Maximizing Functionality With Pantry Can Organization
Honestly, pantry can organization isn’t the sexiest of organizing topics *wink*
While we’re all about the fresh organic produce + shopping at the local farmers market for specialty cheeses :) it’s true that a few cans of black beans for that homemade chilli or crushed tomatoes for John’s family recipe of italian gravy are some go-tos.
And there always seems to be enough of those cans in our kitchen pantry to justify a process to keeping them organized :) #ImagineThat
So let’s dive in + discuss how we go about organizing cans in our clients pantry’s, shall we?
Assess Your Pantry Organization
At Elegant Simplicity, we’re all about taking the necessary steps for long-term success. As much as we all want to jump right in + make changes happen as soon as possible one of the initial things that we do with clients in our Organizing Membership is assess.
Here are a few basic questions to ask yourself to help maximize functionality + more specifically pantry can organization as a whole.
How is your pantry organized as a whole? Is there any process or logic to the way things are placed in it?
How are you currently storing cans in the pantry?
How are you NOT using the pantry –– but could be?
What’s currently working with how you’re using the pantry?
What isn’t working with pantry can organization?
The Cost Of Clutter In Your Pantry
In the next section, we’ll discuss tips that we use when it comes to organizing client pantries. However, the cost of clutter is real throughout your home but especially when it comes to your pantry organization.
Food Waste
When there’s no process to keeping an organized pantry, you’re less likely to find what you need when you need it. Whether that’s while you’re making a grocery list or perusing the pantry for what you have to cook with — out of sight, is out of mind. And ultimately, even shelf stable food expires.
Wasted Money
Along the same lines of wasting food, is wasted money. Whether that’s from canned food or other items that have expired in your pantry or it’s from buying more of food you already have.
In fact a recent “Lost + Found” study released by Pixie, reveals that Americans spend an average of 2.5 days a year looking for misplaced stuff. That’s nearly HALF of a week we lose just searching for things!
Stress + Anxiety
There’s an unsettling stress or an embarrassment that some of us associate with clutter. Having a family member (hello, mother-in-law) opening your pantry to see a disorganized pantry is… unsettling to say the least *wink*.
Now, that sure puts things in perspective + with a slight understanding of how much clutter is costing us — let's roll up our sleeves + dive into the nitty gritty deetz of pantry can organization specifically :)
As interior designers, we’re extremely focused on ensuring that every area in your home is not only beautiful, but as professional organizers, we’re just as crazy about maximizing functional spaces.
The way we see it — they’re like yin and yang which is why you always hear us talking about how much we love to create beautifully organized spaces.
Well the kitchen + more specifically pantry can organization is no different boo *wink*
Declutter + Discard Old Food Responsibly
Decluttering the cans in the pantry is one of the first steps to having an organized pantry but we also want to be sure that any expired food is being discarded responsibly.
Instead of simply throwing any expired food in the trash for it to go to the landfill + take up precious space for years to come — if you compost, then open each can + place it in your compost bin. If not (which is fine), then discard of the food in your disposal. Then wash + recycle each can.
Isn’t organizing glamorous!?!?! *wink*
Make Donations
One of the benefits of organizing all aspects of your home is donating responsibly. And when it comes to pantry can organization — it’s no different. In fact, food pantries are often very eager to take donations.
After culling through the kitchen pantry together, taking your kids to donate the food that you’re not going to use is gives them a great life experience. And for yourself, knowing that you’re contributing to nourishing another family is heart-warming reward for organizing your own home.
Create Organizing Categories
What makes organizing canned food in the pantry difficult is not only are the cans unique sizes but so are the labels. Some have big bold writing + others have small fine print. Some cans have images on them while others do not. Some cans in the pantry will have bright colors + others keep it basic with white.
So, what’s the answer to knowing where everything is? Create categories for the canned food in the pantry. We do this for just about every clients pantry + they love it!
Sometimes the categories are by the type of canned food — beans, vegetables, fruit, sauces, gravy’s, etc. While other times the categories are by the type of food one would be cooking — latino, indian, italian, etc.
Sort The Pantry Shelves Front To Back By Expiration Date
One professional organizer pro-tip that our clients love is taking the organizing categories for canned goods a step further.
Now what we’ve put all the like-items together, categorized them by either type of food, ethnicity or another categorization, we now to sort them front-to-back by expiration date putting the canned goods that will expire the soonest in the front so that you will remember to use them.
Remember that saying, out of sight out of mind. Well it works in the inverse too. “What’s insight, is front of mind.”
Consider Shelf Dividers
Cans come in all different shapes + sizes. Some are small + some are rather large so finding a solution that meets all your needs all the time can be a challenge.
For this reason, when it comes to can organization in the pantry we prefer shelf dividers because typically there will be plenty of space vertically that the size of the cans becomes irrelevant. Not to mention, there’s enough depth to the shelf (front-to-back) that we can either keep them all on the shelf or create a tiered shelf system for the canned food.
Label The Shelves Or The Shelf Dividers
If you’re thinking about labels then you will LOVE this.
When it comes to canned food storage + maintaining your organized pantry — labeling, is not step one but it is a step along the way.
What we tell our clients is that when we’re actually in the labeling process we’ve already made a lot of decisions around the things that you want + need but also the things you don’t.
And choosing labels isn’t merely to make the organizing system look “prettier.” Sure, that’s a perk of pantry can organization but labeling is committing to making the organizing system function more efficiently for the long haul.
Organizing Labels, strengthen the organizing systems we’ve already set up. In most cases, but not all, without labeling the system breakdowns over time because either we personally become fatigued + don’t maintain it or others don’t know what methods to follow.
Well friend, there you have it...everything you need to know about pantry can organization!
And don’t forget, if you’re in the preliminary planning stages of your next project, let’s chat.
Psst… Check out our FREE Video Course: 4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home