If you do a lot of cooking, you tend to keep many ingredients and materials inside your kitchen, and it can be a hassle to keep them organized.
For a smooth cooking experience, of course we want everything to be organized! From your containers, bottles, and jars you can have designated spots for them and reduce clutter in your pantry.
This way, you’ll quickly know where to get stuff when you need it without digging through everything like finding a needle in a haystack anymore! Here’s a list of some of the best pantry organization ideas so you don’t have to worry about anything anymore!
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Brilliant Pantry Organization Ideas So Everything Is Always Easy to Find
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1. Optimize Vertical Space
One of the most easiest ways you can start, and cost nothing at all!
We want to make use of every inch of space we have, so we have to take adavantage of all the vertical space.
Adding stackable containers for your goods or tiered organizers for bottles and jars can help you stay organized while keeping items visible and easy to access!
2. Declutter First
Before we start organiziing, the most important first stage is to declutter everything in your pantry.
Empty everything out, get rid of all expired, stale, or unused items. Prioritize stuff that you will use in your kitchen only.
Starting with a thorough decluttering session makes sure everything
3. Store Heavy Items on Lower Shelves
Heavy canned goods, bulk items, and large bottles should always live on the lowest shelves. It makes them much easier and safer to lift without straining.
It also prevents heavy things from falling from high up which is a real safety issue especially with kids around. Keep lighter and more frequently grabbed items at eye level instead!
4. Use a Chalkboard on the Pantry Door
It’s hard to memorise every single thing inside your pantry, especially if there’s tons of stuff.
Which is why it’s the best practice to have a chalkboard hanging on your pantry door to track your food, from it’s expiration date to inventory count!
You can also write a grocery list so you won’t forget anything on your next shopping trip, very convenient!
5. Group Items by Category
Stop mixing random things together on the same shelf. Keep baking supplies in one zone, canned goods in another, snacks in another. That way you always know exactly where to look without wasting your time!
6. Label Absolutely Everything
Without labels, it’ll be easier for you to get things wrong. An organized pantry is never enough, you have to label everything correctly as well!
It takes maybe an hour to set up but it will save you lots of time every single day. Even a simple writing on a piece of paper is enough to make your own labels!
Or… if you want a faster option, you can get a label maker instead to do the work for you.
7. Use Baskets to Keep Items
Baskets are not only good for decoration, but is also a must-have to keep all your stuff organized!
I always separate my goods into separate zones using baskets. Like snacks, cereal, and spices all in separate baskets to keep everything nice and tidy!
8. First In First Out
One of the main reasons your pantry can get messy, is that you still have tons of unused items inside that you don’t even know!
To prevent this, use the “first in, first out” rule. Basically, you’re supposed to use the older stuff first before trying on the new ones! If you buy a new cereal box, try to tuck it behind the old cereal box to make sure you finish the old one first.
A simple rule but will save you lots of time and prevent you from wasting food!
9. Glass Containers for Storage
One way to make your pantry looking more cleaner and polished is to use glass containers to keep all your goods.
Also, it’s way easier to see your food and recognize which is which, unlike your typical, hard-to-see plastic containers.
10. Incorporate a Lazy Susan
Instead of reaching out your hands and digging all the way back to find stuff, you can incorporate a lazy susan to grab things easier.
You can put spice bottles, sauce bottles, cooking oils here and just spin it around and grab without knocking things over!
11. Keep Your Bread Inside Bread Boxes
Leaving bread out in the open can make it go stale and moldy faster.
I always store my bakery goods inside a bread box which keeps them fresh even longer! It also frees up space and keeps your kitchen clutter free.
12. Create a Snack Storage Zone
Dedicate one specific shelf, basket, or bin purely for all your snacks so everyone knows where to get them.
Kids especially love having their own snack zone they can reach easily, so it’s recommended to keep the in lower shelves. We don’t want them climbing all over the pantry!
13. Incorporate Under Shelf Storage Baskets
One extra spot that people tend to miss is the space under your shelves!
Under shelf baskets create a whole extra layer of storage underneath your shelves and they’re perfect for storing lighter items like snack bags, foil boxes, and spice packets, saving up even more space for your pantry!
14. Add Pull-Out Drawers for Deep Shelves
Some pantries have deep shelves, and it can be hard to reach your hand all the way back. You can also easily knock stuff over along the way which is pretty incovenient!
Pull-out drawers are your best friends here! It’s as simple as grabbing the handle and pull it out and get what you need, easy!
15. Use Matching Containers for a Consistent Look
Using matching containers makes your pantry more neat and consistent throughout the whole space.
It’s just nicer and more satisfying to look at when everything is matching, instead of having a random mix of different shapes, sizes, and colors competing!
16. Make a Breakfast Station
Dedicate one specific section of your pantry purely for everything you need in the morning, cereals, oats, bread and coffee or tea all in one spot!
It’s gonna be helpful especially when you’re rushing to work or you need to get your kids to school. Everything you need is right there without having to search through the whole pantry!
17. Stack Your Bins and Containers
It’s all about maximizing your vertical space especially if you have a small pantry.
Not only that you’re maximizing every inch of your space, but you save up more extra space for other goods, keeping everything organized in your pantry!
18. Use Pegboards for Your Shelves and Racks
Pegboards are extremely versatile! You can hang baskets, hooks, shelves, and racks in any configuration that works for you and you can also easily rearrange everything if you want to change the look.
19. Add a Nice Backlight
Good lighting inside a pantry makes such a bigger difference than most people realize! It’s hard to stay organized when you can barely see what’s on your shelves.
20. Spice Racks for Your Spices
Make your life easier by storing your spice bottles in a spice rack instead! A proper spice rack puts everything in plain sight so whenever you’re cooking, you can easily grab what you need without having to rummage through everything!
Also check out: 12 Easy Spice Rack Ideas for an Organized Kitchen
