How To Organize Your Pantry & Increase Storage Space Even If You Have A Small Pantry

My pantry was in a complete mess, i just couldn't find anything and there was hardly any space for any new items...

But after testing out things here and there, i finally figured out how to get my pantry back in order.

And In this post, i'm going to share 11 tips that'll get your pantry in order and implement systems so that it continues to stay organized throughout the year!

Let's get started!

 

How to organize your pantry

To organize any pantry, you'll need to start by decluttering, so remove everything from your pantry, place them on a large table to sort them out.

Grab a trash bag and discard expired food and food that nobody consumes anymore.

Great! Now that you've sorted out your food items, you'll need to clean the shelves, sweep and mop the floors before beginning to organize.

 

  

1. Use Pull Out Containers

Remember how food packages can make your pantry look messy and disorganized?

For certain items like instant coffee mix, snack bars and sweets, its probably not practical to take them out of their food packaging.

That's where you can use pantry bins to store these items and still keep your pantry looking organized.

Store snack bars, protein bars and sweets.

Store canned food, cereal and pasta boxes.

These pull out bins makes it easy to find and grab what you need without flipping through heaps of food packaging.

Shop Pantry Bins

Need larger bins?

Shop XL Pantry Bins

 

2. Use Clear Food Storage Containers

Sloppy food packages makes your pantry look cluttered and messy.

So, one of the best way to make any pantry look neat and organized is always transfer your food to use air tight clear storage containers.

Not only is it neat and organized, it increase storage space, making it the perfect choice for smaller pantries.

By simply using clear containers, you can see the difference it made.

In this case, large mason jars labels, and glass jar with bamboo lids were used.

Works perfect on rack type pantry too!

Shop Food Container

 

3. Organize Based On Product Category

By placing like items together, you'll have much easier time looking for them and your pantry will look much neater.

For example, group cereals together on one side, spices on the other side. That way you know where to look and know which shelf to head towards.

Keeping like items grouped together also helps you keep track of stock, preventing you from overstocking or buying too little.

 

4. Use Dual Layer Shelf Organizers

If your pantry lack storage space, then it's a good idea to use shelf organizers.

They help to utilize vertical space and create an awesome display of items in your pantry.

Just remember to take measurements before purchasing your shelf organizers. Anyways, here are some organizers that i would recommend.

Using a layered lazy Susan

Here you see a dual layer lazy Susan begin used to group baby foods together.

It doubles your storage space utilizing the vertical space and helps to group like items together on the same platform.

Use lazy Susan for your storing spice bottles.

And use them for storing and grouping your canned food.

Pro tip: Place a lazy Susan at the corner of your pantry to fully utilize that piece of awkward space.

Shop Lazy Susan

The other organizer i would recommend is the Dual Tier Rack

This Dual tier rack lets you stack more canned foods, bread or anything other items so you get to store more items in your pantry.

And you can stack storage boxes too!

Shop Dual Tier Rack

 

5. Avoid Overstocking

Although it might seem like a great idea to buy in bulk to save cost and avoid running out of food, buying in bulk is often the cause of clutter and possibly wasted food.

So here quick tip here is to make a list of groceries and things to buybeforeheading to the supermarket and only purchase enough for a month or two.

That way, you prevent overstocking and only buy what you need.

 

6. Use Under shelf Baskets

Another quick and easy fix to get more storage space out of your pantry is to use a hanging basket.

They are easy to install organizers that hang below your pantry shelves to give you that extra space.

Deep enough for saran wraps

Works perfectly on rack type pantry shelves too!

If have already used organization bins and still can't get enough storage, then use the hanging baskets.

Shop Hanging Pantry Basket

  

7. Use Elevation For Easy Grab

When different canned food are stacked back to back, it is impossible to find the can you're looking for.

The quick solution is to use a 3 tier spice organizer.

It lets you see the label clearly so you can pick out the canned food you need without lifting the can one by one.

See everything with a single glance.

A pantry just neat as a department store!

Looks systematic and gives your pantry that consistent look.

Shop 3 Tier Organizer

  

8. Label Your Storage Containers

It's important to label your storage containers. This will help you identify each items quickly without doubts.

Especially important for flours, MSG, sugar and salt where they all look the same.

If you buy packages of spice powder and add them to your spice bottles, then it's important to know which bottle contains which spice.

You can buy reusable stickers rolls to get this task done.

Just stick them onto a food storage container.

Labeling is great for differentiating similar looking items.

Every pantry looks tidier after organizing and labeling

Shop Labels

 

9. Declutter Your Pantry Every 2 Weeks

Remember to make decluttering your pantry a part of your weekly or fortnightly schedule.

This helps with identifying what you have and which food is running low so you won't be caught having to cook dinner without salt or oil.

But remember tip #1, avoid overstocking 

 

10. Use a Push Cart

If there are certain spice bottles that you use on a regular basis, or if you want keep your pantry looking as minimalist as possible...

Consider using a gap push cart.

This gap push cart goes into gaps that you may have inside your pantry room.

An excellent use of space if you asked me!

If you can make a gap in your pantry room then this push cart would be perfect!

A push cart for your frequently used spice bottles for easy storage and use during cooking.

Shop Gap Push Cart

  

11. Use Hooks To Hang Other Items

Avoid leaving your apron, napkins and mittens lying all over your pantry.

Grab some self adhesive hooks and install them on the back of your pantry doors to hang these items 

This will also help create extra space rather than keeping them in your kitchen drawers or leaving them on your pantry shelf.

Shop Adhesive Hooks

 

 

Now it's your turn!

Which pantry organization tips did you like best?

If you liked this post, please share it with somebody who needs this and leave a comment on the pin.

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Thank you for reading!