5 Easy Pantry Organization Hacks

Do you find random food items in your pantry? Are you frustrated with you kitchen organisation? I share some simple, helpful pantry re-organization hacks and I will even show you how I did mine!

Pantry Organization Hack 1 – Take everything out

Thoroughly Clean your pantry surfaces

The most important step to pantry re-organization is to take everything out. Not only can you sort through your food items properly but you can thoroughly wipe down your surfaces.

Categorize by type

By taking all the items out you can see what items you have and begin to sort them into groups.

Note down containers your need

If you have a lot of loose items such as half used packets you can make a list of how many containers or jars you need. By taking out all the items in my pantry I realised how many double ups I had. This task is easy start here and I guarantee you will be well on your way to better organisation!

PANTRY ORGANIZATION HACK 2 – Go Container Crazy

Air Tight, Bug Free Pantry organization

Ok not crazy but let get one thing out in the open. Thats this little problem in Australia called pantry moths or weevils. These little creatures can spoil a tonne of your food unless you are storing your food in air tight containers. So don’t, I repeat don’t leave half open bags of food lying around in your pantry!

Pantry Organizational Hack

Secondary to that is it is so much easier to keep things neat and tidy when everything has a home. You can clearly label your containers. Often similar brand containers or sized jars will fit better together than all random bits and bobs.

Glass containers

Consider using glass versus plastic for longevity and to reduce the toxins in the plastic leaching into your food. If you do need to use plastic opt for BPA free hard plastic at minimum.

Budget Friendly Recycling Option

I love saving glass jars to store odd bits and pieces in. Especially seeds or nuts in smaller quantities. THis saves me buying a new container every time I have a new food product. I also love to get my containers from op shops (thrift stores). They often have mason jars with flip top lids that are ideal for food storage!

PANTRY ORGANIZATION HACK 3 – Marie Kondo Style

Keep your pantry re-organization all about:

Function, Function, Function

Ok that’s just my style but really I’m talking about function. If you are cooking dinner at the stove why are you storing your utensils across the kitchen or your spices in the top cupboard behind the bread container. Silly right. Think about how you move about your kitchen. What do you need to access every day or multiple times a week? Store most used items at the from or in an easy to reach spot. Minimise movement around the kitchen to reduce time spent during your cooking. The LEAN principle uses this practice for businesses to create better flow to their work processes. LEAN is a proven way of reducing unnecessary time for jobs and increasing efficiency and output. Check out more LEAN principles here.

IF you can’t see it how do you know it’s there?

This was definitely a problem for me. I have a very deep pantry and it is also very tall. Miraculous bags of pitted dates popped up everywhere during my clean out process. This is all because I couldn’t see them. This is also the main reason I moved my pantry into drawers with labels on top of the lids. I am loving this way of organisation and feel that my pantry is staying so much more neat in the process.

PANTRY ORGANIZATION HACK 4 – LABEL THE LABEL

Pretty as a Pinterest picture

This relates to the step above. Clearly labeling what it in your pantry will make it so much easier to find what you are looking for. Plus it looks pretty. Let’s face it half of the reason you want to re-organize your pantry is because those pinterest pictures are just to nice! You are a lot more likely to keep something organised if it looks pretty. Check out the Little Label and Co for inspiration. I will share the labels and containers I used in the shop this post section below. Other places to shop include Amazon, Etsy, Kmart and Office Works. Or you can design you own using sites like Vista Print.

Category labels

You can also label the spot that the category of items goes. Especially if you aren’t the only one doing the cooking. In my reorganisation I grouped like items together such as grains, oils, baking items and cans. I could have labeled these spots too but currently I am pretty much the only cook in the house so I left this out.

PANTRY ORGANIZATION HACK 5 – Buy in Bulk

This may seem random, but really, it’s all well and good to re-organize your pantry. How are you going to keep it this way? One super duper helpful hack to limit random food items and bags of half used flour, nuts, dates etc is to shop in bulk. At the same time as only getting what you need to replenish you stock, you are reducing plastic waste and you are often saving money because bulk food stores can be cheaper to shop from.

Bulk food stores allow you to bring your own containers and fill them up right there. Alternatively you can order specific quantities online and get them shipped to your house in eco friendly packaging.

My favourite bulk food stores are:

1. 2 Brother’s Foods
2. Pantry Man
3. The Source Bulk Foods
4. The Glass Jar

Both of these are local Western Australia suppliers. I would encourage you to shop local and support your community as much as you can!

SHOP THIS POST

• Glass Jars
• Labels
• Airtight Hard Plastic Containers
• Screw top containers
• HAFELE LaMans – Corner Pantry
• Clear Storage Containers
• Dymo Label Writer

Check out some more wholesome living ideas

The Ultimate Guide to Bulk Cooking

7 Healthy Habits to start today!

Comment, Share and pIn For Later!

Share you tips for an organized kitchen in the comments below!