are available.

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Six Simple Steps To Get Organized

rid-pet-hair-downsize-minimalize-newton — My boy Newton. He owns and loves but a few simple toy, but we have the most fun hiking together in the East Bay Regional Park hills.

Getting organized doesn’t happen overnight.

It’s a process or a “lifestyle change” that develops and improves over time. The more action you take toward an organized lifestyle, the more time you will have for family, friends, hobbies, life goals, and yourself. With faithful practice, you will become more organized. Here are six simple steps to get you started:

Pick a zone
Make a list
Sort like items
Give Away/Sell/Donate
Organize
Congratulate yourself

1. Pick a zone.

Choose a room or area of that room where with a little decluttering and organizing you will get instant gratification. Don’t try to tackle the entire garage or house in one day…stick with a SMALL area of one room, such as one small closet or cabinet. Focus on getting this area completely organized just the way you want it. The positive feeling of SUCCESS helps to keep us moving toward our goals.

2. Make a list.

Prioritize projects to complete within that zone before moving on to another (1., 2., 3., etc.). For example, if decluttering and organizing a pantry:

Pull out and compost old and expired food
Wipe down shelves with a cleaning solution
Arrange food into categories
Make a list of food that needs to be replaced and/or organizing supplies to pick up that will help streamline the pantry.

3. Sort like items.

Do you have multiples of something you prefer to store in this zone in different areas around the house? Bring them together. Don’t stray too far! Stick with organizing this zone. Finding things that don’t belong here? Put them in a pile and find them a home later or drop them off in the general area that *should* be their home and leave them there for now. You’ll fine tune later. Get back to sorting your priority zone. Do a little dusting while here.

4. Give Away/Sell/Donate.

Gather paper or plastic grocery or trash bags, cardboard Amazon or moving boxes, and label them accordingly for Give Away, Sell, and Donate. Fill them with things found in this zone that you want to bestow upon someone you know and love (Give Away), things you would like to make money back on (Sell) and things you don’t want that aren’t worth the time to sell but still have a little life in them (Donate). Place a Recycle and Trash bin or bag nearby, in case you come across this stuff in the process. #4 is an optional but very important step to de-cluttering and downsizing.

5. Organize.

Place items where it makes the most sense to you. Should everything in this zone be tidied up and left here or taken somewhere else in the house where it makes more sense to be? Did you find keys that should instead hang on a hook by the door, or go in a specific drawer in the kitchen? Did you happen upon a set of winter gloves that should go into a drawer in your dresser, or into each jacket pocket so they are instantly there when you need them? (I leave mine in my jackets and LOVE always finding them there.)

6. Congratulate yourself for coming this far.

Great job! You completed organizing a zone. Now set up a date with yourself to tackle another zone and add to the accomplishments.

Isabella Guajardo has provided professional home organizing and residential move management services to hundreds of individuals and families from all walks of life including single parents, school teachers, college professors, lawyers, doctors, Pulitzer Prize winners, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. The thing 90% of them have in common? Too much stuff they were ready to downsize. Bella Organizing helps you to tackle and reach your declutter and organizing goals.

Call (510) 229-7321 to schedule a complimentary telephone consultation.