Kitchen Pantry Storage Tips That Make Life Easier

Kitchen pantry storage can be efficient and easy if you work to keep your pantry clutter-free.

Zoning

Create zones in your pantry and label them. For example, designate an entire zone for breakfast, and label the shelves Cereal, Coffee & Tea, Pancake Mix, etc. This will help to keep the pantry organized as you put your groceries away. It will also prevent clutter later on.

Rotate

When you take items from pantry shelves, you rarely replace that front row. Once a month, go through your pantry and pull everything to the front. If you have shelves that slide, this will be a breeze.

Moving items to the front will remind you of what you have. This will help cut down the cost of wasted food that has been already opened and prevent you from buying the same thing twice.

Use Baskets

You can find nice and decorative baskets at any craft store. Buy several of them in different sizes and shapes and use these in the pantry to store items that don't stack, like individual serving packets of gravy or hot cocoa. Label each basket to make sure you have space for everything.

Adjustable Shelves

If you haven’t already, consider installing shelves that can be removed or adjusted. This will help as your families needs change. You can remove shelves if you need to start storing large boxes and less canned food. You can also adjust them to sit higher or lower to accommodate larger bottles you may have. As an inexpensive alternative, get some freestanding wire racks designed for cabinets.

Add Lights

A little light in your pantry can make storage much more efficient. Simply add small battery-operated lights along the sides or undersides of shelves. This will encourage you to use dim space in the deep back shelves, and it will make it easier to plan meals and put groceries away.

Move Non-Essentials

If you store a lot of items in the pantry that don’t get used often, consider moving these items to a place other than the kitchen. Try storing things in a garage cabinet or in a hallway closet that has extra space.

If you keep emergency canned food in the pantry, move it. The same goes for any appliances that get little use. Breadmakers, rice cookers and Crock-Pots take up a lot of space if you don't use them often.

If there is no other space to store these seldom-used items, relegate them to out-of-the-way shelves on the very top or bottom of your pantry.