Updated February 2023
Last week, we cleared off those kitchen countertops (your kitchen looks so much better, right?). Good thing, because we’ll need all of those flat surfaces in order to tackle a few food storage organization projects this week. Are you ready??
This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commissioN! Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
The Food Storage Organization Process
Follow these steps in each of your kitchen food storage zones — the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.
Related: How to Organize any Space Like a Pro
Step 1: Preparation
Make sure you’ve got your decluttering kit ready to go. You’ll come across many items in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry that will need to go straight into the trash, so be sure to have plenty of trash bags on hand.
Step 2: Evaluate the Space
If you have a large pantry, maybe it’s become a magnet for generic items other than food in your home.
Take a moment to get intentional and decide what (if any) categories of items you will allow to live in your pantry in addition to the food. Once you’ve set your criteria, you’ll know what items to sort into the Relocate pile during the Sort/Purge step.
Step 3: Empty Out & Clean the Space
Bonus! You get to complete some of your spring cleaning work this week as you organize your food storage spaces.
Begin as usual by taking every item out of the space and relocating the items to your countertop/kitchen island. Clean the space top to bottom by wiping out all of the crumbs, spills, and food spills. If you’ve got a reach-in or walk-in pantry, don’t forget to clean off the baseboards as well as mop the floor.
If your pantry is super huge, you may need to empty out, clean, and sort items one section of the pantry at a time.
Step 4: Sort and Purge Items
Sort items into the following piles:
- KEEP
- TRASH
- RELOCATE
It’s typically pretty obvious when a perishable item from the refrigerator should be chucked into the trash bag, but it can be trickier to decide when the item is non-perishable. Check out this post for tips on what food to purge and what food to keep during your sorting process if you need some guidance.
You probably won’t come across a lot of items in the refrigerator/freezer that belong in the Relocate box, but it does happen in the pantry from time to time.
If you have a habit of purchasing food in bulk, or buying food items because you’ve got a coupon for it (but no one in your house will actually eat it), you may want to include a Donate category. If you end up with a decent amount of food in this pile, consider donating it to your local food bank or to a friend/neighbor who can use it.
You’ve tossed the old, expired food, donated the excess food that won’t be eaten, and relocated those stray items you unearthed during the pantry clean out.
It’s time to deal with the food you’re keeping. Sort these items into categories that make sense to you. Some common pantry categories include:
- breakfast items
- snacks
- beverages
- condiments
- pastas and grains
- baking items
- canned goods
- sauces and soups.
Step 5: Organize the Food Storage Space
It’s time to put the items in the Keep pile back into your food storage space, following the basic organizing principles that we’ve used over the last few months. Remember, it’s all about:
- maximizing storage space by using solutions that take advantage of vertical space and make the back of deep spaces accessible
- using appropriate containers to keep food items within the same categories together (and separate from other categories)
- using labels to increase the chance that you and your family members will put things where they belong
- create an inventory of your freezer and pantry contents as you put everything away. You can download my printable meal planning kit, which contains both a pantry and freezer inventory.
Here’s how I put these principles into practice in my home:
Need a few products to complete your kitchen organization project? Shop from my curated list of favorite organizing & storage products.
It can be tricky to access loose items that get lost in the back of a side-by-side fridge. My solution is to use handled baskets and Fridge Binz to store item “families” together. And yes, we have an entire bin devoted to Mexican food (a family favorite!).
These yogurt containers would be lost forever if they weren’t contained together within the fridge. Using these bins effectively transforms shelves into drawers (and drawers always trump shelves in the organizing world).
Moving on over to the pantry, I don’t know what I would do without my Pantry Door & Wall Rack. Using this vertical storage solution to store condiments and oils literally freed up an entire shelf in my pantry.
Within the deli drawer, I use Fridge Binz to further subdivide the drawer into a Kid’s Lunch zone, and a Meat & Cheese zone.
Moving on over to the pantry, I don’t know what I would do without my Pantry Door & Wall Rack. Using this vertical storage solution to store condiments and oils literally freed up an entire shelf in my pantry.
The pantry consists of a variety of zones, with items in each zone contained within baskets. I’m OBSESSED with stacking baskets. You may have heard me rave about them before when I talked about using vertical space to maximize storage and gushed about my favorite kitchen organization products.
Labeling the baskets really does add some prettiness to this very functional pantry. More importantly, it makes it super easy to know at a glance where to locate a food item (and where to put it away when you come home from the grocery store).
UPDATE: Since this post, our pantry has undergone a major organizational overhaul
It also has helped my kiddos to become self-sufficient over the years. When it’s time for breakfast, they can easily grab the breakfast bins and pull them out onto the counter to grab what they need.
Another way to help kids become self-sufficient is to designate one area of your pantry as kid-friendly — placing kids’ snacks in an area on a lower shelf makes it easy for them to grab what they need without any assistance from you. Win-Win!
I also find that if you remove products out of their bulky packaging and store them in a storage bin, it saves a ton of space in your storage areas.
I’ve wanted to do this for a long time with the cereal boxes, but my family has vetoed that idea, since they like to read the back of the box while they’re enjoying their breakfast (you’ve got pick your battles, right?)
We store a lot of snack items for school lunches in our pantry. When we’re unpacking the grocery bags and putting the groceries away, these snack items are immediately taken out of their box and placed together into the Lunch Snacks bin that resides in the pantry.
This little step really helps to expedite the lunch-packing process.
Another awesome pantry/fridge storage solution is the Lazy Susan. It’s perfect for corralling smaller items.
Shelf helpers are also a girl’s best friend when it comes to storing canned goods in the pantry.
Step 6: Schedule Regular Maintenance Appointments for Your Food Storage Spaces
I find that completing a quick weekly refrigerator clean out (just reviewing the contents of the fridge, NOT cleaning the inside) on the evening prior to garbage day is the key to keeping the fridge in order.
Pair that with a quarterly pantry/freezer clean out, and you’ll be golden when it comes to your kitchen food storage spaces.
Your Food Storage Organization Assignment:
{Repeat this process for each food storage area in your kitchen}
- Determine the categories of items you’ll store in the that food storage area (pantry, fridge, freezer, cupboard)
- Empty the food storage area & clean it thoroughly
- Sort items into Keep & Trash piles (create an optional Donate pile if you have an excessive amount of food that is still edible, but you are confident will not be consumed by your family members)
- Explore options for maximizing storage & containing item families
- Put items in your KEEP pile back into the storage space using basic organizing principles
- Schedule quarterly appointments in your calendar for pantry/freezer maintenance & weekly appointments for refrigerator maintenance.
Related Posts:
- A Kitchen Speed Decluttering Tool
- No Brainer Things to Toss During Your Kitchen Decluttering Session
- Kitchen Organizing Products I Can’t Live Without
- Quick and Easy Pantry Makeover
- Pantry Inventory and Freezer Inventory Trackers
- Organizing Spices in a Pantry
After you’ve completed this week’s assignment, share a photo of your gorgeous pantry or refrigerator on Instagram (use the hashtag #ORGANIZEANDREFINECHALLENGE and don’t forget to tag me).
Get to it Peeps!
Pin It
This post is part of the Organize and Refine Your Home Challenge
- Printables for Organizing Home & Life: The ULTIMATE Organizing Printables Vault! - November 28, 2023
- Clipboard Wall Organization for Papers: Easy DIY Paper Storage! - September 4, 2023
- How to Plan a Graduation Party to Remember: The Ultimate Graduation Party Planner - May 9, 2023
Nosulire says
We’re currently looking at re-doing and designing our kitchen, so this post is fab, as it isn’t all that big. I’m looking to completely change the styling and these are right up my street! Thank you so much for sharing so many amazing ideas.
Kit Hannigan says
I really like your tip about using appropriate containers to keep food items within the same categories. My wife and I go on weekly trips to the grocery store, and we buy a lot of things in bulk since we like to cook for ourselves. I’d definitely look for handy food storage containers that can keep our stocks more organized and accessible. Thanks!
Natalie Gallagher says
Buying in bulk has it’s own set of challenges. You definitely save money (and time in the long run), but it does require a bit more up-front planning and work to figure out a system to store it all
Molly says
I’ve never seen this said… so after you are set up and you have your dry food storage items in containers (flour sugar cereal, crackers, noodles, etc) where do you store the little bit leftover in the original packaging? Do you throw it? Do you wait until the plastic container is 100% empty before reloading it? ( now you have to store that new item somewhere!). Seriously, what is your solution?
Natalie Gallagher says
I haven’t encountered this challenge because my containers tend to hold more than the packaging holds (for pasta, etc. I don’t empty cereal into storage containers. Instead, I remove the inner bag out of the box, dispose of the box, then store all cereal bags in a large cereal bin. It works great for my family!
Kimberly says
Great organization tips! My kitchen needs this…lol. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday this week! 🙂
Natalie Gallagher says
I’m glad that tips are helpful Kimberly!
Ann says
This is great! My jaw almost dropped when I saw the bin for the yogurts! Such a fabulous idea!! I am going to be on the hunt now to find bins that are short enough, as the yogurts are tucked into a narrow space. I already have a pretty good handle on my kitchen organization, but I do admit it could use with a bit of tidying up! Thanks for the inspiration!! 🙂
Natalie Gallagher says
Containerizing everything in the fridge is such a simple, yet effective organizing method! So happy to hear that you were inspired Ann!
Nancy Haworth says
This is a wonderful post, which I will share. I also love using Fridge Binz, they really do make it so much easier to contain smaller items inside the fridge.
Natalie Gallagher says
Thanks Nancy! I’m a Fridge Binz Fan through and through!
Lisa says
Pinning! Thanks so much for these ideas. I have bins in my fridge, but I love the handles! My cherries, olives, and marmalades will soon get a new home!
Natalie Gallagher says
Yes, it’s amazing what a difference those handles make (and how many spills are prevented by having everything contained in a basket! Tanks for stopping by Lisa!
Mistie says
Such amazing organization! I love how clean and easy to use it looks. I really need to get on my pantry with a system like this. Thank you so much for sharing.
Natalie Gallagher says
Thanks Mistie! It makes all the difference when it comes to finding what you need when you need it. Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon Rowe says
Thanks for sharing on Monday Madness link party! I love this post! A clean and organized fridge means less waste because you know what you have to use! I have never used storage containers in the fridge before but I do like how they look! Thanks again for sharing on Monday Madness link party! Hope to see you there next week!
Natalie Gallagher says
Totally agree Sharon! Visibility and accessibility are key to avoiding food waste. I don’t know what I’d do without my handled baskets and fridge bins…I feel like they’re a necessity when you have a side-by-side fridge. I love Monday Madness Sharon! Thanks so much for hosting it.
Christina Herrera says
My heart is literally skipping a bit. I’m running out the door right now but I can’t wait to get back home and read my assignment slowly and get started! I’m such a geek! I love this! I’m so glad I found your post at Chic on a Shoe String Link Party! O.K. gotta go now but I shall return and read this slowly 🙂
By now!
Christina
Natalie Gallagher says
If loving the organizing process makes you a geek Christina, then I’m the biggest one of them all! So glad to have you as a new reader!
Leslie says
The pantry and fridge are so hard to get organized! Love the tips for the handled bins…I even have a few extra lying around that I just might put to use today! Thanks for all the great tips!
Natalie Gallagher says
Yes Leslie, I don’t know what I’d do without my handled bins. They’re perfect storage containers for pantry and fridge! Thanks for stopping by!
Lindsey says
OMG. Your kitchen is the organizer’s dream land. Seriously, I can only aspire to be that organized. I love your tips about using and labeling containers. This would make it SO much easier to clean as well. Pinning, stumbling and tweeting this post as well.
Natalie Gallagher says
Organization in the kitchen makes life so much easier. I’m so glad you found the post helpful (and THANKS A MILLION for sharing!)
Liana George says
Not only do you have GREAT tips Natalie, I’m salivating at the organizational beauty of your fridge!! 🙂 I LOVE those handle baskets and am always recommending them to clients. Thanks for sharing your space and your insights!
Natalie Gallagher says
You’re so sweet Liana! and by the way, the feeling is mutual! 🙂
Sabrina Quairoli says
Great post, Natalie. I recently organized my fridge. I just got a new fridge and it had a very long and narrow deli drawer. I decided to replace them with containers to hold the food and labeled the top what the content was and now nothing is hidden and it works great.
Natalie Gallagher says
Yes Sabrina, I’m with you on the deli drawer. It can quickly turn into a mish mash of random items, with nothing easily accessible if you don’t subdivide those drawers. Thanks for stopping by the blog!