They're color-coded, categorized and oh-so satisfying.
Photos of beautifully curated pantries have been trending on social media, and it seems everyone now wants to achieve #PantryGoals.
But even if you don't have a celebrity-sized space (or budget), there are some easy ways anyone can make their pantry more stylish and functional, and WKYC's Maureen Kyle was inspired to do a pantry makeover of her own.
Maureen's pantry wasn't in terrible shape, but there was certainly room for improvement, so she asked Lauren Herzog, professional organizer and owner of "All Things Organized" for some help.
Lauren's first order of business? Taking everything (and we mean everything) out of Maureen's pantry. Maureen's pantry was pretty up to date, but this is the time to throw away (or donate, if appropriate) any old, expired, or unused food. As you take it out, start grouping your food into categories like "dinner," or "baking" so that when you put everything back in, like items will stay together.
As they pulled everything out, Lauren shared some pro tips with Maureen, including how she prefers to cut off the tops of any bags so there isn't any excess hanging packaging.
Once everything is out, give those shelves a good dusting (or in Maureen's case, dust-busting!) to really start with a clean slate.
Now that your food items are in categories, it's time to organize them into storage pieces. You can buy fancy baskets and clear storage containers if you'd like, but Lauren says that many of her clients prefer to use storage pieces they already have around the house.
It can be helpful to place labels on the outside of baskets so you can find particular items quickly -- and that's what this is all about, helping to streamline your time and energy so you're not hunting around for something you know is there, or even buying more of something you already have.
The final step is putting everything back -- but think of it like a puzzle in that it may take a little trial and error to find the right place for each piece.
Once it's all over, enjoy the extra space and ease of finding everything you're looking for. And don't worry if you can't keep it looking perfect, Lauren told Maureen that "All Things Organized" offers maintenance services, too!
You can follow Lauren and "All Things Organized" as she takes on everything from basements to closets to moving days here.