Before
The bottle brush and scrubbing pads were scattered behind the sink in a pile, but when I was cleaning underneath the sink I found that little white caddy.
After
Instead of using chemicals to clean, I used a recipe from the index of Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living
Before
Picture these counters with the coffee maker, utensil container, and knife block, along with a toaster, smoothie maker, and spice rack. I found other homes for three of those appliances, and now I have a lot more room!
After
The book says to take everything out of your cupboards and drawers, clean them all out, and then put it back in a way that works better for you. Well, I didn’t do that. I just wiped down the fronts and rearranged the ones that weren’t working for me.
Before
The pantry definitely wasn’t working for me. I took most of the stuff out, and thought through what I used most often. The top shelf was a catch all for all kinds of stuff, and the bottom shelf was a mess too. There was so much space going to waste, and after cleaning off the counters, I wanted to use some of it to store some of the appliances.
After
I threw out prescription information from prescriptions that had been used up, and removed objects that belong somewhere else. Then I categorized the rest, and sectioned off areas for it. We needed to get groceries at the time, so there’s lots of free space still.
I put appliances and cookbooks on the top shelf because they’re big enough that I can see them from below without having to pull out the step-stool. I put cooking and baking ingredients on one side of second shelf and breakfast stuff on the other side. The next shelf is for snacks and beverages, the one under that is for spices, sauces, and pasta. On the bottom shelf that’s partly obscured by Kopek, canned food takes up half and plastic bags and the step-stool take up the other side.
A few days later, I bought a metal shelf stacker thing. It doubled the space! It was a great purchase. Here’s a similar one from Organize.com that has even more space:
I used silverware containers to corral seasonings that don’t go on the spice rack.
When’s the last time you cleaned out your pantry? Does your kitchen space work for you?
Day One: Organized Simplicity
Days 2 and 3: Redecorating and Decluttering the Living Room, Office, and Dining Room
Days 4 and 5: Cleaning and Organizing the Kitchen and Pantry
Day 6: Decluttering and Organizing the Bathrooms
Days 7 and 8: Redecorating and Organizing the Bedrooms
Day 9: Redecorating and Organizing the Master Bedroom
Day 10: Organizing the Linen Closet and Entry Way
