We all start out with good intentions when we move into a new home and develop a system to store our non-perishables as neatly as possible, but things can very quickly escalate into chaos. If this sounds familiar, don’t stress — there are clever pantry organization hacks that’ll give you a much better shot at keeping things tidy long term.
Pantries may be small in size, but they’re also one of the most frequented spaces in our homes, both of which can result in disarray. Everyone is in and out to grab healthy snacks or whatever they need to cook, so you want everything to be easily accessible. Whether you’re doing a major clean-out or moving into a new house and wondering how best to organize a pantry, these basic items will be hugely helpful in maximizing your storage space and making sure you can always find what you’re looking for. Of course, you want to put some thought into where things go, like grouping together product categories and keeping your most-used things up front, but investing in some of the best bins, shelves, racks and more will make a huge difference.
Just because you’ve dealt with a messy pantry before doesn’t mean you have to accept that fate forever. Use these simple pantry organization hacks to keep your food storage game on point.
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mDesign Plastic Storage Organizer Container Bins
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon Acquiring some sturdy clear storage bins is the first step to a more organized pantry. They allow you to see exactly what’s inside, and you can group similar items in bins together for a system that makes sense. These ones come in medium or large sizes, have handles to pull out the bins when you need to access the items, and they’ve gotten thousands of five-star reviews.
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Copco 3-Tier Spice Organizer
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon Tiered shelving is another one of the best pantry organization hacks, especially if you have deep shelving. They allow you to see and access everything without having to remove whatever is in front. You can line up all of your spices or other canned and bottled goods in tiered layers so that even the back row is visible.
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Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon Unpacking your snacks and dry goods into airtight food storage containers is a better aesthetic look for your pantry, and it’s a serious lifesaver for organization. Instead of trying to squeeze in all of your various bags and boxes, these containers lock out moisture and humidity to keep everything fresh and allow for more compact, stackable storage.
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Skywin Plastic Stackable Storage Bins
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon These open-front stackable storage bins are a huge space saver and make tons of sense if you want to make the most of vertical space. You can use them for non-refrigerated produce or non-perishables, easily see what’s in each one and be able to access the contents of one without sifting through all of the others.
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DYMO Label Maker
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon One major step in how to organize a pantry is to label everything. This portable, affordable and easy-to-use label maker is a necessary purchase to customize your labels based on what you buy regularly or like to keep in the house and make it super simple to find whatever you need, no matter how packed the pantry gets.
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Smart Design Cabinet Storage Shelf Rack
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon If you don’t have a ton of shelf space, these racks are a necessity. It’s an easy hack to double your shelf space while keeping all of your food goods visible and easily accessible. They come in medium or large sizes to fit in any sort of cabinet or pantry, and you’ll be able to store tons more in a neat and organized way.
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Copco Pantry Cabinet Lazy Susan Turntable
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon Another super convenient pantry hack is the turntable, fondly known as a Lazy Susan. If it’s considered lazy to spin one of these around to grab what you need instead of sifting through and removing everything in your way, then we’re all about being lazy. You won’t know how you lived without one of these.
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Stackable Can Rack Organizer
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon Cans are a staple in any pantry, but they can also cause the most organizational issues. Stacking them is generally unstable, but if you line them up, you end up making a mess digging through to find the one you want. This can organizer keeps all of them neatly contained and easily accessible, and it can hold up to 36 cans.
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Hanging Clips
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon This is a fun one that you’ve probably never thought of when brainstorming how to organize a pantry. Instead of buying chip clips and shoving all of your bagged items into a corner, use these hanging clips to keep your bags closed and organized. You can hang them on a metal shelf or install a simple rod somewhere in the pantry, and never have to crumple a bag on a shelf again.
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Over The Door Pantry Organizer Rack
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amazon A general tip to keep in mind is to utilize all of your space, including the inside of the pantry door. This over the door pantry organizer rack is worth investing in simply for the crazy amount of storage it creates in any pantry. It has six surprisingly wide baskets to fit anything you don’t have room for on the shelves without feeling cluttered or messy.