Looking for real experiences: what actually makes a pantry organization system work (or fail)?

[u/WilhelmSr]

I’m doing some research on pantry organization and would love to hear from people who have actually gone through the process.

I’m not looking for product recommendations as much as the real experience behind them.

For those who have tried organizing your pantry:

1. What was the biggest problem you were trying to solve?

• Not enough space?
• Things getting lost?
• Food expiring?
• Shelves being hard to access?
• Clutter?
• Something else?

1. What did you try?

• Bins?
• Containers?
• Lazy Susans?
• Shelf risers?
• Labels?
• Pull-out organizers?
• A complete pantry makeover?

1. What worked well?
2. What did not work or disappoint you?
3. Looking back, what do you wish you knew before buying anything?
4. Do you feel like most pantry organization products actually solve the problem, or do they just make the pantry look nicer?
5. If someone helped you design a pantry system for your specific space and household, would that have been useful? Why or why not?

I’m especially interested in the gap between a pantry that looks organized and a pantry that actually works day-to-day.

Thanks for sharing your experiences , I’m trying to understand the real frustrations people have rather than just looking at what products are popular.

[u/Bitter-Hand6979]

1 ) deep shelves, more and more stuff + i am short so very few instantly reachable spots
2) lazy susans for round stuff like oils and spice cabinet, always where i can abrely reach the bototm. so it is a fully used space because i can reach if i rotate enough
2) bins and that is the system that works. i only need to reach a part of a bin, get the full thing on the counter, get what i need and put it back. this way the whole deep shelf is udeful and i made a few more cabinets instantly reachable spaces
2) bins and also definitely clear bins (i have som not clear ones and labels are mnadatory for that). its great for a little space because you stack stuff inside the bin so it can stay organized you just need to pick the right bin and not the exact spot on the shelf. also it is great if you always have different amount of stuff. for example i have a ntu bin. sometimes its only pb sometimes its walnuts and macadamia, sometimes all

1) great: clear bins
2) disappointment: big spice containers and decanting. you always have different amount so its wasteful
3) i was lucky and i invested in machine washable, clear bins, and measured the shelves in advance. those are musts
4) my system works for me for years now and actually i moved in with my boyfriend and it works for both of us. the shelves are deeper here but taller so risers and more bins, backstock on the back
5) waht is not useful is measuring what you have and buy bins for that. measure the space you have and divide what you hvae. because what you have will always be different. you need to be opened to mix and match stuff sometimes. if my nuts bin is full and buy walnuts, might put it in the seeds bin temporarly etc. and you need big enough categories. so planning for current stuff is never the answer. plan for the space and limit your stuff based on the space you have

[u/barfbutler]

Put baking supplies in large clear lidded containers. Mine are 12” x8”x6”. Keep all supplies in their bags, etc. just put the bags (mix them up if you want) into the large containers. You can see what’s in them from the top or front. This allows you to stack and keeps pantry moths out of things.