Have you ever walked into your pantry (affiliate) and said, “Where are my ….?” While rearranging cans and jars to find that one item, you make even more of a mess with all the other items. Feeling so overwhelmed. You shut the door and give up. I feel your pain. The lack of a pantry (affiliate) system that is constantly being moved around is frustrating. It is what many of my clients often encounter over the 25+ years. Luckily, I made a list of what to keep in your pantry (affiliate). Additionally, I've included some extra tips for organizing these items to ensure easy access. Read on and get that pantry (affiliate) organized once and for all.
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Essential items to keep in an organized pantry
Canned food:
Sort the cans and jarred foods by type: vegetables, pasta, legumes, and tomato sauce (affiliate). Using an organizer like tier shelves (affiliate) works nicely. But you can also use a canned organizer like this one.
Canned Rack Organizer for Kitchen and Pantry, Holds Upto 36 Cans, Chrome Finish
Buy Now →(affiliate)
Pasta and Rice products:
Group the pasta and rice products together. Boxes (affiliate) easily fall over, so placing them in a clear bin, such as this one, works well too.
Container by OXO Good Grips POP - Airtight Food Storage
Buy Now →(affiliate)
Paper products: Like paper towels.
Making a place on the shelf for paper towels is essential. Remove these items from the floor, and at a glance, quickly determine if you need them. Check out these handy paper towel holders (affiliate link) for your pantry (affiliate) shelf.
Tablecloths and cloth napkins
You can hang them on a towel rack on the door or place them on the shelf with the cloth napkins (affiliate).
Having enough room in your pantry to store these items helps free up space in your dining room or kitchen drawer. These tableclothes and cloth napkins hangers(affiliate) allow you to hang the tablecloths in your pantry or hallway closet.
Platters and party supplies: paper napkins, plates, forks, knives, etc…
Keep all the party supplies together for quick inventory for your next party. Using a paper plate organizer (affiliate) can keep plates organized. You can also use a vertical rack to easily retrieve the platters (affiliate) from a firm shelf stored at the bottom of the pantry.
Small Appliances
These items are usually not used often. Place them in one location in your pantry. Not too high if they are heavy. If you have wire shelving (affiliate) in your pantry, these plastic shelf liners will help keep your small appliances (affiliate) from falling into the openings.
Additional Tips to Organize Your Pantry:
Buy extra supplies:
Buy extra supplies to save money and store these items in your pantry. Some items that last for weeks are cereal, snacks, herbs, spices (affiliate), extra juice, water, soda, and condiments.
Now, where should you place these items?
The image below shows which shelf is best suited for each item. The rule of thumb is that heavy items and frequently used items should be closer to the floor. Lighter items and infrequently used items can be stored on the top shelf.
Find more posts about pantry organization below:
- The Best Way To Label Mason Jars
- Pantry Organizing Monthly Challenge Made Easy
- How To Keep Your Pantry Organized Forever
- How to Create a Baking Zone with a Baking Tools List
- Crafty Over the Door Hanging Organizers to Maximize your Kitchen Space
- Create a Complete Baking Supplies Zone with this Checklist and Tips
- 15 Things to Toss for a Stress-Free Pantry
- 7 Ways to Transform a Hall Closet Into Pantry
Label everything
Now that you have determined where everything is going, it is essential to label (affiliate). Label (affiliate) each shelf section to describe the type of items below it. This will make it easier for you to remember where each category is placed.
And finally, remember that each pantry should be designed for each family. No one pantry will be the same. The goal for the pantry is to provide what you want while maintaining a system for everyone in the family. If your pantry isn't easy to manage, it should be modified and simplified. Think simple, and don't worry about making it super categorized. I hope this helps you organize your pantry.
Let's continue the conversation; please share your tips on organizing your pantry in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.
Below are more posts about pantry organization.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate), and at no additional cost, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Stacey Agin Murray says
I have bought a bunch of OXO POP Containers to organize my pantry. They keep food fresh and allow my kids to take their own snacks without needing assistance. It's one of my favorite organizing products in my pantry. I also use magazine holders to contain my oils and vinegar--got them very inexpensively in IKEA!
Janet Barclay says
Labelling the shelves is especially important if kids or other family members will be accessing the pantry. Even if the person who puts the groceries away knows where everything goes, it's not always obvious to anyone else!
Liana George says
Great list of essentials and products. Pantry organization can impact a person and family in so many ways, so it's critical to have the pantry stocked and accessible. Thanks for the ideas1
Linda Samuels says
I've never seen that under the shelf paper towel holder before. What a terrific product and so easy to install! I love the under the shelf baskets that function similarly, but a paper towel holder...WOW! Pantries can easily get out of control. That includes housing food that's long past its expiration date. Keeping the space organized, using the suggestions you gave, really helps. I also like the clear bin you showed to group like with like. Those types of bins also makes it easier to access what you need without creating more chaos.
Seana Turner says
The biggest challenge is when you don't even have a pantry. I feel like we went through a season of home design where pantries were "out." This was too bad, as they are such functional spaces. I love the 3-tier organizer you suggested at the bottom. That is useful in so many spaces where you want to store smaller things in a large space. I also often recommend the Closet maid organizer a lot. That is an incredible amount of storage, and if someone doesn't have a pantry, it can hang on the back of the door to the basement.
Susan says
Perfect timing. I'm planning on cleaning out reorganizing my pantry very soon. Love the tips and suggestions.
Sabrina Quairoli says
Awesome! Have fun. =)
Rose M Griffith says
I just did my winter clean out/organizing of the pantry, Sabrina. I kept your tips from the linen closet blog in mind. Things are in bin, and labeled with my new label maker! It's so much easier now. Thanks.
Sabrina says
So glad you cleared out your pantry sucessfully and that this helped.