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For the longest time I have wanted to organize my pantry and it needed it BADLY! So badly that this just might be the most satisfying organization project I have ever done.
I've been stalking pantry organization ideas for the longest time and after not really liking my fridge organization, I knew what worked and what didn't work. My pantry was a disaster and a half but it was also perfectly stocked for me to know what needed bins and make sure that everything actually fit.
I was able to do this on a pretty good budget too (in organization terms at least...containers are freaking expensive!).
These are my exact small pantry organization tips and tricks I swear by (plus, some fun pics of my apartment pantry ;).
PANTRY ORGANIZATION
A whole heck of a lot better, right?! I said it before and I'll say it again, I really am so happy I waited to organize the pantry because seeing how I actually liked to use it was so helpful in figuring out the right organization containers, etc.
1. The planning process is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of organizing your pantry.
DO THIS. Take a picture of your pantry and take these measurements...
- Length of shelf
- Depth of shelf
- Height between shelves
I then put the photo into Canva and went online shopping making sure that everything I wanted in the pantry had a spot to go and that the containers I was buying for it would fit. This is a game-changer and made everything so much easier.
2. The bigger the organization container is the better.
My biggest pet-peeve with my fridge organization is that the containers are too small that they dont hold certain food. We are constantly taking containers out to make sure things fit and its doing more bad than good.
I made sure for this pantry organization that we got BIG containers that would be able to hold a lot of food. The white containers are from Container Store but they have nearly identical ones at Ikea (only for $1 cheaper though, so just go to wherever is most convenient).
The woven baskets are also from Ikea and I loveeee how they look with the white baskets. Adds some texture and color.
3. Use turntables.
I'm telling you, turntables are one of the best things that happened in the organization world.
I use them in my bathroom, under my sink, and now in the pantry and every place I always think about how much I like it. These turntables are fromAmazon and were super reasonably priced. It really does a great job at utilizing the space.
4. Be broad with your labels.
I love having labels on everything I do. I think it makes it really easy to keep everything organized AND makes it really easy for anyone else using it (aka my boyfriend ben haha) to know exactly where things should go and where they shouldn't.
These basket labels were a little splurge but I feel like it takes it up a level.
This is another thing I learned from the fridge organization, its WAY better to be super broad with your pantry organization labels because you will get those oddball items that you have nowhere to put.
5. Give yourself "extra" bins.
There's so many random things that I realized I had in my pantry from blender tools to little heart waffle makers and they just needed an overall basket to go in.
6. Don't use clear baskets.
Trust me on this one, get baskets that you can't see through!! It will make everything look SO much cleaner. I was very specific with where I wanted clear container. I wanted them for my cereal, sugar and flour, and it just happened that the "bread" container was clear.
Just think about how much more crowded this would look if you could see through these containers.