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Post by katlady on Jul 24, 2024 6:48:14 GMT
Do you take items out of their original packaging and put them into different containers. For instance, I saw a video where the gal put mouthwash, lotion, and soap into matching containers. Or, how they make spice racks where all the spice bottles match.
For the most part, I don’t. The only time I do is for certain items where I think a different container would keep the item from going bad. Like I put my sugar into a Tupperware-like container. My spices stay in their original packaging. Most things in my house stay in their original packaging. I have thought about it, and it does look nice, but I am just too lazy to transfer things.
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Post by disneypal on Jul 24, 2024 7:22:58 GMT
I pretty much keep things in their original packaging, but often they are away in a cabinet.
The only thing I always take out is hand soap because I have nice soap dispensers and do not like the hand soap plastic bottles. Plus I usually buy the larger refill hand soap to save money.
With Spices, I keep them in the original container but I buy the same brand every time so they match.
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Post by lainey on Jul 24, 2024 7:24:56 GMT
Everything stays in its original packaging except sugar and teabags. Life is too short to decant though I do find those videos fascinating.
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Post by lesserknownpea on Jul 24, 2024 7:54:51 GMT
Case by case basis. Will it keep better? Do I have a decorative container? Am I just too lazy to fool with changing it? Do we buy in bulk and just put enough to last awhile in a container at hand?
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Chinagirl828
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Melbourne, Australia
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Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 24, 2024 8:20:47 GMT
I would say I do a lot of the time, mostly to keep food fresher for longer. So things like sugar or flour, or biscuits (cookies) are all likely to be decanted into containers, but something like spices, which come in a container designed to maintain freshness, can stay in what I bought them in.
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sueg
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Post by sueg on Jul 24, 2024 8:54:09 GMT
Things like flour, rice, pasta, I transfer to a Tupperware type container once I open them, for freshness and to avoid spills and mess. Spices mainly stay in the container I bought them in, except those I get in cellophane sachets - they get transferred to jars when I open them. I also use large refill packs of some bathroom and laundry items, and they get transferred when I need to use them.
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Post by gar on Jul 24, 2024 9:14:06 GMT
99 times out of 100, things stay in their original packaging. I've not had problems with flour or sugar etc not keeping well
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Post by rainangel on Jul 24, 2024 9:29:47 GMT
Most of the time in original packaging. I like to have the expiration dates available.
Everything is in cabinets anyway.
There are a few things I have containers for, like rice, because I buy big bags and portion them in containers in my cabinet. The big bag is stashed elsewhere, and used to refill containers as needed.
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Post by hop2 on Jul 24, 2024 9:34:06 GMT
Depends on what is easier for lazy me.
Tea bags - out of box & into a drawer for ease of use & closet space. Brown sugar- into container with the clay disk to keep it soft. Veggies from the farm, into green bags so they keep longer. But mostly things get left in the package it came in.
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Post by melanell on Jul 24, 2024 11:05:46 GMT
Only produce, some loose leaf tea, and some flours/sugars, for the most part.
Spices, for instance, while cute in their little matching bottles, then require twice the space, because most spice rack bottles are not the exact same size as the packaging they are sold in. So then you need to store the spice rack AND the back-up spices somewhere, and my kitchen is small.
For things like mouthwash, everyone in my family has their own preferences, and I don't need umpteen decanters out of all different ones, kwim?
And things like cotton balls, cotton swabs--we have an abundance of closed drawers and closed cabinet space for those items, while having very little counter or open shelf space, so for me, if they're going to be stored hidden away, then I'm fine with them staying in the packaging that they clearly fit in, and that will remind of what brand we purchased last time in some cases.
Basic sugar and basic flours (for us that's all purpose, whole wheat, and white whole wheat) we use often enough that we do have 4 air-tight container we use for those. A. They won't expire before we use them up. B. The containers hold the entire 5 pounds of each. C. We always buy the same brand, so we don't need a reminder. and D. We find it neater and easier to remove flour & sugar form those containers than the bags they come in.
We also have a few air-tight tea tins that are sized properly for certain size packages of loose-leaf tea, so we treat those as we do the flour & sugar. BUT if we buy a smaller package of loose leaf tea, then we just clip the package closed because we'll probably go through it very quickly anyway.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Jul 24, 2024 11:09:19 GMT
I see so many TTs with people doing this, using nice glass containers. To each their own. I don't have the time, money, energy, or space to do that (I don't like a ton on my counters and I don't have a pantry). Honestly, I don't know if it's something I'd spend time doing if I were able. Don't get me wrong, it looks awesome, but not something I would do. My teas and spices live in a cabinet. I actually have a new tea canister but am not sure I'm going to use it. I may return it.
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Post by peasapie on Jul 24, 2024 11:15:13 GMT
Most of the time in original packaging. I like to have the expiration dates available. Everything is in cabinets anyway. There are a few things I have containers for, like rice, because I buy big bags and portion them in containers in my cabinet. The big bag is stashed elsewhere, and used to refill containers as needed. I also do that with rice, as well as other baking supplies like flour, sugars and dried fruit. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 24, 2024 11:23:35 GMT
The things that I put into Tupperware: flour (plain, self raising, wholemeal, cornflour, rice flour, tapioca), sugar (white, raw, caster, raw caster, palm, icing, brown, dark brown, rock), pasta, rice (jasmine, long grain, arborio, basmati, glutinous, brown), sea salt, rock salt, cocoa, almond meal, semolina, lentils, nuts, custard powder, cereal.
I also have 40 Decor brand spice containers for my most commonly used spices. All other spices are kept in their original packaging. Tea leaves go into decorative tins I bought from T2. Teabags (for when I'm too lazy to brew the leaves in a pot) stay in the original box. Coffee beans stay in the packet but are then put into a Tupperware container for to help keep them fresh. One day I will buy a proper vacuum sealed container - I meant to buy one on Prime day but I forgot.
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Post by lisae on Jul 24, 2024 11:48:23 GMT
My spices are in a built in rack with all matching bottles and labels. I put mouthwash in a decanter on my bathroom counter. Some other food is in Tupperware like flour, sugar, baking soda, rice, oatmeal etc. I leave crackers and other snacks in their original containers. It depends on how quickly I'm going to use it and also the convenience. It is a lot easier to get flour our of a Tupperware container without making a mess than to get it out of the bag.
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 24, 2024 11:59:02 GMT
Mostly I keep everything in its original package. I would never bother to pour lotion, shampoo, etc. into other containers. lol. Too much trouble, and I certainly don't care if I'm not using matching bottles. lol
I do put sugar into a glass container, one that has a wide opening so it's easy to scoop out. And I keep flour in its original bag but put the whole bag into another container just to keep bugs out of it.
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Post by quinlove on Jul 24, 2024 12:37:34 GMT
Liquid hand soap goes into clear glass dispensers. Tea bags fit nicely in oblong containers kept in pantry. Sugar and flour are kept in Tupperware type containers for freshness, also in the pantry.
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pantsonfire
Drama Llama
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 24, 2024 12:43:28 GMT
The only decentering I do is with hand soap in the kitchen and bathrooms. We buy the 2 large bottles of Costco Soft Soap and obviously that won't work. So I got hand pumps from Kohl's. And honestly that is why you get those large refill bottles from Costco.
I find that system to be extremely wasteful. All so it can be esthetically pleasing. Stupid!
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 24, 2024 12:45:18 GMT
The only decentering I do is with hand soap in the kitchen and bathrooms. We buy the 2 large bottles of Costco Soft Soap and obviously that won't work. So I got hand pumps from Kohl's. And honestly that is why you get those large refill bottles from Costco. I find that system to be extremely wasteful. All so it can be esthetically pleasing. Stupid! Oh yes, I forgot about hand soap when I first replied. We also buy the huge jugs at Costco, and I do pour it into refillable pump bottles at the sink. Same with dish soap...huge Costco jug then refill the one at the kitchen sink. |
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pantsonfire
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 24, 2024 12:45:37 GMT
Oh and sugar. Well it is kept in its original paper bag (large C&H) but then I set that into a ziplock bag since once opened it never closes back down.
My brown sugar comes in a resealable bag.
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Post by littlemama on Jul 24, 2024 12:53:51 GMT
Original packaging except- sugar, flour, and tea bags. And now brown sugar and powdered sugar because I bought a new set and it had containers for those (I gave DS my old containers for flour and sugar)
I think it is wasteful (materials and time) to transfer everything into different containers and I dont like all the same containers when people do it. If I need Tums in the middle of the night, for example, I know what that bottle looks and feels like and approximately where it is. With matching containers, there'd be a lot more effort to make sure I grabbed the right thing at a time when I dont need to be making more effort.
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Post by Laurie on Jul 24, 2024 13:06:58 GMT
I am a mixture of both. We usually buy flour and sugar in 5 or 10 lb bags so those are stored in the basement in a mylar bag that is in an airtight bucket. In our kitchen we have containers to keep a normal amount in.
I have recently started using containers more in our cabinets and it has been a positive change. I have noticed that we are wasting food less and it also looks more organized. For example, granola bars , fruit snacks, etc are taken out of the box and put in clear trays. When we open the cabinet we can visually see what we have as opposed to just seeing a bunch of boxes and sometimes things getting missed because it was behind boxes. I don't go crazy though and do things like putting milk and orange juice in matching containers.
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Post by craftedbys on Jul 24, 2024 13:24:04 GMT
I do decant some things into other containers.
My spices do have all matching jars because not all of my spices are the same brand, thus different sizes/shapes, plus, some spices that I use most often I biy the BIG containers so I would have to pour up anyway. All of my spice jars have labels on the lid, and they are stored in a drawer directly under the cooktop for easy access.
I am one of those weird people who still use countertop canisters. I have Mom's spun aluminum with the copper lids that she had back in the 1950s on my counter with flour, sugar, coffee, and tea bags.
Excess that doesn't fit in the canisters are put in Rubbermaid containers.
I switched to using clear Rubbermaid containers in my pantry for cereal, rice, brown sugar, pancake mix, chips, crackers, cookies, dried fruit, baking items (soda, powder, cocoa) and more, not for aesthetic reasons but because my family had a terrible habit of putting boxes and containers back in the pantry empty or with less than a serving left and it was impossible to tell what we needed when making a grocery list and no amount of nagging or refusing to replace until the next week made much of a difference.
So, to save time and my sanity, I move to the clear containers, and I can see at a glance what we are getting low on.
And because they are all from the same product line, they all stack together nicely and keep my pantry from looking like a family of racoons live there.
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Post by workingclassdog on Jul 24, 2024 13:38:05 GMT
Mostly in original containers.
Sugar and flour have their own canisters that sit on the cabinet (Fiesta ones)
Tea Bags go into one of those xo containers with the pop up lid.
Dog treats go into the same xo containers
Spices are mixed. I have a bunch of cute bottles that I labeled and all that. But then got lazy. lol
Rice goes into a xo container.
No to soap/shampoo/conditioners. Cereals/crackers and all that kind of stuff stay in original. I used to dump bagged cereal into a plastic container but I rarely buy those anymore.
Oh I do transfer Q-tips to a mason jar that sits in my bathroom.
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Post by alsomsknit on Jul 24, 2024 13:44:41 GMT
Depends.
Bathroom items are a no, except extra tp is put in wire basket in the closet. No desire to dig rolls from the plastic wrapper.
Kitchen is a different story. Sugars, except powdered, has their own containers. Same with flours or anything that comes in a bag: rice, nuts. It’s easier to measure out and/or makes better use of cabinet space.
Fruit and vegetables are also removed from the bag to a bowl. I do not like the hassle of bags. And, if any of it goes bad, it is a much easier clean up. It’s an issue with potatoes for us.
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Post by librarylady on Jul 24, 2024 13:49:53 GMT
Kept in original package. That way there is no doubt about what is what.
I have a couple of exceptions.
One exception is sugar. I make jams/jelly and if the sugar is not cane sugar, then the jam/jelly may not set up correctly. I keep the pure cane sugar in its package so that it is not mixed with any beet sugar.
I have a large airtight container for flour and sugar. My tea bags are taken out of the box and in an easy container for me to get my 2 bags out each morning.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,734
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Jul 24, 2024 13:56:27 GMT
Things that I decant
Sugar
Flour
Brown sugar
Salt (grinder)
Pepper (grinder)
Some spices (I prefer squared off bottles and like to buy the cheap spices that come in baggies)
Olive oil (I have a old bottle that fits in my cabinet)
Vinegar (drink dispenser in the laundry room as we use it instead of softener)
Oxy Clean
Qtips
Hand soap
Dish soap
Love the look of a beautiful "curated" pantry but that is not realistic for how I need it to function. I also spend enough time planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning up after food that I don't need another food based chore to add to my plate.
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Post by Linda on Jul 24, 2024 14:27:51 GMT
flours and granulated sugar - I have containers for.
spices - I do decant into matching spice jars because I have an unholy amount of spices (almost full 72-jar rack) and that's honestly the easiest way to keep them organised - plus some come in small jars, some in larger ones, some in plastic bags...I do use my spices though
That's it though - everything else stays in the original container.
oh..I do buy molasses, white vinegar, dish soap, and hand soap in large refill containers and use them to refill smaller containers - with the exception of some handsoap, I'm refilling original containers though
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milocat
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Post by milocat on Jul 24, 2024 14:31:45 GMT
Kitchen things in bags I seem to put on to jars. Hemp hearts, chia seeds I use every day and like them in jars, my rolled oats in a large Tupperware. Rice, barley, quinoa also. 5 kg bags of flour and sugar go in Tupperware. We don't have a bug problem, I just can't stand some of those resealable zipper bags. Some are hard to open, most are hard to close. I don't want to think 1 kg Costco sized bag of chia seeds is closed but it's not and it spills. I got the Tupperware containers as a wedding present and I use old jars from things like pickles to store my other stuff. I get spices in larger bags and refill my containers.
I put hand lotion in the bathroom in to a dispenser that is white and matches the bathroom. I have a little container I put a few qtips in and have the box on a higher shelf, I don't use them everyday.
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Post by melanell on Jul 24, 2024 14:41:58 GMT
I forgot that I, too, use refills for liquid hand soap. I buy a brand with little powder tubes that turn into foaming soap, so there's no possible way to use the product in its original packaging, though, so I don't know if that counts.  |
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Post by Lexica on Jul 24, 2024 14:57:41 GMT
Now that your post made me think about it, I do more than I initially thought I did. At first, I only thought about the liquid soap in the bathrooms and kitchen. I do put that into containers that coordinate with each room because they are always out on the countertop in full view and I like anything left out like that to look nice. If it stays in a cupboard, it remains in the original container.
Then I realized that I do put many food items into glass canning jars with a plastic screw top lid. The reason for that is twofold. They last longer in glass instead of a box, retaining more flavor, and because I have a major fear, or phobia, I guess you could call it, of bugs in food.
When I was a teenager, I had spent the night with a girlfriend. In the morning, she poured us each a bowl of cereal. As soon as we added the milk, little black bugs came floating to the top. Only not fast enough for us to catch it right away. We had both taken a couple of bites when I looked in my bowl and saw a speck moving. She grabbed both bowls and threw the contents into the sink. They were little weevils. Neither of us knew whether or not we had eaten any. I was sick to my stomach immediately. From that day on, I inspected anything that came out of a box.
This house gets very small ants that show up for any food item from a dish in the dishwasher when the door wasn’t fully closed to a utensil left in the sink because the dishwasher was currently running and I overlooked it when loading it. And I had to throw out a large Costco container of honey because I did not snap the lid on correctly and ants went inside the container. It was disgusting. These ants are much smaller and much easier to kill than the California ants. These will die just from having water sprayed on them, which I appreciate, but I don’t want them in my house at all, and I don’t like spraying poison. So I bought a bunch of large glass canning jars and the screw on plastic lids that are easier to remove and transferred anything in my pantry that is dry into the glass containers. Things like sugar, flour, cereals, dried onions, nuts, etc. then I used my label maker to add the name to the lid.
So I guess I do transfer more than first came to mind.
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