Back for more? Woo hoo! Let’s clean!

Yesterday I told you about my Purge & Merge method. Getting rid of unwanted items and grouping like things together. I use it when approaching any project from packing up a whole house for a move to tackling the pantry. Let’s use the latter as a for instance.

Does your pantry look like this? By the way, you have no idea how much anxiety this photo gives me.

Start with the purge. This should be easy. Expired food? Gone! Unhealthy choices? Chucked. Cans with the labels off? No one likes surprises when hungry.

OK, that was easy right? On to the merge. Think of your pantry as your very own grocery store. Baking aisle, canned goods, snacks, international foods, etc. Group like items together and you’ll never have to wonder just how many jars of peanut butter may be lurking.

And while you’re grouping, baskets are great tools to corral loose packaged items like granola bars or oatmeal packets. I like to put the small containers like baking powder, vanilla extract, and food coloring together. The basket comes with me to the counter when I’m ready to bake! And I love all the snack tips from the Mommy Blogs. Kids can basically pack their own lunches when the options are there for them!

There’s really every canister and container under the sun for pantry items. Have fun with labels or colors but in the end, when organizing the pantry the Purge & Merge works every time. Happy cleaning!