17 Pantry Organization Ideas That Will Declutter Your Life

Organizing your kitchen pantry is no joke, and it’s even harder to maintain pantry organization. If you are ready to embark on the daunting task of tidying up your pantry, you will love these 17 pantry organization ideas that will help declutter your kitchen and make life easier. 

1. Tiered shelves

Storing cans and spices can be a pain, but they are critical to keeping your pantry organized. Using tiered, bleacher-style shelves makes them visible and easy to reach. With tiered pantry shelves, you’ll never be confusing salt and sugar again! This is such a great way to implement pantry shelving ideas.

2. Mount a pot rack

Help free up drawer space by removing pots and pans and hanging them instead. Mount a rack or some hooks to hang your pots and pans. Not only does this leave more storage for other kitchen essentials, but it can also be an aesthetic design choice that will elevate your kitchen. 

3. Use jars for storing dry items

Another low-cost kitchen hack is using jars for storage and pantry organization. Jars store dry items like rice, beans, popcorn, and cereals. Repurposed mason jars and pasta sauce jars make for uniform storage containers. 

4. Label, label, label

It is easier to keep a pantry neat when you label your containers. Buy a label maker, purchase a pre-printed pack, or use a marker to mark what is what. (You can also use a dry-erase marker to keep track of expiration dates.) You can get fancy and cute with your decals or keep it simple, but either way, it will tidy your kitchen and allows you to always know what food items are in which container. 

5. Opt for pull-out drawers

Implement pull-out drawers in your pantry organization instead of leaving empty spaces below your shelves. Fill the drawers with labeled containers to see what’s inside without creating a mess and losing all the stuff that inevitably gets pushed to the back. 

6. Create a grab-and-go snack station up

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Make snacks easier to grab for you and your family by designating a specific bin or drawer for all snacks. This will simplify the process of grocery shopping, too, by making it obvious when you’re low on specific snack items. 

7. Hang chip bags with pants hangers

You can bypass the storage problem that chip bags cause by hanging them on clip hangers. Insert a wire and hang your chips from the wire, and you’ll never find squished chips again!

8. Divide your cabinets vertically

Dividing your cabinets vertically is especially useful for trays, cutting boards, pizza pans, and baking sheets. 

9. Use a spice rack

Spices are essential to most meals. You can never have enough spices. However, these little bottles are known for getting mixed up and lost inside a drawer or cabinet. By placing a spice rack on the back of the pantry door or the wall, you can see the label on all your spices and quickly locate the one you need. 

10. Use a Lazy Susan in the corners

A Lazy Susan, also known as a turntable, fills blank corner space while helping you search for your oils, vinegar, and baking ingredients. 

11. Hooks for hanging

Command hooks are a savior in the world of pantry organization ideas and storage. Place a couple of command hooks throughout your kitchen to neatly store your aprons, oven mitts, and towels. 

12. Create a pegboard

You get the best of both worlds when you add a pegboard to your kitchen. Not only do pegboards make storing measuring spoons a breeze, but they also upgrade your kitchen aesthetic. You can even hang your favorite art piece from the board for an artistic look. 

13. Have a secret pantry space

Nobody said the pantry has to be the only place for storage in your kitchen. Nobody will ever know you’re hiding mugs and dishes inside of it. Make a chic, two-door accent cabinet the center of attention in your kitchen. 

14. Use a library ladder

Make the best of your vertical space by keeping the lesser-used items high. Buy a cheap library ladder to reach up to your space's nooks and crannies. They also add a flare of style and a unique talking piece to your home. 

15. Make a cookbook wall

Enhance your space with an artistic wall display of your cookbook collection. Any real cook has hundreds of cookbooks taking up drawer space. Designer Jean Stoffer made a cookbook wall dedicated to Joanna Saltz's cookbooks by simply installing three thin shelves and propping them up.

16. Group similar items together

Separate your pantry into zones or areas of closely related items, so you know exactly where to find ingredients when making pasta or baking cookies. Categorizing your pantry will help it stay well-kept and orderly. 

17. Arrange your pantry with your family in mind

Chances are that you are not the one destroying your kitchen’s orderliness. To keep your children or partner from wrecking the pantry every time they need something, arrange it with them in mind. This may be different for every family, but try to keep daily essentials at eye level and the items that aren’t frequently used down low or up high. 

Lily Ann Cabinets has the products to make organizing your kitchen pantry possible. Visit the Lily Ann Cabinets Kitchen Visualizer to design your dream kitchen. 

Related Blogs:

1. 14 Smart Pantry Design Ideas from Kitchen Experts
2. Maximizing Space in a Small Kitchen Pantry with 5 Clever Ideas
   
3. Walk in Pantry vs. Cabinet Pantry – Which is Better?
   
4. How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets: 7 Steps to Follow
   
5. Junk Drawer No More: Tidy Up With These Kitchen Drawer Organizers
   

FAQ: 

1. In what order should a pantry be organized?

Starting with the middle shelves will allow you to organize the most used items at eye level, making it easy for the whole family to access their favorite snacks.

2. What should you always have in the pantry?

Here is a list of pantry staples to add to your grocery list according to Bon Appetit.

3. What is the best shelving for a pantry?

Having adjustable shelving is the best for your pantry so you can rearrange your items and organize them based on size and frequency of use.