Helpful Guide To Keeping Your Kitchen and Food Pantry Organized

Organizing your pantry is an important step to take in the process of home organization.  

The first thing you need to do is get rid of all expired and unneeded items, then decide on how you want to organize your pantry.

There are many different ways you can go about organizing a kitchen pantry in alphabetical order, by food type, or even by color!

Whatever method works best for you will be perfect for your household. Use these tips as inspiration for organizing your own home pantry - and you’ll likely find that the rest of your home’s organization falls into place, too.

Start with a Clean Slate

No matter how large or small your pantry might be, getting it organized is no small feat - and it might seem like an overwhelming endeavor to tackle this task. However, with a bit of help from everyone in your family when it comes to maintaining the pantry, you can get it ready to go in no time (and keep it looking great, too!).

The best advice you can follow when organizing your pantry is to start with a clean slate. Rather than trying to work around piles of crumbs and stuck-on gunk, give it a thorough cleaning first to get rid of anything that is expired or never used (do you really need those seven cans of condensed milk that you’ve had since the 1990s?).

If you have a ton of canned goods or other non-perishables that are still in good shape - but that you no longer want - consider donating them to the food shelf or your local church.

Then, after you’ve gotten rid of everything you don’t want or need, take the time to wipe down your shelves and walls. Starting with a fresh, clean slate will help keep you motivated to keep going!

Take Inventory

Now that you have a bit more breathing room in your pantry, it’s time to take stock of what you actually have. After you’ve cleared out all of those old items, it will be much easier for you to see what you have.

That way, you won’t go through the whole rigamarole of buying brand-new containers that you'll never use.

Keep a list of your pantry staples - and be sure to update it regularly. When you need to go grocery shopping, you can either bring the entire list with you or take a quick snapshot with your phone. No more unnecessary buying and loading the pantry with extra items!

Here’s another helpful hint - consider putting a chalkboard or whiteboard in your pantry. You can keep an inventory there of what you have and simply cross items off or subtract from numbers as you use things up. Genius!

Institute a First In, First Out System

Another simple way to organize your pantry is to follow the first in, first out system -  also known as rotating your stock! When you add new items to the pantry, they should go at the very back so that the older (though still fresh) items get used up first.

That way, you won’t have to worry about items going to waste because you didn’t know they were in the pantry to begin with!

Categorize

A helpful way to keep your pantry physically organized is to place items together - categorize! You can put all of your baking essentials in one section and use a lazy Susan to hold all of your cooking oils.

In keeping everything together like items, you’ll be able to find what you need quickly and easily.

Now, when it comes to categorizing, you don’t just have to group similar items together, like nut butters in one spot and cooking oils in another.

You can subdivide your foods in other ways for maximized efficiency.

For example, you might consider the frequency of use. The spices you use the most should be in the most accessible spot.

Also, think about your routines - are there certain items that almost always get pulled out of the pantry together, like pasta sauces and dry noodles? Group them together so you can grab them quickly.

You can set up “themes” within your pantry, too, such as a coffee station, a school lunch section, and a breakfast foods shelf.

When you’re grouping items together, though, do keep in mind that there are some foods that have no business being stored near each other. For example, don’t store potatoes and onions together - this will speed up spoiling and can lead to food waste.

Onions and garlic are great to store together, though.

Similarly, you shouldn’t store strong-smelling herbs and spices (like curry or cumin) near flours, since this will absorb the odors.

Set Up Areas for Unexpected Entertaining and Other “Themes”

It’s always fun when somebody stops by unexpectedly for dinner - right?

More like a state of emergency!

It’s a great idea to keep a selection of napkins, toothpicks, appetizers, and trays in baskets - that way, you won’t have to worry about pawing through your pantry when you need to whip together a meal at the last minute.

Store these items on an upper shelf so they’re not in the way of the everyday affair. When guests arrive unexpectedly, all you need to do is take the basket down and start cooking.

Baking supplies are another group that should get their own sections. You probably aren’t using cookie cutters and frostings every single day - so keep these things separate. You can put everything in clear, airtight containers and then gather those containers up in baskets that you can stack on top of each other.

Pull them down when you’re ready to use them and you won’t have to worry about moving them out of your way every time you reach in for coffee or something else you use every day.

You can even have a section for quick weeknight meals! Keep a week’s worth of dinner supplies front and center in mesh bins, attaching both a label of its contents and the recipe you plan to use. This will let you whip up your family’s favorite recipes in a snap - even on those busy weeknights where you’re so tired you can’t stand the thought of cooking dinner!

Use Containers

Don’t run to the store and buy storage containers until you’ve taken an inventory of what you actually have. This is a surefire way to set yourself up for failure - you’ll end up with a ton of unneeded storage containers that are just going to clutter up your pantry even more.

Instead, wait until you’ve made a list of what you have and need. Then, you can buy containers to keep foods in like categories together. Consider using bins, baskets, and other containers to save space - oddly shaped bags and packages will fit better inside storage containers, while clear glass or plastic containers are perfect for storing dry foods like beans and pastas.

There’s a big benefit to using containers when you’re storing items for baking in particular. Flour and other dry goods can harbor unpleasant insect eggs, like those of weevils and flour beetles. Storing these goods in glass decanters can help you avoid this nasty storage issue.

Before deciding on the type of container you want to use to store your goods, consider what you’re putting in them and how you plan on removing them.

If, for example, you plan to use a measuring cup to scoop large batches of rice out of a jar, you probably shouldn’t store the rice in a narrow-mouthed container. Instead, store the rice in a wide-mouth vessel so you can easily get it out.

Label

Labeling is important regardless of whether you use clear containers or opaque ones - but if you’re using opaque containers, labels are even more essential.

Make sure every shelf, container, and bin has a label - this will not only help you and your family members locate items in a pinch but will also get them put back exactly where they belong.

You can use a Bluetooth label maker for quick labeling or just use chalkboard labels - that way, you can easily change the label if the contents of the container happen to change.

In some cases, it may make less sense to indicate the contents of the jar and more sense to write down the date you bought the product or its expiration date. That way, you can know what’s inside the jar and when it needs to be used by.

Utilize Doors

If you’re lucky enough to have a door on your pantry, take full advantage of that feature. You can hang organizers over the door to free up shelf space - things like spices, canned goods, jars, and bottled oils are perfect candidates for over-the-door storage organizers and wire racks.

Make it a Kid-Friendly Spot

The best way to ensure that your kids help you in keeping the pantry neat and organized is to make it a kid-friendly environment.

Create a bottom shelf that is home to snacks - that way, your kids can put away their groceries and help themselves to snacks. Be sure to label and keep things visible - kids are going to have a harder time finding things that you will and your best efforts at organization will be all for naught if you have to go in each time and help them!

Use Extra Wall Space

So many pantries have wasted space - especially around the walls. Wall space can be a serious game changer so take advantage of it! You can install hooks to hold items like brooms, aprons, and shopping bags - or you can install a bag dispenser that will hold trash or grocery bags within quick reach.

Good thinking!

While you’re at it, consider how the extra floor space in your pantry is being used. If you’re lucky enough to have a large walk-in pantry, consider installing some extra features for larger goods and items.

For example, you may want to add a counter for small appliances. You can store items like blenders, rice cookers, and mixers here so that you can get them off your countertops - what a great way to clear up clutter!

Add Shelf Liners

No matter how good you are about wiping things down and preventing spills, let’s face it - spills do still happen. If you install some high-quality shelf liners, you can protect your shelves from stains and damage.

Plus, shelf liners will help prevent food from falling through wire shelving and reduce the likelihood of boxes tipping over. They can also stop containers, baskets, and other storage elements from slipping off your pantry shelves, especially if your racks are made out of thin wire.

Keep It Up

One of the most frustrating things about organizing the pantry is that it seems like a never-ending task - as soon as you’ve got it organized, it gets messy again!

Keeping up your organization plan is essential so that you don’t find yourself feeling frustrated each and every time you go inside for a box of pasta. Make sure you always put items back in the appropriate spot (yes, even if you’re in a hurry!) and enlist the whole family. Get them on board by keeping food and snacks visible and accessible.

Of course, a good touch-up is necessary every now and then, so once or twice a month, take the time to make sure everything is clean and in the proper place. Check the pantry a few times a year, too, to make sure there aren’t any contents that need to be tossed. Take care of dust and little spills and adjust organization systems that might not be working for you anymore.

It’s better to spend fifteen minutes a couple of times a month to do this rather than hours to organize it again!

Helpful Tips To a Cleaner More Organized and Functional Kitchen

If you are like most people, your pantry is a dumping ground for all of the cans and boxes that have been accumulating in your kitchen cabinets. You may notice some items nearing their expiration date or think to yourself “I’ll eat this later.”

What if we told you there was an easy way to get your grains, canned goods, snacks, and other non-perishable food organized?

Well, there is! Simply follow the tips above to organize your pantry and you’ll be on your way to a cleaner, more organized, and more functional kitchen in no time.

Shana Thompson is a full time professional writer and editor. Shana has worked extensively in the fields of content marketing, on-page and off-page SEO (guest posts, backlink acquisition), and creative writing. As an experienced pro content writer, Shana has worked on several magazines, publishing companies and marketing agencies. Many recent projects have included everything from nutrition and health services, where a lot of research and citations were needed, to writing about health, sustainable, eco-friendly products.

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