Your pantry (affiliate) is one of the easiest places in the house to declutter - and one of the most satisfying. Unlike a closet full of sentimental items, most pantry (affiliate) decisions are straightforward: if it's expired, stale, or forgotten, it goes.
The problem is, we open our pantries every day but rarely stop to actually look at what's in there. Expired condiments get pushed to the back. Half-eaten bags of chips hang around for months. Old spices (affiliate) lose their color and flavor without anyone noticing. Over time, all that forgotten food creates clutter that makes it harder to find what you need and plan meals efficiently.
As a professional organizer, I've helped countless clients tackle their pantries, and the results are always the same: more space, less stress, and a clearer picture of what you actually have. Below is my go-to checklist (affiliate) of 15 items to look for when you're ready to clean out your pantry (affiliate). Most people can knock this out in under an hour.
This post contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase.
Jump to:
- Key Takeaways
- Old opened food packages.
- Condiments that have expired.
- Old boxes of pasta.
- Nuts you haven't eaten.
- Dried beans past their expiration date.
- Canned items that expired.
- Old breadcrumbs in the original bags.
- Containers you are not using.
- Beverages that have expired.
- Opened Old Cereal boxes.
- Tea bags
- Coffee grounds
- Expired soup cans
- Baking Goods
- Old unused spices and herbs.
- Frequently Asked Questions About Pantry Decluttering
- Kitchen and Pantry Organization Posts By Sabrina's Organizing
- How to Create an Inventory Checklist for Organizing Spices and Herbs
- What to Keep In Your Organized Pantry
- Create a Complete Baking Supplies Zone with this Checklist and Tips
- Essential Ways to Transform a Hall Closet Into Pantry
- How To Keep Your Pantry Organized Forever
- How to Organize Your Holiday Cookie Baking Tradition
Key Takeaways
- Decluttering your pantry (affiliate) can simplify meal planning and create more space.
- Focus on removing expired items like old opened food packages, condiments, and canned goods.
- Check for stale chips, expired spices (affiliate), and unused containers to achieve an organized pantry (affiliate).
- Aim for a full cleanout twice a year, especially before the holiday season.
- Consider grouping items by category and labeling shelves (affiliate) for better organization after decluttering.
Get rid of these 15 items for a more well-organized pantry (affiliate)
Old opened food packages.
Do you have chips that were eaten with only a few left? These are the opened partially used food packages we are talking about here.
Condiments that have expired.
These items include olive oils and bottles of vinegar you may not have looked at in a long time. Empty them out and then recycle the plastic and glass.
Old boxes of pasta.
If you have old pasta, it may start tasting like cardboard. Yuck! Trash it, and if you can, recycle the paper container. If your recycling center accepts cardboard, you can dump the pasta in the trash and recycle the cardboard part (not the window film) of the box.
Nuts you haven't eaten.
Did you know that some nuts need freezing? To learn more, visit this post (Why You Should Be Storing Nuts and Seeds in the Freezer) from the Food52 website.
Dried beans past their expiration date.
Dried beans last a long time; most last at least two years. But if you leave them in their original packaging, they may have a plastic odor. Using containers like glass wide-mouth mason jars (affiliate) helps keep them fresh for longer.
Canned items that expired.
Canned foods usually last about two years. If you wish to use them after the two-year mark, you may notice that the food tastes metallic.
Old breadcrumbs in the original bags.
They last no more than six months. I've used them after six months but had to add seasoning.
Containers you are not using.
Sometimes, we use up the item in a particular container and never refill it. This is the time to get rid of those unused containers or reuse them.
Beverages that have expired.
Visit these four beverages that you should never drink past the expiration date from Good Housekeeping.
Opened Old Cereal boxes.
If you are like me, and your kids are away at college, you may have some leftover cereal boxes (affiliate) you do not plan on eating.
Tea bags
Any tea bags that are not individually wrapped are exposed to the air and can become stale and lose their flavor and scent. Visit this "Does Loose Leaf Tea Expire" post for more information.
Coffee grounds
Ground Coffee (affiliate) that is not sealed properly. Visit this post (Where Should You Store Coffee? We Finally Settle the Pantry vs. Freezer Debate)
Expired soup cans
Expired soup that is over six months old. Canned soup can be eaten a long time after the can says, "Best eaten by.." However, the quality will most likely go downhill. Read about "Food myths debunked: When do canned foods really expire?".
Baking Goods
Baking items like flour that are older than six months - nine months. Having containers to hold these items will help prolong the freshness.
Old unused spices and herbs.
If you collect spices (affiliate) and herbs (affiliate) in your pantry, it's time to get rid of the ones you don't use and that are turning dull in color. Some spices (affiliate) will not be as strong as paprika when it gets old. Some herbs (affiliate), like parsley and basil, get brown in color from the original bright green.
Visit these posts for more guidelines on what to throw away in your pantry.
The Real Shelf Life of Pantry Items (& When to Pay Attention to Expiration Dates)
How Long Do Pantry Staples Really Last?
After you purge your unwanted items, you can now organize the pantry! YAY!
Frequently Asked Questions About Pantry Decluttering
I recommend doing a full pantry cleanout at least twice a year - once in spring and once in fall before the holiday cooking season. This gives you a chance to toss expired items, take stock of what you have, and make room for fresh ingredients. In between, a quick scan every month or two when you're putting groceries away helps prevent buildup.
Look for obvious signs like mold, unusual odors, discoloration, or pest damage. For dry goods like flour and pasta, a stale or cardboard-like taste is a giveaway. Spices that have faded in color or lost their aroma are past their prime. Canned goods with dents, rust, or bulging lids should be thrown away immediately. When in doubt, check the "best by" date - it's not always a hard expiration, but it's a good starting point.
Opened food packages (chips, crackers, cereal) go stale within a few weeks. Breadcrumbs last about six months. Nuts can go rancid quickly if not stored properly - they're best kept in the freezer. Ground coffee loses flavor within weeks of opening if not sealed. Whole spices last longer than ground ones, but even ground spices lose their potency after about six months to a year.
In most cases, canned food is still safe to eat for a while past the "best by" date, but the quality goes downhill. You may notice a metallic taste in canned goods that are more than two years old. If a can is dented, rusted, or bulging, throw it out regardless of the date - that can indicate bacterial contamination. When the food is only a few weeks past the date, I'll use it in a meal. If it's well past, I empty, clean, and recycle the can.
Once you've removed the expired and unwanted items, group what's left by category: baking supplies together, canned goods together, snacks together, and so on. Use bins or baskets to corral smaller items, and store frequently used items at eye level. Labeling shelves or bins helps everyone in the family know where things go, which keeps the pantry organized longer. Check out my posts on What to Keep in Your Organized Pantry and How to Keep Your Pantry Organized Forever for a deeper dive.
Kitchen and Pantry Organization Posts By Sabrina's Organizing
How to Create an Inventory Checklist for Organizing Spices and Herbs
Every year around this time, I organize my spices and herbs to update expired items and determine needed ones. Though every year, it takes me longer than necessary to organize spices and herbs in my home. Here are the reasons why: Why did I need an inventory checklist for herbs and spices? Below are several reasons
What to Keep In Your Organized Pantry
Have you ever walked into your pantry and said, "Where are my ….?" While rearranging cans and jars to find that one item, you make even more of a mess with all the other items. Feeling so overwhelmed. You shut the door and give up. I feel your pain. The lack of a pantry system
Create a Complete Baking Supplies Zone with this Checklist and Tips
This is the first part of a two-part series on creating a complete baking zone. These posts include printable checklists to help you make sure your baking supplies zone is complete. The second part of the baking supplies is your baking tools. Here is the other link post: How to Create a Baking Zone with
Essential Ways to Transform a Hall Closet Into Pantry
Being creative in your home to maximize your space is the easiest and most cost-effective way to organize your home. I found this true when organizing my home before our kitchen remodel. To help you get inspired, I will share how we transformed half of our hall closet into a pantry. Here we go. First,
How To Keep Your Pantry Organized Forever
Does this ever happen to you? Arriving home from the grocery store and placing all the pantry items away, you are so proud of how you organized it. You think to yourself, "This pantry looks great." The next day, you go into your beloved pantry, and there it is, the perfectly organized space you were so
How to Organize Your Holiday Cookie Baking Tradition
Baking this massive number of cookies on the same day takes a lot of planning. So, this post is about baking cookies more efficiently without spending extra money on overbuying ingredients and reducing the time it takes to make them. I hope these holiday cookie-baking tips help first-time cookie-bakers and anyone who wants to bake
Below are the 'unique things to toss' series of posts. Feel free to check out all of them.
15 THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE HOME OFFICE
And, 15 UNIQUE THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE KITCHEN
15 UNIQUE THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE KIDS CLOSET
And, 15 UNIQUE CLOSET ITEMS TO TOSS RIGHT NOW
15 GARAGE ITEMS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE PLACE
And, 15 KEEPSAKE ITEMS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS-FREE HOME
15 UNIQUE BATHROOM THINGS TO TOSS RIGHT NOW FOR A STRESS FREE LIFE
I hope this post helps inspire you to get the pantry decluttered. Doing this in the fall before the holiday season will give you time to buy new, fresh items for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. Feel free to share tips on what to eliminate in your pantry in the comment section below.
Sherrie says
I really like reading all of your great articles as they are so helpful!!
Sabrina Quairoli says
Thank you! I really appreciate it. I'm glad it is helping you.
Amy says
Great links to reference how long things really last in a pantry!
Lucy Kelly says
Oh, those bags with a few chips in the bottom! They could have their own shelf 🙂 Their very existence proves we won't eat the ends before opening another bag and yet there they frugally sit. I used to combine them all into one bag and try to fool the fam that way, but they soon learned that any opened bag is full of stale chips! The problem continues...
Janet Schiesl says
This is a great list. I love organizing pantries. It seems so cut and dry to me - expired food goes. Dried out, discolored, smells funny - it goes.
I find decanting anything in the bag helps me to see what I have more easily. I also think that grouping like items together helps to find things. I use canning jars for decanting. I like the price point, but I know that glass containers aren't for everyone (people with kids).
Sheri Steed says
Pantries are my favorite things to organize. They are so straight forward and (I think) easy to arrange. That said, you've given me some new tips. I appreciated the various links you shared. My husband and I have often debated about "best by" dates and what they really mean. It's good to get that clarified. Also, it never would have occurred to me to freeze nuts, but it makes perfect sense - and I'm going to start storing mine in air tight containers.
Melanie Summers says
I love decluttering a pantry! It's such a satisfying transformation, especially the spices. Small things like that creep in and get lost under all the new purchases. I really like your quick reference list. Thanks for sharing!
Julie Bestry says
There's something so calming about purging a pantry of expired items. On the one hand, you realize when you've spent money that's gone to waste (which hopefully helps your buying habits going forward), but because there's so little emotional/sentimental attachment to ingredients, making the decision to let go is easier. When I work with clients, pantries are definitely the lowest-stress space in the house.
I don't really cook and there's only one of me, so my "pantry" is pretty minimal. And I'm trying to imagine having nuts or chips in the house long enough for them to spoil; I'm lucky if it lasts a week! 😉 But because I rarely cook, the spices I do have almost never get tossed/replaced. Except garlic powder. (I use so little salt that I've got a Morton's canister I bought when I moved in...23 years ago!)
Stacey Agin Murray says
With my kids doing 'virtual;' learning and my husband now working from home, our pantry has gotten a ton of use this past year. We used to have a light that went on when the door was opened but we opened the pantry door so many times this year, it broke! Once our electrician fixes it I'll be heading in there to do inventory. Who knows what has been lurking since the lights went out?!?
Diane N Quintana says
These are fabulous suggestions, Sabrina. I didn't know about keeping nuts in the freezer. I love that stores now sell spices in small containers. I used to have a large collection of spices that were only used now and again. You are correct in that they loose their potency.
Ronni Eisenberg says
I can definitely relate to this. I’m always looking through the pantry for those expired items (open cereal boxes, bags of chips with only a few crumbs left, older bags of pasta.) My husband loves to snack..to the last drop!
I’m so glad you mentioned some best ways to store food and the reasons for tossing. As soon as I get home, I’m taking my coffee out of the refrigerator and putting the nuts in! The last thing I want to deal with is spoiled food. That includes leaving food out, especially this time of the year.
There’s always something new to learn!
Linda Samuels says
Every so often, I look at the pantry contents to see if anything has expired. I think the category that is the most problematic is the spices. We have a lot of them. So get used more than others. But some rarely are used, and they probably need to go. Thanks for the nudge.
Nancy Haworth says
Sabrina, thank you for these guidelines. There are so many items in a pantry that should be discarded for various reasons. I think pantries are one of the easiest places to declutter because of this. This time of year is a good time to declutter the pantry to make room for fresh ingredients for holiday meals.
Janet Barclay says
Thank you for the link to the article about loose tea! I always have lots on hand but never wondered whether I was storing it correctly. Good to know I am - and my tea will never be around long enough to get old!
Seana Turner says
Great list, Sabrina. Most of us have some of these culprits in our pantry. I am laughing because I tend to have items on my refrigerator door that are expired. I buy them for a party or for guests, but I don't use them, and sort of forget they are there. When my daughter and son-in-law visit, they always do check all my condiments and toss those that are expired. It is sort of a family joke!