There are some things that are just hard to admit. Some posts require a level of transparency that I just don’t want to give. It is hard to admit that I have lived in my home for nine years, and I have lived with a messy, disorganized pantry for just as long. It took me nine years to figure out what to do with this pit where food goes to get lost, and sometimes to die. I finally decided enough is enough, rolled up my sleeves, and dove into some small pantry organization.
I’m cheap and managed to organize my small pantry without breaking the bank. Plus, I’m pretty excited about the money we’ll save not re-purchasing items we already have, but can’t find buried in the pantry.
If you also live with a small kitchen pantry, here are the best five tips you need to know for small pantry organization. All of the products I used were purchased on Amazon, and I will link all to all of them so you can easily find them.
This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links. If you purchase through my links, I may be compensated. Thank you for supporting this site! You can read my affiliate and advertising disclosure here.
Clean Everything Out of the Pantry
Oh, the things you will find when you clean out the pantry. I personally found spices that expired three years ago when I cleaned out my pantry. Taking everything out before you start organizing will give you the chance to assess how much stuff you really have, and what you can throw away. Start with a clean slate and clear everything out.
Small Pantry Organization: Start With Measurements
It is important to measure before you start purchasing containers for your small pantry organization project. The most important measurements are:
- The height of the shelves
- The width of the shelves
- Shelf depth
- The space between the shelf and the doors
Utilize All Pantry Space (Including the door and the floor)
The first thing I did was hang a spice rack on the back of the door.
This freed up an entire shelf and utilized an otherwise wasted space. Just make sure you secure the brackets into the door, even if the instructions say you don’t need to.
Let’s try that again. Sometimes I really do need a man. Feminists everywhere can cringe now that I said it.
I also added a can organizer that fits on the floor space. We don’t use a lot of canned goods, but after 2020 and groceries being in short supply, we keep a few more cans on hand. Now we have a place to put them.
Get Rid of the Bags and Boxes
I can’t believe it took me this long to get food storage containers for all of the dry goods in our pantry. It go to a point where I couldn’t actually fit any containers in the pantry until I did some pantry organization. The containers keep things clean and prevent crumbs from falling on all the thing in the bottom of the pantry.
Use Stackable Containers
I love using stackable containers in the pantry. I have a place to put everything and they stack neatly on top of one another. Here are the types of stackable containers I bought.
Don’t Use the Pantry for Storage
We are a family of four and we like to buy in bulk. This is a problem when you don’t have much space to store your extras. One of the things I did after getting the pantry in order was create a space to store extra pantry items. I cleared out a basement linen closet that we really don’t use, and now that serves as a storage space for extra groceries. Now I only use the kitchen pantry for things we are using at this moment. This actually saves me trips to the store because I don’t have to wait until I run out of something to buy an extra. So when my Costco sized bottle of olive oil is getting low, I can add it to my shopping list and keep the full bottle in the linen closet until the old one runs out.
What’s in My Small Pantry:
Spice Rack from Amazon (the one I have is no longer available, but I recommend using a more sturdy option anyway)
Crock Pot from Costco
