Total Pantry Clean Out!

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  After months of cooking and entertaining,(well...maybe my awesome wife did this...) it’s time to start fresh with an organized pantry. Finish the job in record time with our 5 steps to a clean cupboard.
  
  1. Clear the space. Start by taking everything out of your pantry. Toss goods that are past their prime—expired spices, boxes of stale cereal and almost-empty bags of chips, to name a few. If you have duplicate canned goods you won’t use soon, donate them to your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. And don’t throw away those empty tea tins and coffee cans—repurpose them as jade plant containers.
  
  Instead of moving back and forth to throw away items, pull the trashcan near you. Try lining it with Glad® OdorShield with Febreze® Freshness trash bags—they neutralize strong food odors and come in three scents: Fresh Clean, Fresh Lemon and Fresh Vanilla.
  
  2. Clean everything. First, vacuum up crumbs, broken pieces of pasta, spilled flour and other bits of food. Then wipe everything down, from the top shelf to the bottom drawer. Pay special attention to stuck-on messes, especially melted chocolate, dried-on sauce and sticky honey, all of which can attract unwanted pests.
  
  Rid your pantry shelves of dirt and grime quickly and easily with Mr. Clean® Multi-Surfaces Spray with Febreze® Freshness. It cleans to a shine you'll love, plus leaves the space smelling fresh.
  
  3. Go shopping. Try store-bought storage solutions. Keep snacks and cereal in sturdy plastic containers where they’re less likely to spill. Pour flour and sugar into canisters or glass jars—for easy measuring, opt for containers with wide openings. Use a lazy Susan for spices, so when you need to find the cayenne or cloves, all it takes is a spin.
  
  Tip: For organization that doubles as décor, clip your tea bags to a clever clothespin wreath, then hang it on the pantry door.
  
  4. Develop a system. Whether your pantry’s big or small, follow a few general rules of thumb. First, group items by category: Baking needs; pasta and rice; condiments, dressings and sauces; snacks (sweets, popcorn and chips can all have their own space, if desired); soup; and canned vegetables. Keep everyday stuff like cereal and lunch supplies easily accessible, and store healthy munchies where children can get to them.
  
  5. Stay organized.You’ve spent so much time on the initial cleaning and organizing—now let it pay off. As you unpack groceries, put new, non-perishable items behind older goods so you know what to use first. Consolidate as you go, too. For example, when the peanuts are almost gone, buy a fresh canister and pour the old on top of the new.
  
  What have you done to clean out your pantry? Any other suggestions? Please comment.