As spring quickly approaches we’re already thinking about what projects we can help our clients tackle when they’re ready to start spring cleaning. Without a doubt one of our favorite spaces to organize is the pantry! Not only do pantries look great once they’re organized, but it also makes a world of difference for clients when they’re able to find everything easily.
This month as ambassadors for The Container Store we’re sharing our best tips for pantry organization as well as our favorite products to use to get the job done.
Take everything out.
Yes, we mean absolutely everything. It may seem like a daunting task, but taking every item out of the pantry gives you an empty space to work with. While you’re taking out all of your goods be sure to check each and every one for expiration dates. You’d be surprised to know how much JUNK and EXPIRED items get pushed to the back of a pantry over the years — which only wastes useful space that can be put to good use. Go ahead and toss those expired items as well as items that you don’t eat anymore, or items that may have started to clump together like sugar or flour.
Clean.
Now that everything is out of the pantry wipe every surface down. If you’re taking the time to organize, you’ll want the space to be as clean as possible, too. No more sticky surfaces or crumbs to be found!
Measure.
It can be extremely frustrating to take the time to buy bins and baskets to get organized only to get home and find out that they don’t fit your space. Save yourself some time and heachaches and go ahead and measure your shelves to see how wide and deep they are, so when you’re ready to purchase storage containers you know they will fit the first time around.
Storage solutions.
Once you’ve measured it’s time to pick out the storage containers you want to use in your space. There are certain items that we find ourselves constantly using in our clients’ pantries. The Container Store’s Natural Water Hyacinth Bins and Montauk Kitchen Bins are our absolute favorites to use in a pantry to hold everything from snacks to bread. They’re also a great option for holding extra table linens or party supplies. The bins come in multiple sizes and also sets of three. We suggest you organize your baskets by putting ‘like items’ together and then labeling each with a bin label.
We also like to using Lazy Susans in a pantry to hold condiment jars, jams, and spices. Being able to use the turntable makes it so much easier to find an item than reaching over everything. The Divided Lazy Susan can be used to hold different types of snack bars and granola bars in sections.
The Large Expand-A-Shelf is also helpful when it comes to being able to easily reach items. By stacking canned goods and soups on the shelves you’re also able to see everything you have in stock all at once, instead of having to turn around all your cans to sort through labels to find what you need.
If you like to decant items the ProKeeper Baker's Storage Set of 10 is the ultimate go-to when it comes to having airtight storage containers. They’re perfect for storing everything from baking necessities like flour and sugar to sprinkles and nuts to candies and crackers. We also love using the clear containers to store cereals as opposed to keeping them in mismatching boxes — not does the pantry look more streamlined with matching containers, but we can quickly see when a type of cereal is getting low and needs to be added to the grocery list. How many times have we gone to pour a bowl of cereal only to find out there’s not enough left for an entire bowl?
Right now, TCS has all of our favorites and all the kitchen essentials you’ll need maximize your space and keep your kitchen running smoothly on sale. Feeling inspired to re-do your pantry? We’d love to see! Tag us on Instagram @bluepencilhome.
Thank you to The Container Store for sponsoring this post. All photos and opinions are ours. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase.