Quick Guide to Organizing your Pantry
As organizers, we love tackling pantries because a functional system combined with stylish storage solutions makes a big impact in the kitchen—a space that’s at the heart of every home. If organizing your pantry is on your to-do list, you can actually achieve a huge transformation even if you don’t have a big budget.
Here is a quick step-by-step guide that reflects the process we generally go through when organizing a pantry :
Take everything out and place it on your counters, kitchen table, or really any flat surface you can find near your pantry.
Sort like items and separate into categories. Here are some common groupings:
Rice, pasta, oil and vinegars, sauces and condiments, chips, crackers, snacks, breakfast, cereal, baking, bread, and spices (if you keep them in your pantry)
Throw out expired foods and set aside for donation foods you won’t eat.
Create a sticky note for every category.
Wipe down shelves and clean the floor.
Plan out where everything will go by using your sticky notes, sticking them on your shelves and shifting them around as you think through how you use your pantry and the best place for each item. What do you use most often? Make those items the easiest to reach. If you have kids and want them to have access to certain foods, make sure those will go where the kids can access them.
Storage solutions: If you are using bins and containers, next transfer the sticky notes on the empty containers, again thinking strategically about the ways you use your pantry items and perhaps aesthetically as well to make sure that the containers’ visual arrangement is pleasing to the eye while maintaining full functionality.
Now you’re ready to put everything in the bins or directly on the shelves. If you’re not using bins, try to keep categories separate by leaving a gap between each grouping, or you may want to invest in shelf dividers to keep one group separate from the next.
Label! Labeling will remind you and everyone in your home where things should go. Even if you don’t use bins, you can label the shelves themselves. If you have solid shelves, labels can be placed on the shelf edge or plinth; for wire shelving, consider a clip-on solution.
If you want to invest in some containers and bins for your pantry refresh, whether you use clear, metal, or woven baskets, selecting solutions with handles will allow you to easily pull out the bin if necessary. For canned goods, consider risers if you have the space for them, and turntables are fantastic for corners and to store oils, vinegars, and sauces.
If any of this sounds overwhelming, you can also always call in a pro to work with you, shop for you, or do the entire project for you!
Happy pantry organizing, friends!