Pantry Cleaning and Organization Checklist

Keeping the pantry clean and organized isn’t always the easiest task. The pantry can be an overlooked area of the house when it comes to cleaning compared to other rooms.

You can use our pantry cleaning checklist to visualize all of the simple, specific tasks. It has a selection of ideas for cleaning, then organizing, and finally some finishing touches.

Use it alongside our pantry inventory printables to track everything you have stored. You can also deep-clean the kitchen with this calendar, or make some quick cleaning progress in the kitchen with some mini decluttering wins. These organization tips for the home can help, too.

For when you’re ready, you can get the cleaning checklist as a printable. Find it at the foot of the article.

Ideas to Clean and Organize the Pantry

Here you can take a closer look at the ideas listed in the checklist. You have ideas for cleaning, organizing, and some finishing touches.

Take a photo of the pantry before starting out.
Remove all the items from the pantry.
Vacuum any crumbs from the shelves.
Wipe down all the shelves.
Clean the walls and baseboards (if applicable).
Vacuum/mop the floor.
Wipe the handles and switches.
Dry all the shelves before returning any items to the pantry.

Toss expired pantry items that can’t be donated.
Create a donation box for items that are still good that you don’t want.
Organize the remaining items by category (pasta, grains, snacks, etc).
Get food storage containers for items like flour, pasta, nuts, rice, etc.
Label the containers (including the expiration date for items you’re adding to the containers).
Get organizer bins for all the snacks.
Get a spice organizer and/or sort through and organize the spices.

Wipe down all the other items before returning them to the pantry.
Create separate sections for your canned goods, baking supplies, snacks, etc.
Organize all the remaining items.
Make a shopping list of what you’re missing to restock.
Add a moisture absorber and odor eliminator to the pantry.
Take a photo of the clean & organized pantry (for a before and after) for yourself.

Get the Pantry Cleaning Checklist here.

You can use the checklist for a full afternoon or day of cleaning. Or, you can simply turn to it when you have some free time to make some progress.