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Honored Contributor
Posts: 32,485
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

Have you done this recently too?  

 

Whew!  Woman Frustrated  I cleaned the pantry of flour, oatmeal, cereal, dry goods and sorted out all the oils and vinegars yesterday!

 

What a mess! Woman Embarassed  But it looks much much better!  Our trash is picked up Monday, so we always clean the fridge on Sunday, but the pantry had quite a bit of flours and oils out of date.  

 

I think the pandemic made it a worse mess than normal.  But it looks so good, and now next week:  The dreaded canned goods!  Woman Happy

 

So is this late spring cleaning?  Or early "seasonal" cleaning?  Or just "sick of looking at the mess" cleaning? 'Ya think?  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,971
Registered: ‎04-05-2010

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

lol..."any & all of the above" cleaning. I've been "in that mood" also. We were away last two weeks but before going I cleaned out some old decor in my storage, went through my purses and other things for consignment, (going to bring them on Monday), and decluttered more drawers this morning. Feeling "ruthless" want any old chotchke or anything not needed OUT NOW! Gotta do that when I'm in that mood! 

 

Funny you mentioned this...was just thinking of getting to old boxed things in my cabinet. My oils and vinegars are up to date and organized. My spices I did during winter so they are fine too. 

 

Basically, I'm just looking in every nook and cranny for anything to toss! I think it's "heat wave" wanting to lighten up for me!

 

It does feel good~so good job~enjoy!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,283
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

I'd call it sick of looking at the mess because I went through the linen closet because I was sick of looking at the mess, lol!

 

Today when I pass by it, I have to open the door and admire my handiwork!

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,788
Registered: ‎08-18-2016

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

   It's such a tiny part of the house, and something most visitors will never see, but doesn't it feel good to get those staples and spices orderly?

 

My fruit cellar/canned goods and starchy goods are fine, but my spices are a disgraceful mess!

   Don't look!!  

         🙈

Honored Contributor
Posts: 35,608
Registered: ‎05-22-2016

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

I think I really need to do that, too. Most of my spices are so old and need to be tossed. I'm not much of a cook so I hardly ever use them. There's a ton of them in my cabinet.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,163
Registered: ‎10-04-2010

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

Think of it as "minimalizing"....

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,630
Registered: ‎12-12-2010

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

I recently had a forced clean.  We moved, but I will say ours wasn't a mess anyway.  We keep our flour, cornmeal & grits in the refrigerator since we live in a tropical environment

 

Speaking of grits...I think I'll suggest Shrimp & Grits for supper to my husband!  He can do it!

Time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. It isn’t how long you live that matters; it is how well you are prepared to die. ~~Colonel Robert B. Thieme, Jr.
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,245
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

Yesterday I organized the canned goods/packets in my pantry using two sets of the idesign plastic bins from Costco.   I should have done this ages ago, so much easier to see what I have.

 

I have a spice drawer that was a jumbled mess and purchased a set of those empty spice bottles with labels from Amazon.  Now everything is organized and labeled and finding the spice I want is a breeze.  Should've done that years ago, too.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,295
Registered: ‎03-27-2010

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

@Sooner   Yes...and it was a multi-day task!  My creative husband helped....for spices he made racks that easily pull out of the cupboard, so you can see everything at a glance.  He turned built-in cabinets into another pantry.  He bought racks that allows cans to stack and roll to the front.  We bought plastic bins and used a label-maker to designate nuts, seeds, grains, flours, legumes, etc.

 

 Our family is vegan , I love creating new dishes and like to have everything on hand.....I use very little canned/processed foods, but tons of produce, herbs, and spices.  We have a 6' floor rack that holds unrefrigerated produce and two refrigerators. I enjoy using my chef skills and creating dishes for others. 

 

Congratulations on mission accomplished...feels great to have an organized kitchen!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 21,845
Registered: ‎10-03-2011

Re: Pantry Cleaning: Flour, dry goods, oil and vinegar!

Doesn't it feel good when you open your cabinet and it looks nice?  When we converted to keto, I did a major overhaul in the kitchen - pitched a lot and donated what I could.  I also bought a number of OXO and Prepworks containers and labeled them for my assortment of flours, seeds, sweeteners, nuts, coconut, whey powder, gelatin, etc.  Everything has its place and has to be put away accordingly.  It's really helped to keep a couple of cabinets organized.  The only two liquid oils I use are EVOO and Avocado oil.  I have dedicated bottles with spouts on the counter and keep the bigger resource bottle stashed away for refilling as needed.