Pantry Organisation in 6 Steps

The pantry is the heart of any home in our opinion! If you’re just about to start your organisation journey, this being one of the most utilised spaces in the home makes it the perfect place to start! A beautifully organised pantry is a simple pleasure but an incredibly fulfilling one! Not only will it save you time and money, an organised, well thought out, and aesthetically pleasing space will inspire you to create a greater variety of healthy eating options. Following are our top 6 tips that will help you to create the pantry of your dreams…

1. Pull out the entire contents of your pantry before you start organising, consolidating, and decluttering. We’re yet to come across a pantry that doesn’t have a few items that have been lurking down the back for months or even years and are well past their expiry; Start by culling these, and add their names to your “do not buy again” list! Once the rogue items are gone, you’ll need to do a mini-stocktake. Write down what you have and what is missing, plus the sizes you would normally keep on hand.

2. Now group all the like items together (canned goods, snacks, drinks, refills, baking goods, dry ingredients, sauces, condiments, etc). By laying out these ‘like items’ together, you’ll be better able to visualise the desired outcome during the planning process. By understanding what you really need to fit into the space, you will be better able to determine the size of the storage solutions you need to purchase.

3. Now that your pantry is completely empty, take the opportunity to give it an impromptu spring clean! Dust and wipe down your surfaces, and then measure your available space. This will help you to work out what combination of jars, containers, baskets, or any other type of storage solution you can comfortably fit in before buying anything. By getting creative with your storage solutions, you’ll personalise the space and create something that is uniquely yours.

4. Time to make decide on a permanent home for everything. Not only will it be easier to find what you want when you want it, but you are also more likely to maintain it. Where possible, store all your ingredients in transparent containers/jars with lids that are either screw top or have an air-tight seal. This will keep your ingredients fresh, visible, and accessible.

5. Label everything! Labels will change how you organise your kitchen. Once you label something, that familiar guessing game of “what’s in that mystery container” will be a thing of the past; No more rushing off to the supermarket just before meal time to grab that non-substitutable ingredient you thought you already had plenty of.

6. Now it’s time to put everything back and make the pantry of your dreams a reality! It’s a great idea to keep your frequently used items on the middle shelves so they are easy to access. Less frequently used and heavier items should go on the lower or the higher shelves accordingly. Purchase the additional storage solutions required to accommodate goods that don’t yet have a home. Remember that your space doesn’t need to be 1 dimensional. By adding drawer organisers, wall organisers, drink dispensers, lazy Susan’s, and corner shelves, you’ll be creating a fully utilised space that is practical, highly organised, and easy on the eye.