How to Organize a Small Pantry

When we first moved into our home about a year and a half ago, I quickly realized my small pantry was not going to cut it. And I had to find a way to get organized and to maximize the space. I also couldn’t get paste the yellow color- yuck! Actually this was the color of whole kitchen…which also had a red and yellow plaid curtain above the window. Just not my style AT ALL!

Pantry before

Pantry after

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After using our small pantry for about six months, I couldn’t get over the fact that the shelves only came out about halfway to the door. I was losing out on so much space! So last year, when we had our contractors here re-doing our staircase and building my bookshelves, I asked him for a quote to have my pantry redone. And to have it painted. No more yellow! The quote wasn’t terrible so we decided to move forward with it. And it was the best decision! Anything you can do in your life to make your day to day easier, I am all for.

I absolutely hated everything about the wire racks we had originally. Every time I would pull something out, something else would tip over. Things were never straight and it honestly, just drove me crazy! Having the shelves replaced with wood was an easy decision. Now everything sits flush. And doesn’t tip over.

I also worked with the carpenter to maximize the space. We were able to add a half shelf at the very top, which was an additional shelf I didn’t have before. And the shelves come out a lot farther so I have almost double the depth. It’s not a very big pantry, so maximizing the space was very important to me.

How to Organize a Small Pantry

And now the fun part- how to organize a small pantry. I really do think all the clear storage containers and bins make a huge impact in organizing your pantry. They allow you to see what you have, how much is left, etc. These bins are a bit of an investment, but I did this little by little. Hence why this has taken me about a year to reveal. And I could still probably use more bins on my bottom shelf for snacks.

Bin with Wheels | Basket, similar here

Clear Bin

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The bottom of the pantry houses two of these big bins. We use one for cat food and one for dog food. They are also on wheels which makes it really nice and convenient. I also have a basket in the middle that houses a few random things like towels. Our back door is right next to the pantry, so we keep old towels in here so we can wipe Addie’s feet when she wants to come in from the rain or is muddy. This is key to having light colored furniture!

The next shelf up is the pet and snack section. I actually want to grab more bins or canisters to house some of these snacks. We keep all the random things in a clear bin for the animals, store cat treats and bones, etc. Eventually, this shelf will be re-worked as Sloane gets older. She can reach this shelf so I want to make it more snack friendly for her. So she can go in a grab a snack when she is hungry. I will keep you updated on how I end up doing that.

Clear Bins | Storage Containers | 3 Tier Shelf

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Above that shelf and the one about that is where we keep most of the food because this is eye level. I use these canisters to house snacks, these for cereal and a combination of the narrow bin and the large bin to house things like oatmeal, hot chocolate, bars, beef jerky etc. I also added this riser for my canned items.

Bins | Canisters | Wire Baskets

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The shelf above that is all my baking items, noodles, rice, quinoa, etc. You get the picture. I have them in these canisters to keep them airtight. If you store brown sugar, make sure you get this to help keep it soft. It actually works too! And don’t forget this large size for your spaghetti noodles.

And on my top shelf, I store three of these baskets in the standard size. In these baskets is all my leftover flour, sugar, etc. that doesn’t fit in the canisters. I also have some random stuff up there that I don’t use a lot for baking. This shelf is hard to get too because I need a little ladder to get up there. So I put stuff up there I don’t use often.

Tips on How to Stay Organized

How I organize my small pantry is definitely not perfect, but so far it works for us! I also think the key to really keeping it organized is to clean it out often and re-organize it. Our food changes here and there, so I like to move things around, swap things out etc. Just because it looks ‘perfect’ today doesn’t mean it will be that way next week.

And another tip is to take the time after grocery shopping to fill your canisters up and throw out the packaging. I do this every week so it doesn’t add up. That way you don’t essentially have double of one product and not even realize it.

And don’t forget to label your canisters and bins! I know you can get cuter labels, but I thought it was more efficient to buy a label maker- this is the one I bought. This is really essential for your baking goods- you don’t want to get those mixed up.

I hope I was able to help you inspire you to organize your pantry today!