I don’t know about you, but my pantry quickly becomes a disaster area! We are so blessed to have a fairly large pantry, but that just means there’s more room for me to dump assorted junk that doesn’t belong. Add in the four other people who live in my home, and it’s a recipe for disaster! After studying other beautiful, organized pantries, I’ve decided it’s time to get ruthless and get a system that works! Pantry organization can get overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be! Here are 5 easy steps to organize your pantry. And when you have it all organized, read this to learn how to keep it that way!
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1) Empty it all out
That’s right, every single thing. This is the mistake that I have repeatedly made. One section gets emptied out, and I run out of time, and that’s all that gets done, and it’s back to a mess. Take every single thing out, and wipe down all of the shelves. Give the floor a thorough cleaning.
2) Sort, organize, and purge your pantry
Go through everything, throw away anything that is expired or that you no longer use. Do you have any appliances, cookbooks, or gadgets that you don’t use anymore? Sell or donate them. When I was doing this step, I sold a toaster oven and various serving and decor items that we no longer used and made almost $100!!! Use any money you make to buy new storage containers or baskets. You never know what might be lurking in your pantry that someone may want!
Once you have purged, organize like items together: things for baking, meal prep, snacks, coffee/tea, etc. I do this step on the kitchen counter, I do not put anything back in yet.
This is a great example, by AZ House of Order, of storing like items together
3) Decide how you want to store like items together
Do you want things in baskets, do you need more canisters or storage containers, do you want to use glass jars? Look on Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration. Examine each and every grouping carefully. Keep in mind who will be getting into each thing. When my kids were younger, I was afraid to keep their snacks in jars for fear that they would break them and get hurt. Now that they are older, we have switched to jars for many things, and I am the only one who has broken one! I much prefer to keep as many things as possible in clear containers-jars, clear canisters, storage containers. My family is terrible at telling me what we are low on or out of, this way I can easily see what I need to buy.
4) Measure
This is a step that is often forgotten. In order to purchase new containers and baskets, you need to know if they will fit or not. Measure the width and height of your pantry shelves. Measure the space that your groupings will take up. If you want all of your baking ingredients in a basket, measure how much room they take up-measure the height of the tallest item, and the width of the widest item!
Will a basket this size fit where you want it to in your pantry? You may have to reshuffle a few times, but reshuffling on your counter a few times is much more time efficient than returning and repurchasing baskets and containers! Write these measurements down on a piece of paper, or make a note in your phone. You can now put everything back into your pantry neatly and grouped. If you already have all of the containers needed, you are ready to go!
5) Shop
Now it’s time for the fun part! But, shop your home first! You may find that you already have baskets, bins, or containers that might work. New items don’t have to be purchased all at once. Now that you are organized and have your list of measurements and containers needed, and your inspiration gathered, you now know how to organize your pantry!
Here are some pantry decor/organization products that I am crushing on!
Do you want to use those fabulous labels that seem to be everywhere? Here are some by Talented Kitchen.
Amazon has great options for clear containers and baskets.
Here are some other great storage container options on Amazon:
Aren’t these pantries and products amazing? Now that your pantry is organized, be sure to visit this to learn how to keep it that way! Leave me a comment, and let’s chat about your favorite! I hope that you have enjoyed How to Organize Your Pantry in 5 Easy Steps!
Want more organizing tips and inspiration? This is a great round up!
Thanks for all the tips Danielle! I just finished going through my very small pantry and other areas of my home! Just waiting on labels!🙌🥰
I’m not getting notifications when people comment. I’m so sorry for just now replying! Aren’t labels so fun! Organizing is just about my favorite! Thanks, Esther!
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.
Thank you for your kind comment.
Keep on working, great job!
Thanks so much.
Wow, awesome blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is magnificent,
let alone the content!
Thank you for your kind comment.
That was a really great reminder to measure before shopping. It’s so easy for me to forget about whether or not something will fit.
Well, I learned the hard way! Now I try to keep a list on the notes in my phone of what sizes I need of something, and I have a little measuring tape in my purse.