It’s easy to put organizing the pantry at the bottom of your home’s priority list—after all, it’s typically kept hidden by a door or corner, making it very much a case of “out of sight, out of mind.”
However, not only is an organized pantry much easier to use than the alternative, but it also ensures you’re not buying ingredient duplicates or letting food expire.
Here’s how to get that pantry in order (and keep it that way!) with a little help from an organizing professional.
Meet the Expert
Audra George is a professional organizer and owner of Pretty Neat: An Organizational Solution in Oklahoma City, OK.
Start by Decluttering
The Spruce / Ana Cadena
Begin your pantry clean-out by decluttering.
“This will keep expired food and things that you no longer need out of the way from cluttering up your space,” says Audra George, a professional organizer and owner of Pretty Neat: An Organizational Solution.
Take everything out and toss any food that has expired or looks a bit suspect. Make sure everything that’s in the pantry belongs in it. Look for duplicates and keep them together, and smell spices to make sure they’re still fragrant enough to be used.
Keep Similar Things Together
Storing similar items near one another makes finding what you need a piece of cake—rather than searching multiple shelves for a few common baking ingredients, you’ll be able to find what you need in the same part of your pantry.
To do this, sort items into categories before placing them back into the pantry. George recommends categories like “breakfast, baking, pasta, rice/beans, [and] canned goods, [but] only you know what you keep the most of and what categories make sense for you.”
Use Bins to Keep Things Tidy
Bins are key to getting (and keeping!) your pantry organized. George suggests using clear plastic bins so it’s easier to see what you have.
Plastic or acrylic bins are available in a variety of sizes too, ensuring you can easily create a custom storage solution for whatever your pantry needs are.
Don’t Forget To Label
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Once you’ve carefully organized each pantry bin, don’t forget to label what’s inside. Labels make it easy to find what you need, and George adds that they make it easy to see what types of things you’re running low on.
“This helps with long-term maintenance.”
There are plenty of label choices out there, too. Paper stick-on labels can be easily customized and applied, though they may look too DIY for some. Custom-made labels can bring a bespoke look to the pantry, while dry-erase or chalk labels can be reused repeatedly.
Add Extra Storage As Needed
Noticing there’s not much space left as you begin to put things back? It might be time to look at adding extra storage to your pantry. This can be as simple as adding some extra shelving to the inside of your pantry, or it can require you to get a bit more involved.
Consider adding a freestanding cabinet or wire shelving next to your pantry to create a little more room—you can even repurpose an unused bookshelf elsewhere in your home.
Store Older Items Near the Front
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George recommends keeping older items near the front of the pantry so you use them first and do not forget about them.
As you place food back into the pantry, look for any upcoming expiration dates, and keep those cans, boxes, and bins closer to the front, at eye level.
Give Your Pantry a ‘Reset’ Every Once In a While
Pantry organization doesn’t end once you finish that initial makeover. For your pantry to stay organized and effective in the weeks and months to come, you’ll likely need to give it regular ‘resets.’
These can be as simple as moving things back into the correct spots and tossing out expired items whenever you unpack a big load of groceries, or it can be more involved like a quarterly declutter and pantry cleanout.
Whatever you do, don’t let your hard work go to waste: do your best to keep your pantry organized as you use it.
