How to Organize Your Pantry with Storage Bins

Pantries provide necessary storage in your kitchen, but these simple spaces often turn into overstuffed, disorganized messes. This leads to frustration and overbuying, as we purchase items we don't know we already have buried under twelve bags of powdered sugar and potato chips. Simple rows of shelves, particularly in deep pantries, don't provide enough organization, but storage bins are an easy solution. Bins help contain non-stackable containers and keep similar items together. They slide on and off the shelf easily, and can be carried to a table or counter so you can examine the contents more efficiently. Read on for the proper steps to organize your pantry with storage bins.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Measuring tape
• Storage bins or baskets
• Food storage containers (optional)
• Clear workspace

Choosing Storage Bins

1. Measure your shelf space so you'll know what size of bins to purchase. Leave an inch or more of room so baskets will slide freely; if you have a 12-inch shelf, find baskets that add up to 11 inches across or less.

2. Estimate how many bins you'll need. A shelf of cereal boxes can remain as is, but a shelf of spice bottles and precariously piled baking supplies may require two or three different bins.

3. Decide what type of bins will work best in your space. If you have a lot of bagged items like potato chips, snacks, powdered sugar and chocolate chips, you'll want deeper bins to keep these items from spilling out. If you have a lot of smaller items like spices or individual snack packs, you can consider stacking bins with lids to make the most of your space. See Warnings Section.

4. Choose matching or complementary colors and styles of bins to keep the pantry looking as uniform and neat as possible. See Tips Section.

5. Choose bins that work best in a kitchen setting. They should have a solid bottom, be stain-resistant and easy to clean.

6. 

   For added organization and food preservation, you can buy stackable food storage containers to use inside larger bins. Any opened bag of snacks or baking supplies can be kept in an airtight container rather than a poorly sealed bag.

Organizing the Pantry

7. Clean the bins with soap and water and dry thoroughly.

8. Remove the contents of the pantry, and separate out into categories, e.g. snacks, baking products, pasta. If you have eight bins, separate your pantry items into eight (or less) categories. See Tips Section.

9. Check the expiration dates on every item. Now is the perfect time to clear out old, unwanted, and questionable items. If you can't remember when you bought it, throw it out!

10. Consolidate like items. If you have four boxes of granola bars with two bars left in each box, put them all into one and save space.

11. When all the pantry items are separated, place them in the appropriate bins.

12. Slide bins onto shelves. Put the frequently used items on the shelves that are easiest to reach.

Tips & Warnings

• Be flexible with your categories. You may have too many snacks for one bin and not enough pasta to fill another. Some bins may end up with a mix of items in it. Find a way to organize items that makes sense to you, so you'll remember where to look for them.
• Try not to over-purchase pantry items. Once the baskets overflow and get too heavy or cumbersome to slide out of the pantry, they lose their usefulness. Keeping the pantry organized helps you keep track of what you have, so you know how much to buy when you go shopping.

[ValerieDavid]

on 9/5/2008 Thank you, everyone, for the comments. So far my pantry still looks like this. :)

[LilacGirl]

on 5/12/2008 You wrote an excellent article, with lots of helpful suggestions.

[MidniteWriter]

on 1/4/2008 Loved these ideas! Storage bins make life so much easier. Thanks for the article.

[grouch]

on 1/4/2008 Storage bins make everything more organized. Add a few lids and you can keep little critters out or move in a flash. Thanks for the information.