It's nearly impossible to have a clean and orderly cabinet or pantry all of the time. At some point, you'll end up overstocking up on one item, having half-full boxes of cereal that are a bit stale but not enough to throw away, and whatever else keeps the closet in your kitchen just a bit messy.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to keep your pantry spiff and spam and to avoid it getting out of hand. That’s where professional organizers come in.
“I’m a professional organizer, and today, I’m organizing this pantry for a family of five,” @tidycademypro on TikTok said in a recent video that has over 92,000 likes. “As you can see, there’s lots to do.”
The first step she tackles is emptying the pantry completely and cleaning up. While she’s doing that, she separates all of the items into categories: expired food to throw away, canned foods to donate, and items that can be stored elsewhere in the house. Then, she takes stock of everything that’s left behind—these are the items you want to focus on and keep in the pantry.
That’s when the creator takes the most important step in pantry organization: She measures everything.
“The next thing I do is take measurements and write down what type of containment is needed,” the creator says. That way, when she orders the baskets and other storage containers, everything will fit perfectly, and she’ll be able to maximize her space. And one thing you definitely don’t want to do as a family of five is limit the space you have.
“Once everything has arrived, it’s time to implement,” @tidycademypro said before running viewers through all of the containers she has and what she’ll be using them for. She has "cute baskets" for the top shelf to store things like paper products, baking gadgets, and treats and candy; an expandable riser for canned foods; and divided turntables for storing snacks or bottles and sauces.
"They’re also the perfect thing to maximize the corner space in a pantry," she continues. "I’m using these wicker baskets on the middle shelf to store prepackaged dinner items like rice and noodles. These baskets match the top shelf baskets, and I’m using them to hold snacks and protein powder.”
Then she takes stock of what might be outside of the pantry that should be inside it, like the bread the family typically keeps on the kitchen countertops. In order to clear out much needed kitchen space, she moves it into the pantry.
“These clear acrylic bins are perfect for holding kids' snacks since they allow them to see exactly what’s inside. I’m placing these on the bottom shelf, and lastly, these cute wicker baskets are for chips and back stock items,” she says, completing the pantry transition.
Cleaning out a pantry is no easy feat, but it sure does feel calming to have everything in exactly the place you need it. Just don't skip the measuring.