Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Monday, May 16, 2016

A Clean Pantry

I don't know who designs pantries in apartments but I'd certainly like a word with them. About 75% of the space is hard to reach. I am an organized person. I like everything in its place. Bob is a pitch it and see where it lands kind of guy. You got it, we can't even agree on organizing the kitchen pantry.

When we moved in here I organized the pantry. I made a valiant effort at keeping it organized but alas, Bob won. It grew worse over time. The last time Susan visited she informed me I needed to do something about the pantry because it was really bad. I was quick to point out the problem was her father (I love doing that).

Bob had decided the Elfa type shelves weren't strong enough to hold heavy canned goods. On his own he had removed everything heavy from the shelves and placed the items in bins in the floor of the pantry.

I'd like to point out I thought that was a crappy idea, but then who am I? I had no idea what was in the bins, and was not about to get on my hands and knees when I needed a can of something.

Bob, on the other hand, loved the idea. He felt needed because when I wanted something I yelled for him to find it. He'd get down on one knee with his trusty little red flashlight (he loves that flashlight) and eventually he would come up with the requested item.

It was compromise time. Time to get creative. Eventually a plan developed. I informed him a change had to happen. He didn't see what the problem was but I persisted. I had in my closet a tall skinny folding bookcase that wasn't being used. I gave him three choices, he could put that wood bookcase in his bedroom or in his bathroom and put the canned goods on it, or he could put the canned goods back on the pantry shelves. It was his choice, but I had to be able to see what we had. I left that to sit awhile and went on my way. In about two hours the bookcase magically appeared in the entry hall closet. Good thinking Bob, I hadn't thought of that.

We then set to work organizing what was left. He likes to bake and I don't. In keeping with his system of organization I dumped everything related to baking in a bin in the bottom of the pantry. Wonder where I got that idea? I then proceeded to organize the rest in orderly fashion.

Another crisis avoided. Heavy canned goods are not on the pantry shelves, but on wood shelves in the entry hall.  That works. Every couple of days I scan the pantry to see where the pitch system organizer has pitched something. It takes very little effort to restore order.

He's happy and I'm happy. Been doing this kind of thing for 54 years.

What's your experience with pantries?

24 comments:

  1. Funny post! We keep our canned goods in the entry hall 'pantry' because the wood storage shelves can handle the load better and they are at a good height for me to see what I have.

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    1. I hope this is going to work. We went to the grocery store this morning and I really had to watch him when we were putting things away.

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  2. Whew, I wouldn't want to get on my hands and knees looking for cans, either. We use a closet that is under the stairs as our pantry. I asked my husband years ago to install some wire shelving on the walls, the kind that is just deep enough to hold a row of cans. He put up six or seven rows of them, and some narrower ones that hold vitamins and spices. That has worked pretty well and we don't get in each others way when it comes to how the kitchen is organized. This is always true when it comes to putting away the laundry but that's another story.

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    1. That would be heaven to have shelves the width of cans and spices, I've never had that. Come to think of it I've never had an acceptable pantry, ever.

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  3. I'm the keeper of our pantry 95% of the time, so that's good. Occasionally, though, Ken thinks he should help put away groceries. He doesn't use much logic when that happens, and I find canned goods in strange places. However, the fride's freezer? He rummages around in there and totally "reorganizes" it. I often all but empty out the freezer bin to find what should have been in a specific spot.

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    1. I refuse to deal with the freezer section of the fridge as long as Bob stacks it so full you can't wedge a toothpick between items. He's very good at packing, consequently after I've pulled everything out to find what I need there's no way I can fit it all back in that space.

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  4. When my husband was alive I doubt he even knew where the pantry was let alone ever opened the doors. All the sins of disorganization are on my shoulders. I have a system but it gets mess from time to time and then I'll take very thing out to reorganize...usually in the wintertime. It's funny that someone wouldn't trust the shelves in a pantry to be strong enough. After all, it's a pantry and builders know what goes in a pantry.

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    1. You would think if they selected these shelves for 500 apartment units they must be trustworthy. Often Bob's fixations are not based in reality. Personally, I figured if the shelves came crashing down I'd just call maintenance to come and fix the problem. After all, there's only two of us. How many cans can two people have?

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  5. You two are a gas. I can't bend down very well so bins on the bottom would definitely not work for me. In fact, the bottom shelves in my kitchen are used for storage and food and everyday things are on a metal shelf by the fridge to continue a "U" shape work area. Flexibility in mind and spirit will keep you young. You might live a really, really long time.

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    1. Thank goodness I like to change things up from time to time. Unfortunately change is Bob's biggest fear. We do have a time of it but it's been this way a very long. time. No use in changing now.

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  6. Our pantry is a combination laundry room, pantry, storage room, and is packed wall to wall. I do worry about the shelves holding all my home canned goods, but so far none have failed. I try to keep things organized. The shelves over the washer and dryer hold my granite ware collection. Linda, I really enjoy reading your posts. What you write is always interesting and fun to read.

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    1. Thanks for the compliment. I do hope I don't bore people. My life is pretty limited these days so I have trouble with subject matter some of the time.

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  7. This is a hoot! People have some bizarre compromises in order to live with each other. a very humorous post!

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    1. Thanks Red. It's usually better to laugh than cry.

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  8. When we had our house built, we requested that the whole space under the stairs. which opens into the kitchen, be finished off as a pantry, not just a shallow space, so our pantry has a sloping ceiling at the back. Tom built the shelves along one wall and at the back, and put peg board on the other wall. It is a great space for storing all kinds of things. It stays organized because we are both creatures of habit, and orderly besides, so everything goes back in it's place.

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    1. I can only dream of such a pantry. I'll never see it in my lifetime. Even the house we lived in 30 years had a bad pantry.

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  9. Louis Dean will buy groceries but if left up to him, they would stay on the floor or counters in the sacks they were wearing when they arrived! I organize the pantry and that's that!

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    1. That's funny but I can picture it. If the pantry gets in a mess you have no one to blame it on.

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  10. We moved last year. We had a small closet type pantry in our other house, but this house has a genuine walk-in pantry. That and the laundry room were strong selling points. Believe it or not, the pantry only had a couple of shelves in it. My husband installed more of them, and even though the instructions said you could attach them to wallboard, he put every shelf in a stud. We haven't had a problem so far. He's the one who keeps the pantry straight.

    I've never commented on your blog before but I enjoy reading it. I'm Bella Rum. I'm leaving my blog address because I don't seem to be able to leave a comment on my wordpress credentials. I have to comment on my old google account. I think it's something to do with blogger not accepting wordpress unless the blogger user chooses the comment option that allows readers to type in their user name and blog address. Not sure, but I've had the same problem on other blogger blogs. So here's my blog address. :) Glad I found you. https://bellarum.wordpress.com

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    1. Bella Rum thanks for leaving a comment. I believe Blogger made a change not too long ago that made it harder for non-blogger people to leave comments. To be sure it isn't me I will check out my settings with Blogger. I'd love to change to Wordpress, and I have used Wordpress some, but so far am not very comfortable with it. I will definitely check on your blog on Wordpress.

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  11. I know being a caretaker is hard, but you are using your experiences in both a healthy and (for your readers) a very amusing way. Mike and I had our differences, but neatness and organization was not one of them. I have a beautiful, large pantry in my place in Florida. I had tons of storage in the house we had so the biggest downsizing I had to do when moving to the condo in VT was adjusting to a small kitchen with very little storage. One of the differences we did have was that Mike always wanted food stocked up so as to be prepared for a Biblical famine of some sort and he loved Costco. Now I live close to the market and I buy things on an as-needed basis. I no longer have a Costco membership. I get excited when I find small sizes.

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    1. Oh yes, I can identify with your remarks about storing enough food for a Biblical famine, that's Bob. Also, Costco is a very sore spot between us. I hate having toilet tissue bundled in Volkswagen Bus size packages. I'm thinking I'll have the Costco card cremated with Bob. Thanks for your kind remarks about the blog. Most of the time I can laugh about the role of a caregiver but not all the time.

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  12. You amaze me how you bend and adapt. Our politicians should have your skills of making changes look like the other person thought of it.
    I fear my pantry meets the same fate as my closet. I have great intentions that get slammed by time. Think it is because of those door things that hide so many sins. Both places get a periodic make over but sadly there is no ongoing plan.

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    1. Perhaps that's the reason I have such a hard time understanding why politicians can't reach a compromise. Most of those characters are married I think and I often wonder how they manage in marriage given their determination not to compromise. Perhaps that's why some are divorced.

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