How to Quickly and Easily Clean Your Pantry

If you are like most Americans, then you only dream of having a fully stocked pantry like you see on "Extreme Coupon." Instead, you have a pantry stocked with expired canned goods, boxed mixes you forgot you had, and things you found on sale, but never used. As long as you have a spare 30 minutes, then you can cut out the clutter in your pantry and get those shelves ready for all new food.

Set two large boxes near the door of the pantry and your trash can. Work your way through the pantry, starting with the top shelf. Check each item for an expiration date. If the expiration date passed, toss it into the trash. If the product is still good, decide if you can use the item or not. Keep the items you plan to use in one box and fill another box with still-good items. Donate those items to a local food bank or food pantry. Clean dirty cans and jars with a solution of dish soap and warm water. Rub a damp cloth over each piece, eliminating the sticky soap residue and let those pieces dry on a table or counter.

Cover the floor with an old sheet and sweep out each shelf with a handheld broom or dry cloth. Pick up the towel and empty the debris into the trash can. Wipe down the shelves with a damp cloth or your favorite cleaning product. Rinse the shelves with a second damp cloth and dry each shelf with a new cloth or let air-dry. Examine each pantry shelf for any stuck-on food or debris and scrape those off with a flat spatula before cleaning the area.

Go through the pantry box you plan to keep. This gives you a second chance to cut down on any clutter and get rid of food you don't like or food your family will not eat. Divide the food into different categories, based on the number of shelves in your pantry. For example, place all canned food on one shelf, boxed mixes on another, and cleaning supplies on another.

Arrange the pantry items according to frequency of use. The items you use more frequently should go on a middle shelf or a shelf at eye-level. Arrange all your cleaning supplies on a bottom shelf that you can easily reach. When you place everything back in the pantry, arrange the items based on expiration date with the newest items in the back. Every time you add more food or supplies to the pantry, rotate your stock, placing the newest items behind the older ones.

For best results, clean your pantry at least once a month. Throw away expired items or stale items, including boxes of cereal your kids opened and then forgot. Donate items you tried, but didn't like and keep your pantry in tip-top shape.