Many of us have faced the fact that a food should be thrown away, because of the inability to eat it. How we know? Well, there is a smell, a change of colour, even some little meat-worms or ants, if we were on a vacation and forgot something perishable in the pantry. If it is stale, it should be thrown away.
After throwing it, however, we still have to get rid of the smell in the pantry with the purpose of preventing what’s left of its content. It can be done quick and efficiently if you have your way of handling things.
Remove all from the inside by freeing one section at a time. One shelf, and then the next one. You can pull a table for all of the content or a piece of cardboard for each shelf. Determining a clear section for each part of the pantry will be very helpful when you return the goods back in.
After that throw anything you don’t need: it is not necessary that in your pantry all you have is food. So throw it away, if it is useless. Decide and get rid of spoiled or infested food, or such which you do not know how to prepare or use. Take out the old umbrella, you will find a better place for it than in the pantry. Remove chemical stuff. They should not be in close compartments and within the limits of the living parts of the house, or next to food, drinks or easily lid material. Better find a place for them in the garage.
Start cleaning the pantry by wiping every shelf. Though some of them might be clean, do not hesitate to use a damp cloth for all of them. Remove any cobweb, remnants or dirt, reveal their true colour if it is possible. After finishing, let them dry for a while, but with no sign of moisture – thoroughly. Now you can line them up, or check for loose ends and straighten them properly.
After doing so, comes the time to return the content back. In all the cases, without exception, it should be less than the one you took out from there. Clean each compartment, container, box or packing. If anything has leaked, change its packing before putting it back.
A good and helpful idea is the organization. You should separate food in one section, and other goods – in the other. On its turn, food can be divided into different categories – spices, bottled fruit and vegetable, canned food. Put in the back those which you will not use presently, and the ones you need immediately, at the front of the rows. Leave a small empty area, which in all the cases, you will need, if you tend to keep valuable material and you need more space.
Step back twice and enjoy the look of your new pantry.