I have been wanting to clean up and organize my pantry for a looooonnnnnng time. So one of my goals for the new year is to start this daunting pantry organization re-vamp! This is phase one. I call phase 1 “coming up with a plan”.
The photos below are graphic and may not be suitable for children or adults with OCD! Please continue at your own risk.
Pantry Organization Re-Vamp – Phase 1
I am not sure how many phases there will be but I am breaking it down into the sections below. This first post is about the planning.
Food storage – re-organize containers and get all the foods in some sort of storage bin/container with labels
- dry goods such as flour, sugar, etc.
- packaged food such as snacks
- canned foods
Small appliances
- Put them all together in a designated area
Linens – need to be separated and placed in storage bins so I can find what I am looking for and everyone else doesn’t have to look at the mess.
- Tablecloths, napkins (cloth), table runners, etc
Paper Goods – again with the storage bins. They need a home and to be in something so they aren’t taking over.
- paper plates, cups, utensils and napkins
Dishes – I have a ton of dishes that need to be organized
Baking dishes and serving pieces – get them all together and organized by type.
- Platters
- Roasting pans
- Cookie sheets
- skillets and more
Reusable bags and plastic bags – need a home. They are EVERYWHERE!!! Not really shown in the pics but they are there.
Cat Food – We have a cat food area but the bulk dry food doesn’t fit over there. We need a place for the overflow.
Below are some photos of the sections as they are today.
This is the food storage section.
As you can see I am mostly using the Tupperware Modular Mates containers. They still work well after about 22 years but I am not sure that I like looking at them anymore. I think I may want something new but that is sort of wasteful so I am contemplating this section.
I thought about just replacing the lids to a better color but I know they will change them again and then I am stuck in the same situation if I want to add more. And with the price of the Modular Mates they are an investment and something that I would probably have to get a little at a time to build up to the “dream pantry”. So, will the colors stay the same through this process? Who knows.
What would you guys do? Purchase more and not worry about the mixed colored lids? or go with glass or something totally different?
Below these containers are canned foods and snacks. Well, that is what is supposed to be there. There are a lot of misc items that just get thrown onto a shelf just to get them out of another spot in the house.
The small appliances are mostly around the bottom and on the larger shelf on the left.
They are sort of spread out. We purposely built these shelves to be for larger pieces and to act as extra counter space if needed. It doesn’t really work out that way because they are always overflowing with stuff! Grrrr!
I want to organize this so that like appliances are together and easy to reach when needed.
The linens and paper goods are in this section and are taking over! HELP!
I am going to make some organizer bins for these using diaper boxes. I have covered them with fabric and used them in other areas of the kitchen but these will be covered in contact paper with a nice label. This will keep them nice but not “in your face” like they are now. They will be contained and organized and that is the main goal. Plus I think a row of boxes all the same with labels will look really nice. I have already asked my friend Jill to start saving those diaper boxes again for me. I have a few to get started so this should be a quick fix.
The dishes will probably stay about how they are now. There isn’t a lot I can do with them expect rearrange and get them to be more organized. We actually use these quite a bit but there are so many of them they don’t fit in our regular kitchen cupboards.
The baking dishes are all over the place. We are terrible about lifting one to put another one underneath so we end up with this.
We need a better system. My brother gave me some organizers a couple of years ago for Christmas and I just love them. I have vertical organizers for my platters and a great skillet holder and lid holder. My pots and pans for cooking are not in the pantry. It bothers me that things that go together are not being stored together. This is something on my list as well.
The reusable bags and plastic bags are in one section but need to be place into bins or boxes. I plan to create the same diaper box organization for these things.
We also use this pantry to house some seasonal decor. I am going to try to find another place for these but if I can’t then I will create more boxes and use the top shelves for this type of thing. I also need a stool. Being 5’2″ I cannot reach some of the upper items easily. So a step stool and a place to hang it will be added as well.
These are some of the items I am think about for my dream pantry. The following links include affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. You can read my full disclosure here.
Food Storage: These are things I am thinking about instead of the Tupperware or to add to the Tupperware. A big shout out to Peggy for taking photos for me in WalMart! My phone was dead.
Better Homes and Gardens Containers from WalMart
Wood top Glass Container – Better Homes from Walmart
Ikea Droppar Series – Frosted Glass Containers
Individual Droppar Jar from Ikea
I really like the Ikea products but the closest Ikea to us is in Minneapolis, MN and is about 3 – 3 1/2 hours away. I would really need to get all of them at once or make two trips or something. The Droppar jars are kind of nice if you are placing some in a drawer. You can see through the top. I just worry if they are air tight for storage of dry goods. Have any of you seen these, used them or know someone who has? I would love to know more about them before purchasing.
Honestly though I think I will probably stick with my Tupperware and just add to it. I will ask about the blue lids but I did see some on E-bay that I could look into.
So, there you go…my pantry organization plan. I can’t wait to get started. I can start by covering some boxes and getting things into their own place. I think this will help a lot!
Stay tuned for Phase 2 next week. I will be searching for some fun basket/bins that I may want to add in the pantry and you can check on my progress!
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