Just like your clothing cupboard, your kitchen pantry needs a good ‘spring’ cleaning once in a while.

Half-used packets of yeast, spilling-out bags of rice, cereal boxes with just sawdust left at the bottom of them… Kitchen cupboards left to their own devices can turn into wastelands of expired, unwanted food – or worse, perfectly good items getting lost among all the things you’re too scared to even touch. Spend an afternoon spring-cleaning your pantry, and you’ll soon realise why this is something you should be doing more often.

1 Take everything out

This may sound counterintuitive, but you need to know what you’re working with before you crack on with the spring-clean. So, empty your cupboards and line everything up on the kitchen counter.

2 Throw out the nasty

For some things, you’ll know straight away that they’re destined for the bin – maybe it’s the discolouration of the packaging, the odour that it’s releasing, or maybe you recall buying it some 10 years ago. Go through everything, check their best-before dates, and chuck everything that has expired. Often, there are also all those almost-empty boxes or bottles that just take up space.

3 And while you’re checking everything, take stock!

Whip out a pen and paper, and start noting down what you’re left with. This way, you’ll know exactly what you need the next time that you’re in the shops, especially when it comes to the frequently used staples. Also make a note of the things you haven’t touched in a long time – maybe you should stop buying that fancy tinned liver pâté?

4 Cleaning time

Wipe down every corner of all the cupboards with a damp cloth and kitchen cleaner. Then, follow up with a dry cloth. Use the same damp cloth to wipe down containers, bottles and boxes that look a little dusty or may have gotten a bit sticky.

5 Container love

Some things are just a pain to pack away – we’re looking at you, awkward packet of open spaghetti. This is where handy containers come in. You can decant food that goes stale quickly (cereal or crackers), or the food you buy in bulk, such as grains, flour, pap or rice. This means you can stash the massive packets elsewhere, and keep the neat container in your kitchen. Don’t forget to label everything though, along with the expiration dates too.

6 Pack and group

Now, you can clear up and get everything back in the cupboards. Group similar items together, such as baking ingredients, tins, rice and pasta. If you struggle to see past the first row of items, use storage shelves to create levels.

Words: Claire Davies | Photography: Unsplash