Having an organized pantry saves big time: it saves money, saves time, saves stress, and saves mess and waste from occurring. With an organized, labeled, and categorized pantry you will spend less money buying duplicate items, less time looking for ingredients, and there will be less items breaking, spilling, and spoiling.

The same basic ideas used to organize most areas are used to organize a pantry. In general, purge first, then place the most often used items in the easiest area to access, and finally categorize. By doing this, unnecessary and unused items are removed, the pantry becomes easier to use, and it becomes easier to maintain.

Here are Simple Steps to Organize a Pantry:

• The first step is to purge items that are never used, have expired, are have gone bad. To do this, take everything off the shelves and separate the keepers from the "space wasters".
  
  

• Next put heavy items on the bottom shelves. Items like appliances and other cooking devices fit the mold.
  
  

• Then place items that you rarely use up high and in the hard to reach nooks.
  
  

• Place the most used items, by type, on the eye level shelves. For example, put spices together, cereals and breakfast items together, baking goods together, and so on.
  
  

• Now, use shelf dividers and labels to ensure that the pantry stays organized. Divide every category with shelf dividers (even something obvious like cereal or spices) and then label each section. This makes sure that no category infringes on another and that each item has a labeled home.
  
  

• As an option, use clear stackable canisters, can dispensers, and step shelves to make the shelves easier to use.
  

This project should take one to four hours depending on the size of your pantry. Before you start, have garbage bags, shelf dividers, and a label machine ready for use.

Good Luck.

Find items to organize your pantry and kitchen at Organize It



Jeremy Glennon, has been in the organizing business for nearly ten years. Currently, he is the general manager of Organize It.

Cabinet manufacturers have responded to consumer demand for pantry storage in small spaces and kitchens. In addition, closet manufacturers have identified the pantry market as a cross-product user of their clever storage innovations. Finally, the small kitchen owner is getting the attention they deserve. Purchased pantry organizers are not the only way to maximize your pantry cabinet space.

Here are some great ideas for creating more pantry storage in a small kitchen:

1. Re-organize to make a smarter pantry. Taller items on pantry shelves in back, shorter in front. Use baskets for bulky items and containers to corral small, misc. items.
2. Adjust height of shelves to match the size of the pantry item and maximize the efficiency of your pantry storage space.
3. Consider moving food items to drawers. More items can be stored in a drawer; label tops for quick identification.
4. Install roll-out pantry drawers for easier access. Because you can see more, you can store more.
5. Reclaim a closet.
6. Reclaim storage between studs of wall.
7. Take out the kitchen soffits to move infrequently used items above kitchen cabinets; make new pantry cabinet space below.
8. Delegate pantry food storage outside of the kitchen: under the living room couch or out in the garage.
9. Tuck pantry food items inside decorative furnishings, like a crock.
10. Think on a smaller scale: consider a mini-version of a walk-in pantry.
11. Take 12" out of hallway width for pantry shelves.
12. Recycle wooden crates from wine, mount to walls as a shelf (can get free from wine stores or superstores).
13. Make a skinny box on wheels next to empty space next to your refrigerator (same height) that can wheel out.
14. Use over-the-door racks for extra storage on closet doors. For very narrow doors, take a hanging shoe pouch for over-doors and cut to fit.
15. Purchase an antique or used furniture cabinet at a garage sale or flea market and refit the furniture for pantry use.
16. Hanging up items is an alternative to using cabinet space.
17. Install pantry shelving in kitchen where spices and staples can be stored out in the open.
18. Hang pots up on a pot rack to free space up inside cabinets for pantry goods or keep inside oven when not in use.
19. Put utensils in utensil caddies on the countertop to free up additional pantry space inside cabinets - flatware can be stored also in a decorative container on the table.
20. Take a lesson from closet clothing storage experts and copy their unique storage ideas or even utilize their products for your food storage needs.

If you are looking for more kitchen pantry ideas, Everything Pantry can help. From deciding on what pantry cabinet will fit best into your kitchen pantry design plan, to choosing a pantry door or the best pantry organizer, we cover a broad range of pantry topics.

Fascinated with kitchen pantries? Renee Matt maintains Everything Pantry, an informational site for kitchen enthusiasts and dreamers at http://www.EverythingPantry.com From the historical butler's pantry to modern pantry cabinets, we share our fondness for pantries with others. Visit us for more kitchen pantry information such as pantry storage, organization, and kitchen pantry design tips.

Interested in learning how to build a kitchen pantry? Nothing easier! The kitchen design is very important since it needs to be both functional and aesthetic. So what should you choose? A kitchen pantry can combine these two requirements. With its help, you can organize your supplies efficiently and you can bring extra charm and style to your cooking space. Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when you want to build a kitchen pantry. ·

There are a few basic tools you need before getting started. In order to build a kitchen pantry, your equipment kit should include: a measuring rule, a drill, a pencil, a sanding block, a screwdriver or more of different sizes, a hammer and a paintbrush. Besides the tools, you need to have a few materials. If you want to build a kitchen pantry in a professional manner, you need sandpaper, pine stocks, glue, nails, angle irons and paint.

The first thing that needs to be done is the frame. This is not as hard as it seems and you might even enjoy to build a kitchen pantry, after all. Firstly, you have to assemble a rectangular box, with the help of your wooden pieces. Don't forget to secure the corners with the screws and to apply the carpenters' glue in order to make sure you obtain a stable and safe construction.

The second step when you want to build a kitchen pantry is represented by the shelves. After cutting them as you desire, you need to establish the exact spacing between them. When you build a kitchen pantry and you are done with the assembling part, you can get creative! Like how? Take the paintbrush and the colors you desire and make your construction look like in a décor magazine. You can combine any nuances you like in order to coordinate with your kitchen designs. Use patters or even applications for a modern look.

One of the most important things you need to remember when you build a kitchen pantry is that you need to measure everything before cutting. Take one step at a time and focus on each process in detail. Only like this, you will manage to obtain the furniture kitchen you desire. Think before acting ahead! When you build a kitchen pantry, it is advisable to have someone near to help you. Ask a friend or a family member to hold the shelves for you or to hand you the tools when you need them. Plus, you avoid accidents in case you have someone to help you work on your kitchen design. Are you looking for innovative solutions?

Then here is a tip for you: build a kitchen pantry behind the door. You save a lot of space and this construction can be used as a great storage. With the right guidance and with the above tips on how to build a kitchen pantry, this will not even seem like a hard job. Actually, you can achieve your goal in less than 5 hours. That is, if you manage to be a skilled kitchen designer. So, what are you waiting for? Go shopping for the right tools and materials and get prepared to build a kitchen pantry. It will worth it! Your ideal kitchen designs can become a reality in no time!

Kitchen tasks are out of Sam Butler's expertise, like building a kitchen table, where some handyman's skills are required. His website Kitchen-Aid.org is aimed at helping to organize and run a kitchen you can be proud of!

Today's dynamic times call for better organization. We need to organize our lives better to keep pace with the world or we'll end up left out. But organizing doesn't end up when arrive home, in fact, it should start at home.

Homes, regardless if they are as huge as a mansion or as small as an apartment studio unit, can always benefit from proper shelving. Shelves do not only allow you to store more, but also contributes to your home design.

The pantry could be the best place to show this. With so many small bottles and food jars of different sizes, it really is a pain sometimes to get all of these in a place where you can easily find them. Homeowners are faced with a challenge to get these properly organized and at the same time putting consideration on aesthetics.

Also, most modern pantries have limited space. There are a just so many food items that you need to store that you might run out of space. The rule in proper shelving is to go vertical. Get a good shelving system that would allow you to utilize all the possible space in the pantry, from top to bottom.

However, there are a lot more things that you need to consider in buying pantry shelving systems. First, there's the price. Then of course, you need to find the shelving system which would perfectly fit your pantry space and your needs. The best pantry shelving system is the one that's fully functional.

Good pantry shelving also means proper food storage which is a great way to extend the food's shelf life. Just think what would happen to your previously bought food items if you can't store them properly. If you don't find them rotten in the corner, you'll probably not be able to find them at all.

Storing your food properly is one of the ways you can do to save. With proper pantry shelving, you don't only get to save the food itself, but you could also save yourself from the threat of food contamination. That is why, you always need to look into your pantry shelving system and make sure that it still can do its purpose.

If not, you can always check out home furnishing stores for a pantry shelving system that's right for you. You'll be surprised at just how efficient and beautiful modern pantry shelving is. There are those that allow you to categorize your items further. It's amazing how they can multiply the storage space available.

There are also those pull-out pantry shelving systems, but they're a bit costlier to install. Some just have simple compartments for you to separately store canned goods from gallons of sauces. But you can always add a few hooks so you could hand your kitchen tools.

If you're always searching where you might have placed your secret ingredient while you are cooking, then maybe it's time to consider getting a new pantry shelving system. Modern pantry shelving systems are highly personalized to fit your kitchen and pantry needs. You could actually request the number of compartments and even specify their dimensions.

Proper pantry shelving can make your kitchen experience calmer and more functional. You'll end up with a simplified pantry, and thus greatly improving your productivity. Now, you can just concentrate on your cooking, because you know your secret ingredient is safely stored.

Read more about Pantry Shelving and how you can organize your space http://shelving.advice-tips.com

A pantry is a wonderful thing. Whether it's a spare shelf in your kitchen cupboard shelving in your basement or a full out walk in closet somewhere in your home. A well kept family can making feeding your family and guests a breeze.

To keep your pantry as a positive instead of a gaping black hole to be purged annually in your home clean it regularly and keep a running list of the items you store there.

Whatever the place in your home you have labeled as a "pantry" first on your list to take of this important food storage area should be cleaning of your pantry shelves.

After removing all the items I like to dust and vacuum the shelves first. This serves to removed spilled flour, grains and other items.

Then a quick wipe with a simple cleaning solution. A dash of dish soap in a gallon of water is a nice simple cleaning solution and my favorite for food areas. You're really just wiping up spilled food items and mostly the grains and flours at that. Don't forget to wipe the walls and corners of your pantry too for cobwebs and dust.

When you are ready to put things back start by organizing like items together. Baking goods, canned goods, grains and pastas, oils and condiments.

Make a list of of the amount of each type of item you have in your pantry. Set your columns up by type. Such as baking items, grains, canned goods, and so forth.

A wonderful idea is to then post this list on your pantry door. Place it in a sheet protector so it doesn't get soiled and keep it up to date. Mark off when you have removed something from your pantry and add to the list when you add to your pantry.

As you use the items in your pantry move the oldest items to the front and put newly purchased items in the back. That way you are always using your items before they expire.

If there is a good sale happening at your favorite grocery store for an item that you would normally purchase, AND it fits into your budget this is a great time to stock your pantry. Make sure you are able to use those items before they expire.

If you find yourself running short on space in your pantry. Look into such pantry expanding tools as an over the door can organizer or wire shelving that doubles your pantry's usable space.

For complete organizing lists for home and life visit Household Notes and
for information on organizing your home visit Homemaking Organized.