Pantry Organization: Day 18 of the 30-Day Declutter

Welcome to the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge! We’re tackling decluttering, reorganizing, and refreshing our spaces so we can live in homes we actually love. If you’re joining the challenge for the first time, you may want to start here at the beginning. Affiliate links used for your convenience.

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Let’s be honest: I loved the newly organized fridge I showed yesterday. It’s great to have drinks neatly tucked into the door instead of scattered across shelves. Will it transform my life? Not exactly. The fridge wasn’t a huge problem to begin with, so the change was nice but not dramatic.

Today’s transformation, though, has me genuinely thrilled: my pantry. Well—technically my pantry is more of a two-cabinet system: one cabinet in the kitchen and another in the laundry room that holds most of our extra food. It’s small compared to many pantries you see online, but it was chaotic and not serving our household well.

When we moved in, we removed old wire shelves in the laundry room and installed standard cabinets. I made the first cabinet in the laundry room my “extra food storage.” The intent was good: anything that wasn’t opened or didn’t fit in the kitchen cabinet would go there. But the result was two disorganized spaces full of duplicates and forgotten items.

The problem is simple: I couldn’t easily see what I had. I kept thinking opened boxes and bags belonged in the kitchen while sealed items went to the laundry room. That split approach meant I’d lose track of duplicates—six boxes of granola bars, multiple bags of the same sugar, extra cans of cooking spray. Two jumbled cabinets became confusing and wasteful.

So I did what any organized person would do: I emptied both cabinets and started from scratch.

Once everything was out, I sorted like items into clear categories. Grouping similar products together makes it far easier to see at a glance what you have and what you need. My categories included:

• Kids snacks
• Dried fruits
• Baking goods
• Crackers
• Rice and pasta
• Canned tomato products
• Canned goods—other
• Drinks

I picked up a bunch of clear pantry bins from Target and initially thought I’d return many of them, but I used every single one and still need more. I ordered additional bins from The Container Store to round out the system. Using uniform, clear bins instantly improves visibility and keeps categories contained so items don’t get lost in the back of a cabinet.

With everything sorted and binned, I put the cabinets back together in a deliberate way. I assigned each shelf or bin a purpose so I can now scan and identify what’s on hand without rummaging through both spaces. No more hunting for spaghetti noodles or canned tomatoes—each item has a designated spot.

The clarity is a game-changer. I’ll know when I have an overabundance of something—like pasta—and can plan to use it up before it expires. I’m also planning to create and add labels to the bins soon; clear, consistent labels help maintain organization and make it simple for everyone in the household to return things to the right place.

Now I can glance into a cabinet and immediately see what we have. No more duplicate purchases, no more “Where did I put that?” moments. The system is simple: group like with like, use clear bins to corral categories, and label—so you and your family know where things belong.

Sorry the photo looks so pink—I haven’t figured out that lighting issue yet!

RELATED: How To Create Your Own Pantry Labels

I can’t count how many times I assumed I had something for dinner only to discover it tucked away somewhere the next day. That ends now. With everything consolidated and visible, meal planning and quick shopping become easier.

Here are a few quick tips if you want to tackle your pantry:

• Empty the cabinets to get a true inventory of what you own.
• Discard expired items and donate unopened products you won’t use.
• Group like items together—snacks, baking supplies, canned goods, grains, etc.
• Contain smaller or loose items in clear bins for visibility and order.
• Label bins and shelves so everyone knows where things belong.

I’ll be making labels for my bins soon and I’ll share a picture when they’re done. For now: clear, simple categories and bins have made a big difference in my daily kitchen life.

The Messy Work: Clean out your pantry, throw away anything that is expired, donate items you won’t use, and put everything back in a thoughtfully organized way.

In the mess with you, Laura

More Posts You Will Love:

• Butler’s Pantry Ideas: 10+ Beautiful And Functional Designs
• How to Organize a Pantry
• DIY Pantry Labels
• How to Declutter Your Home in 5 Simple Steps
• 30-Day Decluttering E-mail Challenge