Cleaning Out

• The first thing to do when organizing the kitchen pantry is take everything out. Get large boxes or bags to hold like items together. While you are cleaning out the pantry, check the expiration dates on everything you have. Also check for signs of damage or age such as discoloration on cans, or dirt or mold, and for open bags or cartons. Anything that is damaged should be tossed. After you get everything out, wipe down the shelving and the floor to remove dirt or dust.
  
  

Organizing

• Next, start sorting items into piles of similar use or type. Keep all of the vegetables together, and sort them by subgroup to see how many of each type you have. If you find more than five or six cans of one vegetable, consider donating something to local food pantries. This also applies to noodles and unopened boxed foods. Sauces and soups can go together; baking mixes and items also go into one group. If you find many boxes of one type of item, consider consolidating. Find one large container that can be filled with the two boxes of pancake mix, for example. This will save room. Mark any items without dates or labels. Make sure they are used first.
  
  

Using Containers

• If you are one of those people who have bags of noodles or packages of sauces, you probably need a container to organize them properly so they won't get tossed around. Dishpans, plastic containers and boxes work very well for organizing these loose items. Many dollar stores have a variety of storage containers that can be marked and used for this purpose. Some vegetables, such as onions and potatoes, can be stored this way as well.
  
  

Replacing the Food

• Once you have the food sorted out and itemized, it's time to put it all back so that you can find it again. An easy way to place items so that they get used in order is to build a rolling shelf in the pantry. This is easily done by building a lip on the front of one shelf and raising the rear of the shelf 1 inch higher than the front. Place the oldest cans in front; each time you take a can from the shelf, the next oldest can moves up. Another idea is to put snack foods on the top shelf to keep them out of reach. Put the canned items on the middle shelves for easy access. Use the floor for soda and juices as well as larger cans and boxes. Put the items in the dishpans or plastic containers on the upper shelves so that nothing drips into or onto them. Try to keep the items you use most often at eye level so you can find them at a glance.