I have a pantry that is at least 2ft deep x 2ft and 4 inches wide has 5 shelves at least 1 ft between shelves and space under bottom shelf that is at least 1 ft.Question is how to arrange things where I can get to things in back without taking everthing out? Any suggestion will be appreciated.Thanks in advance.
Same way they do in stores. Put one can at the front, and cans of the same thing behind the front can. Rotate stuff as it gets used and replenished.
For things like bags of noodles or rice or things like that which won't stack well, use plastic bins. Dollar stores might have a workable size. You can also use baskets to organize by putting a basket in the back with one type of things such as bags of beans or pastas, and then a basket in front of it with some other type of food, like rice or cereal bags.
If you want to spend some bucks and do the job right, you may be able to install pull-outs like those made by Rev-A-Shelf. They're expensive though. We put in several when we remodeled our kitchen, and it's one of the best things we did, well worth the money to us. They're full extension pull outs and make getting at anything in the back of a cabinet a breeze. That brand is also very good quality and install very quickly and easily.
A cheaper alternative to Rev-A-Shelves would be to take your pantry measurements to the store and find totes that are a good fit. Then leave the lids off and use those as pull outs so you can easily get at the things in the back. They can be divided up for various things too, to make the best use of the space. I've done that too, sometimes, and it works fairly well.
IMO, something that will pull out is essential at least on the bottom shelf. I'm too dang old to be crawling around on the floor and trying to reach to the back of a shelf. Which is why we decided on the pull outs and we've never been a bit sorry in spite of the additional cost. Worth every dime!
I put like items in a row, with the newest dated items in back. Heavy things on the bottom, glass jars and bags of rice. I keep flour on the top because for some reason it gets weevils otherwise. I guess they don't like to climb.
I have one shelf for cereal, stuffing mix, breadcrumbs, bisquick, etc, one for convenience items like rice and noodle mixes, seasoning packets, pasta, etc. There's an area for all my baking supplies, and one for cat food.
For smaller light weight things you could combine an easy to remove basket at the front of the shelf and a lazy susan in the back. This wouldn't work for everything, but for spices, smaller diameter bottled things like soy or worcestershire sauce and such it might help.
Also, if you have room, you could hang one of those metal 3-tiered hanging baskets to put potatoes, onion, small envelopes of things like Kool-aid, etc.
Is this your daily pantry or stockpile pantry? Could make a diff in how you store things.
If daily - was going to suggest you see if you can find boxes from the grocery store - those side dish pouch boxes. They're about the right size for the depth of your cabinet and you can label and pull out like a drawer to access anything you put in there (frugal version of a plastic drawer) for the lighter items or bagged items (not canned)
You can also you a riser and/or shelf hanging baskets similar to these:
I use boxes with straight sides to hold items in my fridge. When I need something I pull the box forward, grab my jar of what ever and push the box back in place. Pull out shelves that are on wheeled tracts make lots of wasted space so I'm not a fan. If you are able to find or make your own drawers that are wide enough to hold a can and long enough to reach the back then rotating stock becomes easier than reaching over other rows of goods.
We must have the same size pantry! What I have done is similar to what the ladies above have done. On both of the middle shelves, I bought those rubber-covered wire shelves. The kind that stack up. Anyway, I just put them side by side and the the same thing. Put all of the veggies or fruits of the same kind in a row, using both the top of the shelves and underneath. The shelves are just about 1.5 in above the cans. We are a family of five, so additional canned goods and any food that is non-perishable is stored under our bed (no dust bunnies and nothing can hide! Lol!) I also purchased an "over the door" clear plastic show holder. In it, I have all of my packets of seasonings, popcorn kernels, three sizes of Ziplock bags, and pastas. The top row, I usually keep my clips for open bags. I only have 4 drawers in ALL of my kitchen! So I am very limited. I also have just 7 cupboards. I have had to get pretty creative to store the pots and pans necessary to prepare meals for the family. Oh yeah, the show bag was o
For cans, I use can dispenser racks. They come in all sizes. I also use a lot of turntables and the stackable shelves someone else mentioned. For dry goods, take them out of their boxes and put the inside along with instructions and front picture (for mixes) into a ziploc bag. That makes them easily stackable, or even hangable. Beans and such I stack up or put into plastic containers. I have an old large Coffee Mate plastic container I use for rice.
I also put the date I bought something on the top of each can with a marker. That way, I can know what needs to be used up.
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