Favorite Pantry Storage Containers

[Naranjadia]

We've got the dreaded flour moth in the pantry scenario going here.

I've been puttering around Container Store and Amazon online and looking at old threads and have a few ideas for possible containers, but I wondered if anyone had containers they really like.

[larig]

I have a set of 3 of these snapware that I got at costco about a year ago. it's great for flour. I like that I can get a scoop in through the generous flip top, without having to remove the whole top.
http://www.google.com/products/catal...wAg#ps-sellers

Also, they are good for cereal, etc.

[Naranjadia]

Ooh. That looks good. I was looking at the Lock & Lock, but I like the flip-top and size of that one. Weird that it's out of stock everywhere. There's a another, the same size, without the flip top, but I think that's a great feature.

[elbenn]

You would be amazed at what pantry moths can get into. I had them and I put things in containers and they still got in. Maybe some containers are better than others. They can definitely get into ziploc bags. I highly recommend putting as many items as you can in the freezer. Pantry moths are such a pain!

[nupe]

Snapware and lock&lock. Costco snapware is good for cookies, smaller things. I get larger lock and lock at meijer. They usually have a good selection of l&l, and amazon seems to too. Love that they are clear and stack nicely.

I label with labelmaker for flour, sugar. For more transient things I use fine sharpie on a tape flag!

[niccig]

I battled with pantry moths for a couple of months. It was awful.

I tried natural remedies and ended up spraying the pantry with insect spray, letting it sit for several days then wiping it out and returning food in containers. Wipe down your entire kitchen, especially cracks and crevices. I think I read that the pupaes climb high to make a cocoon - so look up. I also got some pantry moth traps - you have to kill the adult moths that are flying, so they can't lay anymore eggs. And everyone was on moth duty for awhile so I could swat any flying moths. It takes some time to break the cycle.

I used the oxo pop-top containers and some other containers that I have - they need to be air tight at best chance of stopping them from getting into items. I found a pupae in the rings of the peanut butter jar -it was working it's way up the rings to get into the peanut butter. Talk about gross.

Freezer is good way of killing eggs. I now put flour etc that I buy in the freezer for a couple of days. My mother swears by bay leaves and cloves - so I have little mesh bags (from micheals wedding section) full of dried bay leaves and cloves. My mother tapes a bay leaf to top of flour container - and I've done the same. Don't know if it helps or not.

I don't buy too much in bulk and I now clean out the pantry regularly to keep on top of it.

[amandabea]

I battled with pantry moths for a couple of months. It was awful.

I found a pupae in the rings of the peanut butter jar -it was working it's way up the rings to get into the peanut butter. Talk about gross.

OMG - that is disgusting and I had no idea! Thanks for all the tips in your post. Flour is now in the freezer and I'm making a list of the containers I need to buy.

[Naranjadia]

I remember on one of the threads it mentioned they like the glue used in boxes. I can unbox all my pastas, etc, and put them in containers, but what how much getting rid of boxes do you all do? Cracker boxes? Cereal boxes? Ayiyiyiyi!

[mnosky1]

Ugh we had those about 5 years ago - our flour was in tupperware at the time so the moths weren't actually in the flour but in everything else, cereal, pasta, cornmeal, etc.
We didn't make any major storage changes, but threw EVERYTHING out and started fresh, just making sure to purge things better and check dates when bringing stuff home from the store - the store we had shopped at wasn't a high turnover grocery store which I think may have contributed. We used these awesome flour moth catchers we found in a magazine - I didn't really care by that point if they were environmentally friendly or whatnot but there were no fumes or sprays - they were folded cardboard and they caught them inside. This is what they looked like:

http://www.amazon.com/Pantry-Moth-Tr...ef=pd_sim_ol_4

good luck!

I remember I hadn't thrown own a little bit of baking stuff and then found them in a ziplocked bag of walnuts and a bar of baking chocolate - just throw it all out. We took everything out and cleaned wire shelves and even repainted the inside of the pantry while we were at it.

[niccig]

I agree with throwing everything out and starting again. I kept the cans and that was about it. Make sure you wipe down any cans that you keep - I found the pupae in boxes - the food item was sealed, but they had gotten under lid of box etc.

I don't buy ahead as much now. If you have a quick enough turn over on items, they will be fine. Things I don't use as much, eg. flour etc, I have all in containers. I have cereal in cereal containers, but I keept he cereal in the bag, I just pull the bag out, put in the cereal container and throw the box away. Crackers, I keep in box, but use up. I don't keep boxes and boxes around anymore.

A friend had pantry moths and they wouldn't throw anything away, and several months later I was over and she still had a problem with them.

Save yourself the hassle, throw everything away, use the pantry moth traps to catch flying moths, clean out entire pantry - every nook and cranny. I even vaccummed ours. Clean down all your kitchen cabinets - I found little coccons on crevices in cabinets doors on other side of the kitchen. Leave your pantry empty for several days...and then restock. I did spray my pantry with insect spray, let sit for over a week and then wiped clean...I was sooooo done with battling these suckers that I gave up on environmentally friendly...