Last month, thanks to a mealy moth infestation, I had to completely clean out our pantry – a closet that has been plagued with clutter for as long as I can remember.
This was certainly not a 15-minute project, but instead was a 2-3 hour project spread out over the course of two weeks, tackled in 15-20 minute bits.
There were many moments of absolute chaos during the process, but there was also a deep sense of peace in the natural growing pains that were occurring. You see, for as long as I can remember, I have also wanted to have organized pantry shelves filled with organic, whole food ingredients, rather than jumbled boxes of processed foods.
And finally, thanks to a blessing that came in the disguise of small winged pests, I do.
I present to you, the pantry before:
The pantry (and the kitchen shelves) during:
And our new, MUCH improved pantry, a place that instead of overwhelming me and zapping my energy, now brings me joy and inspires me to create healthy meals for our family:
In the bottom left corner is our basket of grab-and-go foods – granola bars, crackers, pretzels, juice boxes etc. The rest are raw, whole food ingredients (all of which were placed in the freezer for three days to kill off any potential moths ;-)!
And I couldn’t be more pleased — and grateful for the uninvited guests that gave me the motivation I needed to finally take action!
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For a fun and eclectic list of things that are working in other families, check out Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.
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I’m impressed. Good job! :)
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I love the transformation. And I love the way that you describe that this renewed space brings you joy and inspiration. I have a few energy zapping spaces in my home, and this is inspiring me to do something about it. Thanks!
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wow, that IS inspiring. That’s just the way I picture my own pantry “some day,” but ideally maybe I can work on transforming the food spaces at my parents’ house in that direction, in the meantime ;)
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Beautiful! I love storing my pantry items in mason jars. It is so easy to see what you have, keep it fresh and know when to buy more. Plus, it just looks pretty, doesn’t it? Your pantry has inspired me to uncover & restock my jars of whole food ingredients…they’re somewhere behind all those boxes and bags!
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how beautiful! i think you stirred some motivation to move towards my toppling pantry!
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every since I deep cleaned my kitchen it has been so much easier to keep up. I wish the same for you.
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Wow, your new pantry looks GREAT! I can understand why the moths were a blessing in disguise. Although I hope they’re gone for good. :)
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And if you are anything like me, you go back to the closet again and again opening the door just to take a peek at the awesomeness that is organization. =)
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Wow! That looks really fabulous! What an improvement.
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I cleaned and re-organized my pantry several months ago – it took hours, and I experienced the same feelings of upheaval and then relief. It was a great start to my whole-house cleaning and re-organization process, I felt a great sense of accomplishment, and I made sure that it was more child-friendly when I finished. It has stayed relatively organized, too. What does need attention now takes only minutes. Thanks for sharing!
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Nice job! I am sure that was a lot of work.
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I’d love to know where you got your jars! I’ve been searching for something along those lines and have come up empty handed.
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i found them at my local best hardware store. the one near me has an incredible selection of canning supplies.
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Wow, I am impressed. I just cleaned mine out too but your looks 100 times nicer than mine! I just rearranged stuff you actually made it over!
Great Job -
I also put a bay leaf in each container which keeps pests away. I buy them very cheaply at a health food store…much cheaper than at the grocery store.
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Super pantry makeover! I love all those containers — where did you get them?
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Gorgeous! We use the jars for bulk foods, too. I agree–inspires me to create.
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I live the contrast between the energy-zapping space and the inspiring space… So true, and something I struggle with daily being home full-time with two little ones. :-)
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