When a client comes to us for help organizing their kitchen (or even designing their cabinetry layout for their new kitchen) there’s always a big conversation about how to best organize their spice cabinet, spice drawer or pantry shelves.

The reality is, when we’re cooking we want things to be easy, fun + full of good flavors. The last thing we want is for chaos to ensue because you can't find a certain spice when we need it. 

Yup, we’ve all been there — cooking up a storm. 

Everything's whirling right along according to plan + the house smells absolutely incredible when suddenly that to-die-for Chimichurri Sauce that everyone in your household is gushing over comes to a screeching halt because your spice jar is empty #womp-womp.

Organizing your spice cabinet or drawer doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, there’s a ton of health benefits in getting organized + creating the healthy home you crave for your family. But there are a few basics so consider along the way that will be sure to lead you to success.

BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE

I know, fairly obvious but the basics are the basics for a reason, girl. And to be honest, we shouldn’t make room for spices we don’t use or need in our kitchen. So…

Look at what spices you have + then take action. Rid your spice cabinet of any duplicates or spices that have sadly expired. 

Duplicates

When it comes to spices, duplicates are simply taking up space + likely we have multiples because we were at the store + didn’t know it was already in our cabinet. So like anyone else, we bought one just in case :) Again, we’ve all been there so, no judgement boo! 

Don’t Need 

Remember making that special dinner for a special someone on that very special occasion? Likely, that yummy recipe called for a ¼ tsp of an unusual spice which of course you only needed for that special recipe + quite frankly, you don’t really have a use for it any longer. Hunny, do us both a favor and toss. it. out. 

Don’t be afraid to let go of the things you likely won’t use again as they’re simply collecting dust in your spice cabinet + taking up valuable real estate they shouldn’t be. Unfortunately (unlike wine) our spices don’t get better with age.

Expired 

How do you tell if a spice is expired? Smell it. A spice should smell fresh + if you can’t smell anything or it smells dull then toss it out. If you’re unsure, taste it. If it’s without flavor then it’s probably expired. 

Now, with all the duplicates, the things you no longer need + the expired spices out of your cabinet or drawer let’s consider how we might actually organize what is left.

ORGANIZING YOUR SPICES

So, you’re looking for how to organize your spices? And the best answer is, there is no rule to organizing your spices there’s just what works for you. 

But, when it comes to creating structure it’s typically not the easiest thing to do + (because I’m speaking candidly) some of us just want a plan to follow. See, I told you — we get you!

When it comes to organizing your spice cabinet, there’s two different ways we recommend when we’re working with our clients to make it easier knowing what you have, what you need more of + where to find the spice you want when you need it. 

ALPHABETIZE

First, alphabetize. Yep, whether you have a spice cabinet, a spice drawer, a pantry shelf or we’ve also been known to repurpose an old family armoire to house your spices –– simply organizing these puppies alphabetically can be quite the migraine saver :)

Not only is it good for your sanity, but if you have a spouse, kids who like to help in the kitchen or personal chef, alphabetizing your spices is a simple + intuitive way for everyone to find what they’re looking for. It’s also a very easy way for them to help you maintain an organized spice cabinet *wink* because everyone knows where things belong.

In fact, did you know that this is how it’s done in most commercial kitchens as well?

WHAT MAKES SENSE FOR YOU

The other method we use to help organize all those flavors is based on what makes sense for you. Our job as professional organizers isn’t to tell you how to live, it's to help you get organized + make home the place you never want to leave. 

Which is why, the second way we organize spices is by allowing your cooking habits to dictate how we organize spices. We identify your go-to spices first + place them in the most convenient easy to grab space. Then, we place the “every once in a while” spices behind or above them.

It’s not as intuitive or universal to everyone else who may come into your kitchen but if you’re the only chef in the kitchen — it’ll feel like a custom tailored spice cabinet that's been perfectly organized for you :)

SPICE CABINET, SPICE DRAWER OR PANTRY

To be totally fair, there are a lot of different physical locations in your kitchen where we can organize spices. To name a few: a cabinet, a drawer, a rack that sits on your countertop, or even a shelf in a pantry. And really, unless you’re redesigning your kitchen cabinets your only options is to do what you can with what you already have. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In that light — here’s a few things for you to keep in mind when you’re trying to settle on a location. 

PROXIMITY TO WHERE YOU COOK

When we’re designing a kitchen we consider a handful of factors when it comes to choosing the perfect spice storage solution, the first being — the proximity of the spices to where we cook. In an ideal kitchen, the kind we love designing, you don’t have to walk a marathon to grab whatever spices you need. In other words, we tend to prefer our spices to live near the food prepping station, built-in ovens or your cooktop.

But, what do you do if having all your spices next to the prepping station or cooktop just isn’t an option? In these cases, you could keep the bulk of your spices in a single location — say your pantry — while a handful of the basics that you use all the time are alphabetized in a smaller spice cabinet next to the cooktop. It’s not ideal but if space is limited +  it works for you that’s all that matters.  

EYE LEVEL

We’re also very mindful of who we’re designing for. For some, (especially if you’re tall or have a bad back) an under cabinet pullout isn’t going to work well because quite frankly, it can be challenging to bend  over or reach all the way down to ground-level to grab a spice like idk…. Turmeric?! 

If you’re organizing your spices consider putting them at eye level in either a pantry, a cabinet or a shelf.

BE AWARE OF SUNLIGHT, HEAT + MOISTURE

Another rule of thumb is to be aware of sunlight, heat + moisture. If you have spices that are sitting on your countertop in a spice rack or lazy-susan, we recommend putting them in an area that won’t shorten their shelf life. I know, while it it sounds like common sense, it’s always a good idea to refresh if you want to keep things fresh *wink*

SHELF RISERS, TIERED SHELVES 

We’re going a thousand miles a minute — everyday. If our spices aren’t easily visible when we’re scanning your collection before heading to the grocery store or if you have to completely disassemble that gorgeous alphabetically organized spice cabinet of yours j-u-s-t to get spot the rosemary then “Houston, we’ve got a problem!” 

When it comes to organizing our spices, we’re lovers of tiered shelves + shelf risers not only because they’re functional or because they make it easy to read labels in the back row but since they’re not a pain in the woo-hoo… it’s easy to maintenance + keep your spices organized long term.

CONTAINERS + LABELING

With what feels like a zillion ways to containerize your spices which ones work the best? 

Honestly… one. 

Yep, you read that right. Decide on one type of container for your spices + make it consistent for all of them. This uniformity will make it easier to use shelf risers, a spice rack or a built-in spice organizer. 

If you go the route of containers consider not only if it’s airtight but also how they might stack so that you can maximize all the height available to you + at the same time read the labels :)

Speaking of labels... If you’re going to get away from using the canisters (or bags if you buy in bulk) that the spices come in then you’ll want to ensure you label them. How else will you keep them alphabetized? 

Our approach to living is to make sure we’re not overwhelmed or distracted from soaking up all the good moments life has to offer. An organized spice cabinet or pantry is a simple way to ensure cooking together as a family, for family, is enjoyable. 

Getting organized is about peeling back all the stuff that doesn’t feel like it belongs or has a place + keeping only the things that make home the place you never want to leave.

Psst… drop us a line in the comments about the thing you find most difficult in keeping your spices organized.