5 Pantry Organization Ideas for a Well-Organized Pantry

If you're tired of struggling to find what you need to prepare a meal, this article is for you! Organizing your pantry can feel overwhelming, but the effort to organize it is worth the reward. These 5 pantry organization ideas will help you break down the daunting task of reorganizing so you can enjoy a well-structured and satisfyingly organized pantry space.

Starting to organize your pantry may be intimidating at first, but with the right tips and tricks, you’ll be surprised how quickly it all comes together. So take a deep breath, put on your favorite music, and let your pantry organization journey begin!

1. Check expiration dates.

The first step to any pantry organizing project is to pull all food out of the space and check the expiration dates. Without order in a pantry, food often gets stuffed in cabinets, drawers, and on shelves. Over time, we lose visibility to what's available in our pantry, and eventually, it goes to waste.

Getting a firsthand look at your food waste may bring up some emotions.

If you're finding a lot of food is old and expired, you might feel emotions such as guilt. That's totally normal. Remember, you started this organizing project to make a change, right? So that's what you're going to do!

Having an organized pantry is not just about making it look pretty. It's going to reduce waste in the future and save you money from overbuying things you already have.

Make observations and collect data on your habits.

Try to accept that the waste has already happened. Instead of judging yourself harshly, try to make observations of what is ending up in the trash can so you can make a change.

Are you buying too many canned goods? Are you collecting spices that never get used? Are you shopping in bulk for food your family just doesn't get through fast enough?

Clearing expired food items frees up storage space, and it gives you insights into your shopping, cooking, and eating habits. Use this valuable information to decide what habits you need to adjust to ensure you can keep your pantry organized.

2. Create zones.

Having zones in the pantry is the best way to maintain visibility on what food is in your pantry and make it easily accessible to everyone who uses the space.

Review pantry items to define your zones.

Once you've edited the food in the pantry, sort it into categories. This is the first step in creating zones. Typical pantry zones include snacks, canned goods, spices, and baking supplies. However, we encourage you to make this your own! Zones will vary for everyone depending on diet and lifestyle.

Consider the frequency of use.

Once you have similar items together you can see the volume of items you need to store. You'll also want to consider how frequently you use them. These two pieces of information will guide you on the best place to store items.

Lower or eye-level shelves are valuable real estate because of their easy access. Reserve this space for items you use daily, such as cereal boxes, snacks, or heavy-use appliances. Items used less frequently, such as baking supplies, should store on a higher shelf. Unless you're a baker, of course!

Don't overthink it.

Whatever you do, just remember it needs to make sense for you and your family, or else the system will fall apart. Keep it simple and avoid creating micro-categories of things.

Keep the zones broad enough that everyone understands what it means, can find what they're looking for, and help put away groceries. Before you commit to zones, bring in a family member to check if the zones make sense.

3. Maximize your storage space.

Whether you have a tiny pantry or a walk-in pantry, learning to maximize space will be your best friend when it comes to getting the most out of your pantry.

Look for vertical space.

If you look up and see a lot of empty unused wall space, you may have an opportunity to go vertical. Consider adding more shelves to store less frequently used items. Going vertical can make a big difference.

Depending on how high you go, you may need to invest in a step stool to access items. As a safety measure, be mindful of the weight of items you store on higher shelves.

Use the pantry door.

Over-the-door organizers and wall-mounted storage containers do wonders to make use of blank space on the pantry door. Depending on your preference, you can get organizers that will stick or hang on your door and don't require hardware or installation.

Whatever containers or system you choose, be sure to take measurements and have a plan for what you're storing there to ensure the door will close.

Embrace deep shelves.

Deep shelves without the right organizing containers are often where food goes to die. Food, especially small items, gets stuffed in the back and disappears into the abyss. But it doesn't have to be this way!

Take measurements of your shelves and look for clear storage containers with handles that are the depth of your shelves that you can use to organize items. This may take a little bit of research to find the right custom containers for your space, but it will be worth it!

The right containers will improve access and ensures you have visibility at all times.

4. Use labeled bins.

Using labels can feel rudimentary. You might be thinking "I know those are snacks in that bin, I look at it and I see snacks, duh!"

However, labels are a subconscious reminder of where things belong. This is especially important if you share the space with others! We can't assume everyone sees the space exactly as we do, or that they know how to use it.

Labels act as a communication tool.

Think of labels as a roadmap for everyone who uses the space. Label the shelves, drawers, and bins in your pantry to communicate where things belong.

5. Shop your pantry before going to the grocery store.

Your pantry is organized, hooray! Now how do you maintain it? Adopting this habit in my home has been a complete game-changer to keep pantry clutter under control. I call it "shopping the pantry". Not only has it significantly reduced waste, but it's also encouraged me to come up with some creative weeknight dinners.

Seems really simple right? It is, but the challenge is in actually doing it every time!

Take inventory.

Before going to the grocery store, take 5 minutes to look through drawers, cabinets, and shelves - anywhere you store food to take inventory of what you have. Take note of the food that's nearing its expiration date so you can make a plan to eat it.

Develop a meal plan.

Now that you know what food is already available, you can easily develop a meal plan. My family makes a game out of it now to see how many items we can use in our pantry each week. Trying to incorporate a meal with pasta or canned goods and noting what snacks we have to eat for the week ensures these items don't go bad.

Shop using a grocery list.

My mom used to always warn me to never grocery shop hungry. And that is some sage advice. I would add to that and say to also never shop without a list!

Shopping with a list ensures you're buying exactly what you need to make complete meals. It also helps reduce the risk of overshopping or buying things you're not actually going to eat or finish.

Implement these pantry organization ideas & celebrate your success!

The hardest part is to start organizing. I hope you can use these pantry organization ideas as a roadmap to not only organize your pantry but also maintain it. After you put in the effort to organize it like a professional organizer would, pat yourself on the back and reap the rewards of a professionally organized pantry!