The Kitchn Cure Day 12: Clean and Organize Your Pantry Shelves

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was The Kitchn's founding Design and Lifestyle Editor as well as Managing Editor of Re-Nest, Apartment Therapy’s late '00s green living site. She now thinks a lot about design, kids, and designy kids' things. She lives with her two daughters and their father in St. Paul, MN.
updated May 12, 2022
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(Image credit: Emily Han)

The Kitchn Cure Day 12: Tuesday, August 26
Assignment: Clean and organize your pantry shelves, or wherever you store food. (See all the assignments so far here)
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Yesterday you decluttered your pantry; now it’s time to wash the shelves and get rid of the grime, grease, dust, and that sticky spot from your honey jar that’s been there for months. We’re going to wipe off all storage containers, too, and organize things. Let’s go!

(Image credit: Leela Cyd)

Today’s Assignment (estimated time: 1-2 hours)

  1. Take everything out of your pantry: Remove all food from your pantry shelves, or wherever else you store dry goods, oils, and vinegars. Place everything on the counter or table.
  2. Clean all food storage surfaces: Get a clean wash cloth or sponge and fill a sink or bucket with hot, soapy water. Wipe down the pantry or cupboard shelves. Remove any racks or drawers associated with these areas and wash them in the sink. Dry everything thoroughly with a paper towel or dish towel.
  3. Wipe off containers: Before you replace your food storage containers, wipe off any accumulated grease or dust with a warm, soapy dish cloth. Dry with a paper towel.
  4. Organize your pantry: As you replace all your food items, take a little time to set up a good system of organization. Store like items together, and label and date containers. Need some inspiration? Our editors and writers have gone through a few pantry makeovers of their own. Check out Faith’s project → Before & After: How a Labeler and New Containers Transformed My Pantry and Emily’s project → Before & After: How I Organized All My Little Bags of Gluten-Free Flour
  5. Organize your spices: Check out this post for reader recommendations and tips on to best organize your spices → Organizing Your Spices: 20 Spice Storage Setups and Solutions
  6. Take an “After” photo of your pantry: Does your pantry now have rows of neatly labeled glass containers? Have a stellar spice storage setup? Feeling great about the state of your canned goods? Take a photo of your pantry now and post it to your Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook account, and use the hashtag #kitchncure.
(Image credit: Faith Durand)
(Image credit: The Kitchn)

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