Are your cabinets full, and you’ve covered every spot in your pantry, so you don’t know what to do? Don’t worry! Organizing pantries can be a piece of cake if you follow our tips and tricks, especially if you’re lucky enough to have a walk-in pantry in your house.
So, let’s start and take a look at some of the best pantry organization ideas!
Organize Your Food in Clear Plastic Containers
Plastic food storage containers are a no-brainer when it comes to pantry organization. They can be found in bulk and cost you much less than any other option, they come in many different sizes, and you can store almost anything in them.
Plastic containers can be used for spices, flour, sugar, and cereal, and they even come in sizes suitable for tall pasta like spaghetti.
Just make sure to find the ones that can be stacked to save even more space on your pantry shelves.
Use Baskets to Keep Your Fruit and Veggies Organized
Although some fruit and vegetables like grapes need fridge temperatures to stay fresh for longer, there are those you can safely store in your pantry.
You should use a separate basket for each vegetable or fruit type and keep them on your pantry shelves to keep them organized.
The baskets need to have some ventilation so that the fruit and vegetable don’t rot, and it’s important not to mix different types of incompatible fruits and vegetables since they might help each other go bad quicker.
We recommend using wicker baskets since they come in many different sizes, provide enough ventilation, and they’ll look beautiful on your pantry shelves.
Utilize Your Pantry Door as Storage Space
If you have a small pantry, you probably know that a small walk-in pantry organization is a nightmare that has no end. There’s never enough room for everything, and it’s tough to keep it organized.
This is why you should try to use every inch of space you have. For example, you could buy a cheap metal pantry door organizer, hang it up, and you’ll get plenty of extra space where you can place your spice jars or any other smaller items.
Decorate Your Pantry
Even though decorating your pantry doesn’t seem like an organization hack, it can be, as it’s one of the best walk-in pantry ideas for getting motivated to keep your space organized.
By using beautiful containers and decorating your pantry space, so you enjoy it every time you see it, you’ll be more likely to keep the room tidy. So, get some lovely glass jars and bottles, fill them up, and add decorative details like your favorite bowls or cutting boards.
If your pantry has a window or enough light coming in, you can even add a beautiful tropical plant to enrich your space.
Decorations can take up only one shelf (or several shelves if there’s enough space), and this will be enough to make your pantry look pristine.
Store All Your Spices in Nifty Jars
Do you buy spices for your meals but can never find them when you cook? You’re not alone. And all those unmatching jars and bags are to blame.
This is why putting all your spices in matching transparent spice jars is one of the simplest but most effective pantry storage ideas.
Simply pour the content of your spice bags or unmatching spice jars into a nice set of jars, optionally add some labels, and you’ll easily see and find all the spices you have.
This way, your spices will look cohesive and much more organized.
Go Vertical
No matter how big your pantry storage is, there will never be enough space for everything you want to put inside.
So, if you have a walk-in pantry with tall walls, place shelves as high as you can and utilize every inch of vertical space you can. You can use chic wooden ladders to climb and reach the top shelves.
You can place all of the rarely used appliances at the top and keep the things you often use (e.g., your favorite juicer or your cookbooks) closer. This way, you’ll be able to remove some items from your kitchen and make it look clean and pristine.
Label Everything
Labels are handy and can prove crucial in creating an organized pantry, especially if you live with other people. By using labels, all the family members will know where everything is and be more likely to return the items to their place.
Labeling your containers and jars is a must, but you can also label your baskets and boxes to make your storage space easier to track.
You can use premade labels easily found online or get a label maker and create your own.
Reuse Your Old Jars
Glass containers and jars can be expensive and strain your budget, but having containers to keep all your food is essential in pantry organization.
So what can you do besides buying plastic ones?
One of our favorite cheap pantry organization ideas is to save all the pickle/peanut butter jars and give them a second life.
Wash them when you’re done using the product and later utilize them to keep the food in the pantry. This way, you won’t spend any money, and you’ll even be more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
If you want to make them look more cohesive, stick matching labels on them or buy new lids and enjoy your new almost free containers for your pantry.
Group Your Items
This is another brilliant idea for a small pantry organization that works flawlessly — grouping items in your pantry according to certain criteria.
There are a few ways in which you can do this. You can group them by type so that all the snacks go together in one spot, all the flour in another, etc. Or, if you make particular meals regularly, you can separate the ingredients for each dish into its own category.
Going for a cube shelf is the best choice here (if you want to invest in your pantry). But simple plastic or metal shelf separators can also do wonders and help you stay organized.
Budget-Friendly Wooden Box Shelving
You’re rebuilding or building your pantry and don’t want to spend a lot of money on shelves but want to be able to keep everything organized?
This is one of the best pantry organization ideas you’ll find, especially if you’re into the rustic farmhouse look.
Stack up as many wooden boxes as you can and connect them using wood glue and screws (don’t forget to secure the shelf to the wall!). Then, you can paint them or leave them as they are, and you’ve got yourself an easy shelf.
You can play with the box arrangement and create the shelving you need. This way, you’ll easily be able to organize your items by category and use.
Since you can find wooden boxes for cheap, and sometimes even for free, this will cost you next to nothing to make.
If you look for a more modern look, you can buy a cube shelf and get a similar result.
Conclusion
We hope you like our pantry organization tips and will try at least one. No matter which one you choose, you can’t go wrong, as they’re pretty straightforward, don’t cost much, and are guaranteed to transform your pantry into an Instagram-worthy space.
FAQ
How do you organize a walk–in pantry with deep shelves?
To organize a pantry with deep shelves, you can use stackable jars and plastic containers. Another option is to use bins with an open front and sort your pantry items in them.
Or, you can choose different organizers, such as an adjustable cabinet shelf or an undershelf basket that’ll help you use all the vertical space on your deep shelves.
Use removable containers and place items you use less often in the back and the ones you use every day in the front.
What is a good size for a walk-in pantry?
Based on many homeowners’ experience, 5 ft by 5 ft is a good size for a walk-in pantry. The size depends on your needs and how many things you want to use your pantry for.
Still, we don’t recommend going smaller than this if you want to be able to use your panty to the fullest.
How do I group items in the pantry?
The best way to group pantry items is by category. So, for example, snacks will go with other snacks, and flour will go with other baking supplies.
You can also group them by recipes, but this only makes sense if you make them often.
You can add some dividers and easily create separate groups.
How do you organize an awkward pantry?
To keep your awkward pantry organized, you can use lazy Susans, mesh drawer organizers, hooks, pantry door organizers, etc., to maximize your space and make everything more accessible.
If you can, you can also rearrange your shelves to suit your pantry best or design them and have them custom-made for your pantry. Plan what things you need, how tall the containers would be, and make your shelves and pantry work for you.
And, if you need some inspiration, you can always check out our walk-in pantry organization ideas above.
