Is your pantry a disorganized mess?  Is it brimming with dusty spice containers and overtaken with canned vegetables that may have been purchased in 1992?

Whatever the situation in your kitchen pantry, whipping your food closet into tip-top shape is a good idea. Not only will having a clean pantry make you feel more inclined to cook in your kitchen, a thorough decluttering of old pantry items will also help ensure that the food you prepare tastes fresh. Get started creating a clean, organized storage space with these kitchen pantry cleaning ideas.

Step 1:  Clear everything out
Whether your kitchen pantry consists of an entire closet or a few kitchen cabinets, the process of cleaning and organizing the pantry starts with clearing everything out. Tackle the job one step at a time by starting on one side of your kitchen and moving cabinet by cabinet to remove all of the contents, until you reach your goal. Use empty cardboard boxes to hold your kitchen pantry contents as you remove them from the shelves.  Try to keep like items with like so the next step in the process is easier to tackle.

Step 2:  Clean
The next step to an organized kitchen pantry is cleaning.  With all of your food items cleared and temporarily in boxes, start wiping down all of your shelves.  Wipe down every surface from floor to ceiling, clearing away all dust, bugs, and dirt. Finally, dust off or wipe down spice containers and cans.  (Don’t forget the bottoms of sticky jars.)  Before you put anything back in the pantry, every item should be clean.

Step 3:  Sort
While you’re clearing and cleaning the kitchen pantry, take time to look at your inventory. Sort through the items, and get rid of any food or spices that are past the expiration date.  (Spices don’t really spoil, though all but the most powerful spices tend to lose their flavor after about six months.) While you’re sorting, check open containers for bugs and toss out any items that you haven’t used in years.  If you can’t remember when you bought an open bag of flour, it’s best to throw it out and replace it.

The pantry is ideally the kitchen storage space where you stockpile a reserve of food for your family.  It’s no good if you’re keeping food in there that’s going bad.  Resist the urge to keep food simply because you paid for it. If a food item is past its prime, get rid of it for the sake of your family’s good health. Do the same for any kitchen utensils, appliances, or pots and pans that are not in good shape: throw them out. If items are still usable, but have been untouched for ages, consider donating them to a local charitable organization.

Step 4:  Organize
With your kitchen pantry clean and sparkling, it’s time to put the food, spices, and cooking utensils back inside.  Instead of just tossing everything back in there willy-nilly, it’s best to take an organized approach to refilling the pantry.

Start by keeping like items together.  Designate a shelf (or the right side of a shelf, for example) to spices.  Keep another shelf for baking supplies, canned goods, cereals, main course items — whatever categories of food you keep in your pantry. Separating food by type will help keep your pantry organized.

You may be surprised by how much room you’ve really got in your pantry after the cleaning and organizing. If you’re still short on kitchen storage space, however, you may want to invest in such space-saving organizational tools as over-the-door spice racks, canned good risers, or plastic storage containers to make the best use of your pantry.

With a clean, organized pantry at your disposal, you can look forward to meals that will seem fresher and tastier — and cooking will be easier and faster than ever before.