How Do I Make More Space in My Small Pantry?

Do you struggle with kitchen organization? Many Sacramento-area homeowners have the problem of not enough storage space in the kitchen. If you have a pantry, it might only be the size of a small reach-in closet; if you are lucky, it is the size of a double-door closet. If you do not have a full walk-in pantry or a very large amount of cabinet space, it can be difficult to find room to store everything that you need at your fingertips while preparing meals. Here are some tips on making more space in your small pantry.

While you have everything out of the pantry, now is the time to clean it out. Don’t go crazy; it doesn’t have to be perfect. But do take a few minutes to wipe off the shelves, including the corners that are often neglected. Sweep the floor and use the broom to knock down any cobwebs in the high corners.

Also, have a dishcloth or some paper towels handy to wipe off the items that you’ve taken out of the pantry. Some of the goods might be dusty or, if something has spilled in the pantry, some of the bottoms of the cans or jars might be a bit sticky. Take care of this before you put the items back into the pantry.

Once you have your items separated into categories, look at the dates of each item. If something is expired, it might not be bad to use. Consumer Reports explains that the “sell by” date is usually not a measure of food safety. (The exception is infant formula; do not feed your baby expired formula.) You should not donate expired food, however, because most food pantries will not accept it, though you can call your local food bank to ask.

When you are putting the items back into the pantry, put the older items in front similar newer items. This means that if you have cans of soup that are six months to their expiration date as well as cans of soup that are a year from expiration, place the ones that will expire sooner toward the front. When you go grocery shopping, make it a habit to place the new items behind the older items of the same type. This will help prevent food from expiring before you can use it.

Once it’s time to start putting items back, think about how you’d like to organize the pantry. One good rule of thumb to keep in mind is to keep heavy items (extra bottles of juice, big cans of tomato sauce, and so on) toward the bottom. This can prevent injuries from having a heavy item topple off of the shelf while you are standing in the pantry. Also, consider keeping glass jars toward the bottom to minimize the risk of breakage.

Lighter items, such as paper goods and boxed goods, can go higher up, as they will probably not cause any injuries if they were to fall.

This is not a hard-and-fast rule; you can decide to keep heavier items at eye level if you choose. Just be aware that you’ll need to use caution.

Simply placing items on the shelves can make it difficult to access some of the items, particularly those that get pushed back to the corners of the pantry. Another issue is those small items, like spices and seasoning packets, that can easily get lost inside of the pantry. Here, pantry organizers will be a great tool for you to use.

Closet Gallery can install custom-made pantry organizers in any pantry or cabinet system. Pull-out shelves allow you to pull items toward you without rummaging and making a mess. Bins and baskets help to corral smaller items and keep like things together. For example, if you have a lot of dessert mixes, putting them all together in one bin allows you to let your children go through it to choose what they want without making a mess in the rest of the pantry.

If you have little to no pantry space in your kitchen , all hope is not lost. Some homeowners in Sacramento will use kitchen cabinets to stand in for a pantry. If you are also low on cabinet space, don’t worry: There are likely other areas of your home that can be used. If you have a spare hallway closet , that can be built into a pantry. A Murphy bed installed in another room has extra space that could function as storage for extra food. Even shelves in a garage can hold food that isn’t sensitive to climate changes. There is no law that states that all food needs to be kept in the kitchen, and non-perishables like those found in a pantry will be fine just about anywhere in the home.