How I Organized My Chaotic Fridge And Pantry

My husband and I are the only two people sharing our home, but our kitchen was somehow accumulating way too much clutter. There was a lot stuff in our fridge and kitchen pantry—including six bottles of liquid smoke. (In our defence, it was on sale!)

We needed to maximize our space, so we called on professional organizer Mylène Houle Morency of Montreal’s Flo Organisation to help us declutter.

My kitchen pantry and fridge were both filled to the brim with products before we began decluttering. (Photo: Courtesy Ann Ross)

The action plan

1. My husband and I completed a thorough questionnaire, which gave Houle Morency an understanding of our habits and preferences. It turns out we’re both sentimental, which helped explain the clutter—like holding on to an old Colman’s Mustard tin because we liked the packaging.
2. Based on our questionnaires and a zoning system, we identified which items needed to be easily reachable—in other words, the ones we used the most—which items could be slightly less reachable and could be relegated to more out-of-the way storage, like the baking ingredients we only use once or twice a month.
3. We removed everything from the pantry and fridge, organized it all by category—breakfast foods, nuts, etc.—and composted expired items. Then everything went back in, zone by zone. We reused our mason and spice jars for most items, but we decanted flour and sugar into new BPA-free airtight containers from The Home Edit, sold at Canadian Tire. Every single jar and container was then labelled, which makes them very satisfying to look at.

The time commitment

The whole decluttering project took about 20 hours, including three 30-minute virtual meetings with Houle Morency.

The biggest takeaway

Don’t buy any new organization items until you’ve purged stuff you don’t need and figured out your precise requirements.

How the organized space makes me feel

Calm! There is a cohesion that was previously missing in the kitchen.

The feedback

“I’ve got a big smile on my face,” says Houle Morency. “You did that so well!” Her reaction was like getting a gold star. I felt so proud.

Don't know where to start with your own pantry organization? An AI tool could help.

For more home organization tips, see how Chatelaine editors tackled their messy drawers, an overflowing closet and a haphazard home office.