Pantry Organization Ideas

Your pantry can quickly become a jumbled mess if you’re not doing an effort to organize. The time you spend on finding ingredients can take as long as cooking your meal if you have to get through half-empty bags of chips, spices, and baking ingredients just to find the bag of pasta. Conquer the clutter with these smart, space-saving and organizing tips:

1. Plan your pantry

Make sure you list all the challenges you have with your pantry and think of the ways on how to solve them. Putting into consideration the cooking materials, utensils and containers you have, as well as your edible pantry staples, list what organizers you need to provide (additional shelves, bins, drawers, wire baskets, etc.) to lessen the hassle in finding stuff. If you’re clueless, this list is about to give you some ideas on how to use what.

2. Sort your items

It’s best to divide your pantry into zones, or various stations, based on your day-to-day needs. You can assign one spot for canned goods, then the other for baking ingredients, then for kids’ snacks, grains, spices and condiments, fresh produce, pots and pans, and so forth. This will help food preparation much easier because there will be a specific zone for everything.

3. Use clear storage containers

3. Use clear storage containers
3. Use clear storage containers

To make your pantry look less cluttered and more presentable, use clear containers (like matching glass jars or plastic bins) to store bulk cereals, rice, flour, oats, nuts, powder mixes, and other dry goods. It’s one of the simplest and easiest ways to organize your pantry and create a tidy and uniform look. Label the glass jars using a label marker or paint pens. Better yet, keep a small measuring cup on the side of each container with a command hook for easier scooping. The nice thing about transferring your goods in clear storage containers is that they are now pretty enough to display on your countertop or open shelves.

4. Use a plate rack to store lids

Your plastic containers and Tupperware items have various sizes and different lids, so it’s too easy for the lids to get jumbled and get missing at the time when you need them. Try grouping the bottoms on one shelf or drawer, then stack the lids vertically on a plate rack.

5. Turn the shelves into drawers

Deep shelves can cause items that are pushed on the back to be hard to find. On the other hand, drawers will allow you to fill it up while making everything visible as you pull out the drawer. No more frantic searching! Just make sure to organize your drawers by item types to make storage more cohesive.

6. Make your cake stands work double duty

Cake stands don’t get to be used every day at home, so while they’re on the storage, make them work double duty as storage themselves. Just place small bowls and sauce dishes both on top and underneath them so as to save storage space.

7. Use slim bins

To maximize the space of your tall shelves, use tall, skinny containers to save space. This way you can pack more contents unto the shelf, while the matching containers can keep your pantry looking orderly compared to the usual multi-colored stack of goods.

8. Use a pegboard

If you want to maximize the wall space in your kitchen, use a pegboard. You can attach hooks in it to hang everything from pots and pans to random utensils and kitchen gadgets. It makes everything easy to reach without having to rummage around a shelf or drawer. Plus, this frees up storage and counter space.

9. Invest in wire baskets

Just investing in a few wire baskets can clean up a messy pantry. Too much small things can look like a mess, and surgibin wire baskets can help you with them. In every wire basket, store small and lightweight items that are alike or related to each other, such as spices, snack packets, sachets and more. Plus, these wire baskets are light enough to be attached to the inside of a cabinet door (or the side of the fridge with the help of a magnet).

10. Go for wire shelving

If you’re redoing your pantry, consider wire shelving. It lets you see easily what’s located where, even those on high, hard-to-reach spots. Solid shelving can obscure the line of sight, prompting you to open and close a line of cabinets from time to time while looking for an item. This option is best adapted by those who have a pantry that consists of a small room with a door.

11. Hang your snacks

Do you often find your opened bag of chips or pretzels getting crushed by other food items on your shelf? Or do you find bags of snacks too bulky for storage that can be used to store something else? By using clip hangers you use for hanging skirts, you can make sure your snacks stay fresh, plus it makes extra storage appear out of thin air. Simply attach a small curtain rod underneath a wall-mounted shelf, and hang your clip hangers in there. What a hack, right?

12. Use a shower caddy to store produce

A shower caddy may not look like it belongs to the pantry, but it actually makes a great produce rack. Replace your regular bowl with a shower organizer so you can clear your shelves or countertops for more important items. Hang the caddy on an empty wall and line up your room-temperature produce like onions, garlic, apples, and bananas.

13. Get some wicker baskets

Wicker bins and baskets offer convenient storage. You can pile items here on top of each other, like bottles, without worrying that they might topple over to the floor every time you open the pantry or cabinet door. Plus, they look stylish too, so you wouldn’t feel ashamed to open your pantry while a guest is in the kitchen.

14. Use zip ties to hang utensils

Utensils come in different shapes and sizes, so it could be hard sometimes to store them together without having to look frantically once you need the smallest item in the group. Take advantage of the loops on the end of the utensils, and loop zip ties in them. Hang them on a hook on the wall. This way you can grab your utensils quicker when you’re in a rush.

15. Store less-used items on higher shelves

Put the items you use occasionally on high, hard-to-reach shelves and keep the things you use frequently at arms’ reach. This way you can make your everyday work in the kitchen easier.