The kitchen is the most used room in a home. Kitchens are called the heart of the home for a reason. We love to gather there to:

• Enjoy our family’s conversation
• Eat
• Entertain

A messy pantry is a recipe for distress. Clearing out and cleaning up a pantry requires some serious purging, but it also means adding a few things — namely, organizing tools and food storage accessories. Try these tips from Vicki Winterton, a professional organizer and online co-host of the WIN's 'The Organized Woman Show'. 

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As a professional home organizer, I understand that Organizing your kitchen pantry is a necessary job that intimidates many women. Do you find organizing your kitchen pantry overwhelming? Do you hardly know where to begin the process? To simplify the job for you, I suggest you listen to my online show numbered 044 and titled Organizing your Kitchen Pantry then use use the SPARK formula designed by my online show co-host, Laura and myself. That formula includes these basic steps:

1. Remove all the items from your pantry storage shelves and place them on your kitchen counters and kitchen table.  Group likes items together.
2. Clean & disinfect all the pantry shelves.
3. Sort your items into Categories. Remember to keep the categories general rather than specific = Pasta rather than spaghetti.
4. Purge the food items that have expired or that your family does not like.
5. Assign a Home by zoning your pantry shelves based on frequency of use and the space needed for the categories assigned in step # 3.
6. Round up Containers. Use first the containers you already have around your home. IF you need to buy more containers, clear is nice because it allows you to see in. (To view AFTER photos of pantries I have organized and favorite pantry organizing containers, see the link below.)
7. Keep it up by doing three things:

• label your containers and/or the shelf spaces
• inform your family of the effort you put into organizing the space AND
• ask for their help in maintaining the space. (The old, "If you take it out, put it back in the assigned space" is what you want them to understand.)

There you have it. A clean, categorized and organized pantry where daily upkeep takes only moments. This is a great job for you to do with your teenage children. When they are part of the process, they really "buy in" to the keep it up idea!  Organizing your kitchen pantry is a one day project that brings lasting benefits. YOU CAN DO THIS!To listen to The Organized Woman Show podcast dealing with this very topic, click here and look for show number 044. To download my table of condiments AND to view after photos of my client's kitchen pantry areas, including some of my favorite pantry storage containers, click here.

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Vicki Winterton is a professional organizer and an online organizing expert who co-hosts 'The Organized Woman Show'. To listen to her shows and sign up for RSS automatic updates of new shows, visit  www.theorganizedwomanshow.com. Vicki's Utah based professional organizing business, ORGANIZING Mind over Matter, is found at  www.organize-utah.com.