Our lives are busy. Between juggling jobs, our spouse, school, sports, and everything else on our plates, keeping the house organized can be a struggle. When you have guests coming over, you vacuum the floors and wipe down the counters before you actually care what the insides of your cabinets look like, amiright?!?! Doing some good old fashioned pantry organization might be the last thing on your list. But, it can actually help you get through your day with a little less stress. Read on to see our five favorite pantry organization hacks that will have you showing off your pantry in no time!
Clear the Clutter
Military housing does not always gift us with huge walk-in pantries. Often times, we are left to a few cabinets that not only have to store our pantry items, but also that stack of wedding gift kitchen gadgets that have made their way from house to house through each PCS. Do yourself a favor and toss the large cardboard boxes that hold snack packs and cereals. Those boxes are bulky, and you cannot easily see how much is left without opening each one. Invest in some clear pop-top storage containers, like these from OXO. They may be a bit of an investment upfront. However, they are reusable, clear, and help keep things fresh with their air-tight seal!
RELATED: The Practical Home Cleaning Schedule
Standardize Storage
If you drool over magazine pantry pics and HGTV shows, standardizing your storage can be an easy way to help your own pantry look a lot more put together! Places like Bed, Bath, and Beyond and HomeGoods often have great deals on all kinds of baskets and bins that will make your pantry look like it was organized by a professional. Stick to a theme-whether it is color, texture, or size of your bins to keep it sleek. Use one bin per item or type of items, that way you can quickly scan for what you need. Hey, it will be so easy, even dad and the kids might want to start packing their own lunch!
Sort by Category
Once you have your containers in place, it is time to set up each shelf. Place like items together, with all of the baking supplies, snacks, and canned goods grouped near each other. Stack larger, tall containers behind shorter ones, which makes it a breeze to see what you have on hand. Use open, clear bins to stash bars, bags, and other treats.
Go Deep
If your pantry shelves are super deep, it can be hard to maximize the space without feeling like the stuff in the back will be forgotten. Using long, short-sided trays or bins, stack shorter items inside and place them towards the front of each shelf. That way, when it comes time to grab something from the back, you can easily slide the tray out and get what you need. This lessens the chances of disorganization caused by pushing items aside or knocking over cans to reach what you need!
Put Spices on Display
Spice jars are like rabbits. You leave them in a closed space and the next thing you know, they have tripled in number and can hardly be contained. Spice collections can pile up fast, taking up major space in your pantry. To combat this, try thinking outside of the box by reinventing some underutilized spaces in other areas of your kitchen.
Magnetic containers stick to a metal strip that can sit on the inside of a cabinet door or even the side of the fridge. Think about that awkward space between the top of your cabinets and the ceiling. Buy a few cases of mason jars, label the tops, and fill them individually with spices. Not only will they give you a whole extra shelf to work with, but they look great too!
Show us your pantry! We’d love to see how you incorporate these pantry organization hacks in your own home!
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out Organization Hacks for That One Room We All Have!
CONNECT WITH DAILY MOM
💖 NEWSLETTER: DAILY READS IN YOUR INBOX 💖
Sign up to receive our picks for the best things to do, see and buy so you can relax and focus on more important tasks! Let us help you be the best version of yourself you can be!
BE SOCIAL WITH US
📌 LOVE IT? PIN IT!📌
Photo Credit: Christina Carter and Unsplash
