Great Ideas for Organizing Your Kitchen Pantry Storage

No one likes a disorganized mess, and it seems like no matter how much extra space you have, your belongings fill it up. According to the Ottawa Citizen, "Getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of houework in the average home, and 80% of the clutter in most homes is a result of disorganization, not a lack of space. Consequently, eliminatiing unecessary items and organizing your kitchen pantry storage will enable you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time doing other things. Furthermore, by organizing your kitchen pantry storage, you will save more money since you won't buy groceries you already have.

• The first step in organizing your kitchen pantry storage is to take everything out of the pantry. Clean the shelves and line them with freezer paper to protect your shelves from spills. Freezer paper has a slick side which makes a nice semi-waterproof barrier.
• After cleaning and lining the shelves, organize everything according to kind, size, and date. First, divide the groceries by canned goods, boxed goods, and bagged goods.
• After you've categorized the groceries by packaging containers, organize by type. Organize canned goods by fruit, vegetables, sauces, tuna, etc. Organized boxed goods by baking mixes, drink mixes, cereals, prepared meals, etc. Bagged goods can be placed in plastic bins so they will store easily. Smaller packages like gravy and sauce mixes can be kept in a small rectangular container.
• After dividing everything by kind, next organize by size and date. Smaller items should go in front of larger items for easier visiblity. Although it's a hassle, everytime you put away groceries after a shopping trip, move older items towards the front.
• Keep dry goods in airtight storage containers so they stay fresher longer. Furthermore, by keeping these items in clear storage containers, you can also see how much you have left at a glance. If you're going to buy new food storage containers, remember, square containers take up less room than round containers.
• In addition to organizing the groceries by kind, size, and date; you can also organize them according to zones. You can group together breakfast items, snack items, lunch items, etc.
• Keep the items used most frequently on eye-level shelves.
• Reserve a shelf for paper towels, napkins, and garbage bags.
• If you have limited cabinet space, you could keep your bakeware (casserole dishes, mixing bowls, cake pans, cookie sheet, etc.) below the shelf with baking supplies.
• Unless you have another cabinet you use in the kitchen, cookbooks and recipes can be stored on either the shelf above or below the baking goods dependent upon how your kitchen is arranged.
• I like to keep kitchen appliances on the top shelf. However, if you don't have enough room in your pantry, consider keeping less frequently used appliances in the basement or garage.
• Store pop or other heavy items on the floor.
• So your family gets used to putting the items in the same place everytime, label the front of the shelves.
• Although it costs money, kitchen organizers can be very helpful in organizing items. By using can racks, lazy susans, slide-out shelves, small storage bins, and other organizers, it can make your job easier. Small storage bins can frequently be found at a dollar store to save money.
• If you save plastic grocery bags, a bag holder hung nearby the pantry makes a great place to store those extra bags.
• Last but not least, if you have a large enough pantry, installing stick-on lighting can make it easier to see what you have.
• Mount a dry erase board, chalkboard, or grocery list on the pantry door so you can keep track of what groceries you need.
• Once you have your pantry clean and organized, do at least a yearly cleanout to keep on top of things.

By giving some thought to the project, you can have a well-organized, efficient kitchen pantry storage. Since organizing your kichen pantry storage can be a time-consuming job, you may want to wait until an afternoon when the family is gone or late in the evening when they're in bed. Although you might not be looking forward to it, having a well-organized pantry will not only make you feel good, but you'll have more space and putting away groceries will be easier. Furthermore, you may even save money.