Pantry organizers come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and functions. Your pantry is basically a filing system – for food! So whatever pantry organization system you choose, it doesn’t necessarily have to look good. Far more important is a) that you make the most of the space available in your pantry and b) when you walk in you can find exactly what you’ve been looking for, immediately!
There are several basic types of pantry organizers: shelves and shelf organizers, door and wall shelves, drawers and baskets, boxes, and bags.
You need to find the right combination of these to fit your particular space – one size doesn’t fit all, and you may need to get out your tape measure or call a professional. The base of your pantry organization system will be your shelving, since it is around the walls where you have the most space available. Don’t forget to use the height of your pantry to its fullest and make sure you have tall shelves that reach close to the ceiling. It would be a shame to waste that vertical space, and you can always store things upstairs that you don’t regularly need. You can buy pantry shelves in various dimensions, and you’ll probably be able to assemble a system without having to specially order it. However, a custom made pantry shelving system would be the best option as you could make it exactly to fit the available space. Although this would be the most expensive option.
You may need to dedicate SOME floor space to close off a pantry cabinet, or set of drawers, for those many small items you need to have immediately accessible. But it’s always a good idea to put drawer dividers to make sure your things don’t move around and get dirty.
Also, if you install pantry drawers, they will probably only be chest height at most, so make sure the space above is dedicated to shelving as well.
Collapsible plastic boxes can be placed on the ground and a very common use of these is to store loose vegetables that do not need refrigeration, such as potatoes, onions and carrots, since the holes in the sides ensure air circulation that prevents the food spoils. .
Totes are small baskets that are usually placed on shelves and are used to store small items that may not fit in drawers; Think, for example, of your collection of spices, which you want to take out all at once to browse through. Not necessarily food either, think about putting the food blender parts in a pantry bag; otherwise, they often get loose on pantry shelves creating clutter.
Do not forget to put a shelf on the pantry door too – this space is usually not used and it is a shame to waste it! Just make sure the items you keep in there are secured, otherwise they’ll fly out every time you open or close the door!
We hope this information has been helpful in thinking about pantry organizers. So what are you waiting for? Start organizing now!