A small pantry is an exercise in restraint, with every cereal box and spice jar vying for the same limited space. The good news is that you don’t need to renovate the kitchen to get more space – instead, focus on organizing the space you have
If you are looking to learn how to organize a small pantry, the three most important strategies will be reducing the amount of stuff you keep, maximizing the space you do have, and making everything easy to see and reach. Clear containers, making use of vertical space, and other smart storage hacks can help you get remarkable results in a small pantry or closet pantry
Why Organizing a Small Pantry Matters
When a pantry is organized in an effective manner, it helps to prevent food waste by making everything easy to see and access. A small but well-organized pantry can also make meal preparation and grocery shopping easier, as well as clean-up.
The 15 Easy Small Pantry Organization Ideas
1. Empty the Pantry Completely
Start simple: empty the pantry entirely, placing all the goods on the kitchen counter or a table. This is a great way to see what you have and will prevent cluttering the new system with unnecessary items.
2. Check Expiration Dates
As you empty the pantry, take a good look at each item and toss anything that is expired or otherwise unusable. Set aside any item that was unopened for a long time and will be challenging to use for donation, if applicable.
Remember to be honest about the items you bought for a single batch of cake but never managed to use.
3. Group Items Into Broad Categories
Imagine that your small pantry is a reduced copy of the whole supermarket and group similar goods on the shelves. For instance, you may use different sections for breakfast, baking, and snacks, cereals and pasta, canned goods, drinks, and cooking products.
It is essential to avoid creating subcategories as it will make your storage harder than it should be.
4. Put Frequently Used Foods Within Easy Reach
The most frequently purchased foods and ingredients should be placed within eye and easy reach, such as cereals, oats, snacks, tea, coffee, etc. On the contrary, the least used items should be placed in the top and bottom of your kitchen cabinet.
5. Put Foods in Clear Containers
Clear plastic or glass containers can help to maximize the space in a small pantry, provide easy access to the goods, and protect them from pests and moisture. These are especially useful for storing dried goods, rice, flour, oats, cereal, etc.
It is not necessary to place every single item in a container – prioritize the ones that would benefit most from such storage (like nuts, cereals, pasta) and have a uniform appearance.
6. Add Shelf Risers
Shelf risers are an excellent way to get additional storage space in a small pantry. They provide an extra shelf for the same footprint and allow to store a can, a jar, or small packages vertically without making anything inaccessible.
Shelf risers are especially useful in deep shelves with extra space that is challenging to utilize.
7. Put Sauces and Other Things on a Lazy Susan
Lazy Susan is a great way to make your small pantry more comfortable as you will have all your sauces, jams, and other seasonings within reach instead of searching for the required one among others. Remember to choose the right size so that your lazy Susan occupies the necessary space and does not take up the whole area of the small pantry.
8. Store Packaged Snacks in Bins
It can be challenging to locate desired packaged snacks in the pantry. Thus, it can be helpful to store them in specially developed bins. If there are none, a simple open bin or a shelf can also serve this purpose well and even create a snack bar in your pantry. Choose the one with an easy-to-open front so that it does not take much time to find the necessary snack.
9. Make the Most of the Door Space
The inside of a pantry door often goes wasted in a small pantry or closet. An over-the-door rack is a great solution to this problem as it provides extra storage space for your spices, sauces, small packets of various food items, wraps and more. Just make sure that the door will still open with the additional rack.
10. Remove Extra Packaging to Save Space
Many packages, especially those made of cardboard, take up much space while containing relatively few goods.It is always helpful to remove any extra packaging, especially if they are in bigger boxes. If one bought multiple items in their bigger boxes, they can be put in one container or bin to prevent extra packaging.
It is important to save any instructions or other papers that may come with the product/package.
11. Store Things Vertically
Lots of pantries and closets have that extra vertical space that goes unused. You can maximize that space by standing your baking tools, cutting boards, wraps, paper towels and more, on their ends.
You can even use dividers for baking sheets and cake pans or just stack them on your shelves.
12. Label Everything for Simplicity
It is essential to label every bin or container, especially if multiple people are using the same pantry. It will become much easier to find the desired item without opening every single container in search of it. The labels do not have to be any specific size or color, but it is best to keep them simple – “Snacks,” “Baking,” “Pasta,” “Breakfast,” etc.
13. Designate a Space for Extra Stock
When buying staple goods in bulk, it is always a good idea to have an extra storage area for the additional supplies. This way, there will always be the most recent products on hand without having to fill up the pantry with extra supplies every time.
14. Rotate Stock Like in a Supermarket
When restocking the pantry, it is a good idea to utilize the supermarket’s “first in, first out” policy to ensure that older goods are used before the new ones expire.
Once again, this will prevent food waste and ensure that the most recent items are always available for use
15. Make Pantry Management Easy
Over time even the systematically organized pantry will lose its orderliness. Therefore it is recommended to take several minutes every week to return the items back to their original place.
It is also a must to conduct a comprehensive expiration check at least once a month. It is much easier to maintain order in the pantry than to restore it from disorder.
How to Store Things in a Pantry with Deep Shelves
Many people have a hard time utilizing the space in deep shelves, so it is essential to make the most of this area. First of all, avoid putting any loose items at the back of the shelf – unless it is possible to see them clearly. Instead, use large, accessible containers that can be opened with ease.
As for the deep shelves, if you can, use pull out baskets or bins so that you can reach what you need without having to climb inside the shelf. If not, group similar items together and place them on the shelves in such a way that the things you use most are in easier to reach places.
What Not to Do When Organizing a Small Pantry
When learning how to organize a small pantry, it is essential to remember a few things that should be avoided. First of all, do not buy numerous organizational boxes before emptying the pantry and getting rid of the unnecessary items, as it may result in buying containers for things you will no longer keep in the pantry.
Secondly, avoid filling every centimeter of space, as it will make finding items impossible. Pantry storage space should be organized yet breathable so that it remains easy to manage. After all, that is the point of organizing a small pantry, making things simple instead of adding to the chaos.
Final Thoughts
While organizing a small pantry will always require some guesswork and trial-and-error, most pantry storage challenges will be solved with a few easy organizational tips and a willingness to declutter. Keeping the most commonly used items in accessible places and utilizing the space wisely will help to transform even the smallest of pantries into a well-organized space. If the entire pantry feels too large to organize at once, focus on a single shelf – after it is done, the next one will seem much simpler.
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