Organization 101: How to Gain & Maintain Control of Your Kitchen Pantry

You open up your pantry to grab a box of cereal only to find that the box is there but the bag within it is open, half crumpled, and holds just a handful of Cheerios.  You mutter some words about who would leave the cereal like this and how you've got to get the pantry more organized!  Your current system is just not working. 

Today, I'm going to share four tips with you that will transform your pantry from cluttered chaos to a clean and orderly space with a system in place that is easy to maintain.

Tip #1: Remove All Items & Discard Trash

Organized by Meg uses its signature R.E.A.L. organizing process with every project.  I suggest starting with Removing every item from the pantry while sorting them into categories according to how you use them. Prepare large amounts of countertop space, and your island, or add a folding table to assist with this process. 

Grab empty boxes, laundry baskets, or extra containers if you have them.  As you remove your items, immediately throw away the trash— anything that was left open and is stale.  While you are removing the items, separate them into general categories (in the boxes you gathered), such as condiments, snacks, meals, and other (non-food-related items like disposable goods). 

Lastly, wipe down all of your shelves and sweep up the floor so you start with a clean slate.

Tip #2: Create Categories & Keep Like Items Together

I then suggest Editing all of the items in the categories you have created.  If they're not open and stale, do you need to keep it? Is anybody going to eat it? Are you really ever going to make that special dish you read about and bought all the ingredients for? 

This Editing step goes further than just identifying obvious trash.  It's really thinking about the kinds of things you want to make space for in your pantry and what really does not belong there. 

You can now be as specific as you want in the breakdown of your categories beyond what you did when you were removing them.  Examples are canned goods, oils and vinegars, all other condiments, breakfast, baking, snacks, sweets, pasta, other meals, bread and produce like onions, potatoes and garlic. 

Decide if you want to make room in your pantry or somewhere else for disposable goods, beverages and refills for all items you buy in bulk.

Tip #3: Select Storage Solutions and Plan Positioning

Once you have grouped together all the categories according to your family's lifestyle, it's time to space plan.  The third step in Organized by Meg’s process is Assigning a spot in the pantry for each of those categories and decide how you will contain them with baskets, bins, and food containers. Painter's tape or post-its work great for temporary labeling since you can move them around as you set up your system. 

Keep in mind how often you access each category when considering stacking bins on top of each other, deciding on a closed or open top bin, and if you can keep up with the maintenance of decanting (pouring food into food containers). 

I suggest the two pantry shelves at eye level and within reach (prime real estate!) contain the most frequently used items like breakfast, snacks, and bread, but these are also ideal places for canned goods and produce. These categories should be placed in open-top bins, with clear bins being the preference for anything above eye level since you cannot see down into it. 

Shelves below these two levels can contain any type of open-tops bins or baskets but should have a label on them so you can identify their contents.  Since these are down low, we suggest storing heavier items, such as beverages and refills for condiments and other heavy items. 

Items on shelves above eye level should be clear and lightweight since you will have to pull them down to see what's in them and to retrieve anything.  You don't want to store anything heavy up there, so think disposable goods, refills for cereal boxes, and paper towels. The shelves in between eye level and way up high, as well as the corners of shelves, are great places to use turntables (this helps prevents items from getting lost in the back).

I must mention that if you are short on space, don't forget the back of your pantry door!  Adding a basket system to the back maximizes the vertical space available to you.  

Lastly, I suggest Labeling your new system to ensure that the zones you have created stay in place and everyone knows where to find what they need.  Ditch the temporary post-its and painter's tape and use a label maker or buy pre-made labels to label your shelves and bins.  If you have baskets, add a bin clip holder first and then apply a label.  You can be as simple or as fancy as you want with your labels - have some fun with it!

Tip #4: Create a Regular Maintenance Plan

Now that your pantry is all clean and organized to perfection, a small mindset shift and a little bit of work each week will keep your pantry in tip-top shape. Go over the new system with your family and any other visitors or helpers who may be in your home and frequently access the space.  Explain the zones you have set up and where they can find refills if they find that something is empty.  Direct them to the chip clips to close up their snack bags if you have chosen not to decant them into food containers. 

Each week when you food shop, first shop in your pantry!  Go through each zone to see what you are low on just like you would in your refrigerator.  Then after you shop, put your goods away immediately.  This, plus removing the packaging from your items, is key to putting everything away in its proper place and maximizing the space by removing the excess cardboard and plastic. 

I suggest going through your pantry once per month (if it's not realistic for you to do weekly or even biweekly) and removing expired and forgotten items to not only make room for the new items, but to prevent excessive build-up over time.

A Pantry that Works Hard for You

It is possible to have a pantry with a system you are proud of and that actually functions well for your family!  The key is setting it up right from the start, taking into account your family's specific needs, and considering how much maintenance you are willing to devote to it.

The bins and containers should serve as visuals for how much you can bring in.  Just like a water cup overflowing under a running faucet, your contents will start to spill out and over their bins and overtake other zones in the pantry, creating clutter and a breakdown in the system. 

Keep it simple but ensure that you’ve created a system with storage solutions that make sense for all of you.  Commit to cleaning it out now and again, putting things away quickly, and removing packaging without procrastinating.

If you loved these pantry tips, you’ll love learning how Organized by Meg will transform your whole Denver area home…and your life! Join our mailing list to get inspired and grab your behind-the-scenes guide here.

Sending you organized vibes,

Meg