A pantry with wire shelves can be extremely frustrating,  whoever thought these were a good idea? We can chat about that another day.  Thankfully there are a number of ways you can optimize space and make it functional and fabulous at the same time.

Before You Buy Pantry Bins…

Most pantry organization fails for one simple reason: People buy containers before building the system.

Before you reorganize your pantry shelves, download my free guide:

The 5 Home Systems We Use in Every Organized Space

These are the same principles we use when organizing pantries, closets, kitchens, and garages.

→ Download the Free Guide

From organizing stored items to assessing expiration dates, following this five-step guide will show you how to organize pantry wire shelves.

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IMPORTANCE OF PANTRY ORGANIZATION

A well-organized pantry promotes food visibility, helping to prevent unnecessary purchases and food waste by ensuring that items are easily identifiable. Additionally, it contributes to a more visually appealing kitchen, fostering a sense of order and making daily cooking tasks more enjoyable.

The importance of pantry organization extends beyond the kitchen, positively influencing overall household management and contributing to a more organized and harmonious living space.

1. Measure the Space and Gather Supplies

Before reorganizing your pantry, it’s important to measure the space to purchase the appropriate containers and bins. You need to know the following:

• Width
• Depth
• Height 

Wire shelves can prove tricky when figuring out accurate measurements, be sure to measure twice before buying storage containers.

Once you know your dimensions, then it’s time to shop for some bins.  Places like The Container Store, Target, and Amazon all have bin options.

There are a handful of ways to organize wire shelves, to help guide you, here are a few things to consider:

1. What is my budget?  Knowing how much you want to spend will eliminate the options available making it easier to make decisions.
2. How do you want the space to look?  Aesthetics matter.  You’ll keep your space organized when you like what you look at.
3. To conceal or not conceal?  This all comes down to the space you are organizing and your preference.  For example, clear bins allow you to see everything that’s in there, eliminating guesswork.
4. Is it possible to stack bins? Stacking creates more space, allowing one to maximize every inch.

When searching for products, make sure the bins have a FLAT bottom, this will ensure they sit sturdily on the shelves.

Once you have all the supplies, you can begin by cleaning off your existing shelves and removing food items for sorting.

2. Mark Shelves With Post-Its

Once you’ve removed all the items from your shelves, start by placing Post-its on the shelf to map out where each category will be placed.

Using Post-its during this process gives you the flexibility to shuffle things around to see where those items fit best.  It also helps you to determine the category name and if it needs to change to something broader or more descriptive.

In addition, marking different sections will help you keep track of which shelf is dedicated to what category of food and prevent items from accumulating.

3. Focus on Grouping Like Items Together

Group like items together and use space efficiently. Designate certain shelves for canned foods, dry goods, snacks, and specialty items. This will make it easier to find what you’re looking for and also help streamline the process when restocking.

It’s also a good idea to add extra storage with baskets or containers on the bottom shelf of the pantry so that small items don’t get lost in the shuffle.

4. Maximize Vertical Storage Potential of Wire Shelf  Systems

Maximizing the vertical storage potential of wire shelf systems such as Elfa is a strategic approach to optimizing space in various settings, such as kitchens, closets, or storage rooms. These systems are designed with adjustable shelves, allowing for efficient use of vertical space to accommodate items of different sizes.

By maximizing the height of the wire shelves, you create additional storage tiers, improving the overall capacity of the system. This not only promotes better organization but also ensures that every inch of available space is optimized.

5. Add Labels to Make Finding Items Quicker and Easier

Group like items together and use space efficiently. Designate certain shelves for canned foods, dry goods, snacks, and specialty items. This will make it easier to find what you’re looking for and also help streamline the process when restocking.

Labeling each bin will provide a visual aid to ensure that shelves remain organized, which will make it easier to know where each type of food should be stored.

Labels are the roadmap to success.  Labels are one of the five systems we use in every organized space.

When categories are clearly labeled, the pantry becomes self-maintaining.

If you want to understand how labeling, zoning, and containment work together, download the free guide here:

→ The 5 Systems That Keep Homes Organized

It’s like taking a trip.  You put in your GPS the address to the destination.  The directions get you to where you need to go.  Labels do the same thing, they keep things going back to the right place and are the rules of the pantry.

TIPS TO ORGANIZE PANTRY WIRE SHELVES

• Bins provide structure and prevent things from getting sloppy.
• Pantries that have wire shelves typically don’t have enough space to have stackable bins.
• These clear bins work great for individually wrapped items.
• Use an expandable shelf organizer to easily access canned goods and keep them neatly displayed.
• Symmetry matters when selecting bins, our brains love it, so choose bins that match.
• Use solid bins, this closes the gap between the wires making it more visually appealing.
• Add bin clip labels to wicker bins, it keeps things going back to the right places.
• Keep clear bins to a minimum, having too many will create a sea of confusion. There isn’t enough contrast between the clear bins, wire shelves, and the items in the bins.
• Decanting items and putting them on the top shelves allows you to see what is in there.
• Divided turntables work well keeping individually wrapped items neat.  This turntable is unique in that it has removable inserts, allowing you to customize it and best fit your needs.
• Choose bins that are flat and don’t have a tapered bottom.  Tapered bottoms take away space when bins are sitting side by side, it creates a gap.  Those small details add up and don’t optimize space.
• Keep solid bins at the bottom of the pantry vs. the top.  This will allow you to “peak” in there without having to take out the bin.

If you are in the Charlotte metro and want experts to optimize your pantry and get it organized, contact us today!

Ready for a Pantry That Actually Stays Organized?

Wire shelves can absolutely work — when the system behind them works.

The key isn’t the bins.  It’s how the space is designed around your habits.

If you want to understand the exact framework we use when organizing kitchens, pantries, and closets, start with the guide below.

→ Download the Free 5 Home Systems Guide

If you’re in the Charlotte area and want experts to design and install a pantry system that works for your home:

→ Schedule a Consultation