I Put the Core 4 Method to the Test in My Kitchen, and It Eliminated My Pantry Clutter

There are so many reasons that I love living in a small 883-square-foot house: it was easy to furnish, it doesn’t take days to clean, and it’s the perfect size for me and my husband. But the one thing it lacks compared to larger homes is a dedicated kitchen pantry. 

The day we moved in, I picked the biggest shelf in my kitchen cabinet and made it the default for cans, jars, snacks, and the like — a mini pantry of sorts. Over the last two and a half years, my pantry shelf has served me well, but it’s just as easily become a cluttered mess. The truth is, I had totally lost track of what was in there, to the point that I started unknowingly buying duplicates. So when I read about the Core 4 decluttering method on Apartment Therapy, I knew I needed to try it out in my kitchen to keep it organized for good. 

The Core 4 decluttering method from professional organizer Kayleen Kelly breaks the decluttering process into four simple steps: clear out, categorize, cut out, and contain. By following these steps on clutter in virtually any space, it takes the overwhelm out of the process.

Even though my pantry shelf is just a small corner of my kitchen, it’s one of the most essential. So, I got to work on the four steps. Here’s what happened.

First, I pulled everything out of my makeshift pantry and was shocked by just how much was stuffed in there. Once I finally got through the “clear out” portion, it was time to “categorize.” I easily grouped things together because I typically buy the same items over again: canned goods, pasta, pasta sauce, nuts, dried fruit, condiments, and snacks. I had so many extras of items I didn’t realize I’d purchased, so I’m excited to see that reflected in my grocery bill this coming month.

“Cut out” came next. I inspected everything on my table in search of items that had expired. I didn’t expect to find much, but surprisingly, there were quite a few half-eaten jars of nut butters and jams that had been shoved to the back that I had to bid farewell to. Lastly, it was time to “contain.” Admittedly, I wouldn’t have been able to fit everything back into my pantry if I were to organize it all into containers, so I decided to put everything back as neatly as I possibly could with the categories intact. I tried to keep like items together, placing open packages in the front and sealed bags in the back.

The result from beginning to end was amazing. Even in just two and a half years of living in my house, I’d managed to turn my makeshift panty into a storage disaster, and in about an hour using the Core 4 method, it felt brand-new again. 

I can only imagine how effective this decluttering strategy is for people who’ve lived in their homes longer or have bigger spaces with more storage. I will absolutely be trying this method again, next time in my closet and garage. So simple, yet so effective.