Back to School Pantry Refresh: The Home Edit Method
Yesterday I finally tackled a project that had been on my back to school to do list: completely deep cleaning and organizing our pantry.
Getting the house organized before the school year starts makes such a difference in our routine. When everyone knows where things are, and more importantly, where they go back. There’s less confusion, less mess, and mornings just feel a little easier.
For this pantry makeover, I followed The Home Edit method with a few of my own modifications to make it work for our family and our space.
First: Deep Clean Everything
Before I organized a single thing, I completely emptied the pantry and gave it a good deep clean. If you’re already taking everything out, it’s the perfect opportunity to really refresh the space.
I sprayed and wiped down all of the shelves, vacuumed the floors, tossed anything that was expired, and started with a completely clean slate.
Give Everything a Home
The biggest change was creating specific categories for everything. Before, our pantry was basically pure chaos on the shelves. Things were shoved wherever there was room, which also meant no one really knew where anything belonged.
I separated everything into categories like:
Baking supplies
Spices
Condiments
Canned goods
Drinks
Snacks
Lunchbox supplies
Backstock
Label Everything
This might be my favorite part of the Home Edit method because it takes away the guesswork.
Everyone in the family can see exactly where something belongs, which hopefully means I’m not the only person capable of putting the pantry back together.
Mix Baskets + Clear Bins
One modification I made was using a mixture of clear plastic organizers and woven baskets.
I personally feel like too many plastic bins can start to make a space feel a little less elevated, while woven baskets add warmth and texture. Mixing the two gave me the organization and visibility I wanted without making the entire pantry feel like it was filled with plastic containers.
I purchased most of my organizers from HomeGoods and Wayfair, and I was even able to thrift a few of the baskets! I’ve linked the items I used here if you want to recreate a similar setup.
How Long Did It Take?
The actual deep cleaning and organizing took me around three hours, plus another two hours of shopping for the additional baskets, bins, and supplies I needed.
So if you’re planning to tackle your own pantry, I’d consider this more of an all day project. Give yourself plenty of time, put on a podcast or playlist, and just commit to getting it done.
Overall, I’m SO happy with how ours turned out. Everything finally has a designated home, the shelves feel clean and intentional, and the pantry actually works for our family.
Shop Everything I Used
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