Pantry Organisation: 4 Top Tips from Professional Organiser Chelsea Smith

Pantry Organisation: 4 Top Tips from Professional Organiser Chelsea Smith

When it comes to pantry organisation, there’s one person we love getting advice from – Chelsea Smith, professional organiser and founder of The Organising Platform. Last time, she told us how to get that perfect pantry in just a few simple steps.

This time, she returned with a deliciously detailed Instagram Live on what you can do to get the best out of your space and take your pantry to the next level. In this blog article, we’ve summed up her top pantry organisation tips to create and maintain a tidy space.

 

Invest in good quality containers

Pantry organisation starts with the right food storage containers. It’s essential to invest with a set of good quality containers because spending a little extra on an airtight seal goes a long way.

Why? As well as keeping your food fresh and crispy, airtight containers can stop those dreaded pantry moths and weevils in their tracks! These little critters are often bred in our supermarket warehouses and brought home in our flour bags, where they later hatch and cause havoc amongst our dry goods.

Airtight containers properly seal your foods away and stop the pantry moths and weevils from infesting other dry goods, saving you time and money on cleaning up compromised food.

Other qualities to look for in your containers are whether they are stackable and the level of visibility. Stackable containers reign king in a pantry of any size, giving you the freedom to stack and manoeuvre as you please, while a clear container instantly saves you time when looking for ingredients or snacks for the kids.

Our Pantry range is an airtight, stackable, and BPA-free option for those looking to upgrade. It’s available in round and cube shapes and a myriad of sizes, so you can plan and purchase according to your needs.

 

Chelsea’s favourites:  Pantry Round Spaghetti Storage Container and Cookie Container.

 

Determine how you cook to get the best out of your pantry

As Chelsea says, “No two pantries are the same.” What works for your neighbour may not necessarily work for you, so determining or categorising your pantry space according to how you cook is key.

Shelf-risers are vastly under-utilised in the pantry. But they can instantly show you what is low on stock – perfect for when you’re writing your shopping list, grouping like items together and finding them, and, of course, they add a lovely visual element to any space.

Lazy Susans or turntables are excellent for oil and vinegar bottles and make corner pantries or difficult to access areas much more user-friendly. You can also use them in the laundry with cleaning products or detergents or even in your bathroom with cosmetics.

When it comes to baskets, choose them based on budget and pantry configuration. Deeper pantries may require long, clear plastic tubs, whereas shallower pantries or shelving could work with a simple square woven basket. Either way, labelling is imperative and will go a long way in keeping things nice and tidy.

 

Chelsea’s tip: Store the most used items at eye level and the least used items at the bottom or top. Store similar items together to smoothen the process and save time: coffee pods and tea bags, kettle and coffee machine, mugs etc.

 

Label everything and track use-by dates!

Labelling is essential for many reasons, like finding things instantly, but also help with knowing where to return them to help maintain a tidy space.

Labelling can also help you keep track of the use-by dates of your pantry items. Chelsea has an easy process to follow:

  1. Think about which items you want to keep track of (Do you want to track everything in your pantry or only certain items?)
  2. Note the use-by dates from the original bag on a small sticker. Keep it simple.
  3. Stick the new sticker onto your decanted item, low and at the back, to keep your pantry aesthetic.

 

Chelsea’s tip: Keep your labels clear and direct, and shop from your pantry before heading to the supermarket.

 

Maintenance is easier with help

Maintaining a pantry you have created is easy – it’s when other people are included in the process where mess can happen.

In this instance, Chelsea’s top tip is to have a clear conversation with your family members to help them understand why it is important they return items where they found them. This could help lower your stress, reduce the amount of wastage, help you save time when cooking, etc.

Whatever it is, talking to the other people in our homes is the best way to help maintain your beautiful pantry and keep it nice and organised.

 

Want to watch the Pantry Organisation Live? Check out the entire session with Chelsea here.

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