I can't tell you how much I love organizing kitchens! Don't tell anyone, but pantries are my absolute favorite job to do!
Organizing your pantry will create healthier eating habits and make meal planning a breeze! Here's how I helped my client achieve this.
My client had some great goals set for 2023, she wanted to "clear out all the junk foods and have one dedicated place for healthy foods, be able to find things, and cook more meals at home." This seemed like some great goals and gave me lots of ideas on how I can make her goals become reality. Upon further inspection of her kitchen, my client and her family had placed food and snacks in 4 different areas of the kitchen. I asked why she had so many places for food and she replied, "I just don't have the space..."
I hear this statement just about every time I work with a new client. The fact of it is, they have the space, it just isn't being utilized correctly or there is too much clutter and most often it's both issues at hand.
My first course of action was to get all the foods together and find the items that were expired and not healthy and tossed them.
Second, I cleared out a cupboard that was full of cleaning supplies that didn't really belong in the space and replaced the shelves and wa lah, instant pantry space! I then got to work on fitting bins and placing food categories into containers. I didn't label the snack area because that category is forever changing and would be too much work for my client in the long run. We did end up saving a few junk food snacks for her grand kids but now she feels like she can start cooking healthier meals because she can find her food!
I then moved on to her spice area. Again, she said she could't find anything. With problem solving in mind, I noticed that the pull out storage that she had her spices currently in was not functioning at all, in fact it was failing. First, to be able to find a spice jar she would have to kneel down and pull half of everything out to find anything. I decided that the best way to resolve this was to just take everything out of the space and find a cupboard higher up for easier access. I found a spice jar stand and set that fit and labeled each item on the tops of each jar. I then used the old spice drawer storage which is next to the oven and sink for dish towels and pot holders!
When I moved onto her drawers, this one was the one in dyer need of help. Organizing baggies and wraps can be so easy with the right containment. This storage box specifically for these items did the trick!
My client had this great bench area right off the garage that she never used because it was a catchall for items that were easily stored underneath. I found her some really nice matching baskets and labeled them to keep this system in place.
Remember all those cleaning supplies from before? I find that command hooks can be your secret weapon in finding more space. I hung items that are regularly used on the door so that nothing is stored on the ground and contained the rest.
My client likes to bake during the holiday, so I went through each item for expired items and contained the rest in easy to pull out bins and lazy Susans so she could reach top items without them getting lost.
Don't forget, lazy Susans are a perfect way to solve that corner cabinet issue! I found these 18" turntables that fit perfectly in this space and now the items in the back no longer get lost!
After finishing my client's entire kitchen, she has reported back that she now cooks more meals at home, and can already see a difference in her health and diet!
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