If you have a pantry, we have two pieces of news for you. Let’s start with the good: yes you are lucky in that you have it! This means that you can store there everything that you don’t want to see every day – household items, a vacuum cleaner, an ironing board, even canned pickles and jars of blanks. The second news is that most likely you don’t know how to store it all properly and therefore there is a constant mess in the pantry.
There are usually a lot of things in the pantry, there are fewer shelves than things, and there are even fewer drawers or containers for storage. This causes problems: you won’t find anything, things take up more space than they need, they lie at random, and this turns the pantry into a cluttered warehouse that is better not to open.
However, it’s not too late to make things right! In this article, we will figure out how to organize the storage of things in the pantry in a smart way: to use the space as efficiently as possible, and the order was like in the British Library – everything is on the shelves.
Why do we need pantries?
Not all apartments and houses have them. But modern developers understand that it is better to increase the area of \u200b\u200b the apartment and add a pantry to the plan than to make the rooms larger by a square meter or two. Why have pantries become such a necessity? The point is in the modern approach to life: there are many more helpful things, gadgets, clothes, as well as furniture and clothes. A person began to live in comfort and a huge variety of choices – for each household ritual, there is now its own thing – from a window cleaning robot to a shoe dryer. All these things need to be stored somewhere. This means that the usual things that we used to be able to store on the balcony or even in the room (the same bicycle, for example) can no longer be simply attached to the apartment: things begin to interfere.
But the average family with children has not one bike, but as many as 4, and there are 4 times more clothes, which means – no, not 4 pantries, of course, but at least one. So, the storage room has become a necessity in any modern home.
What is convenient to store in the pantry
The pantry can be used both for things of one category and for everything at once. It all depends on the size of the pantry and your habits. Athletes often equip a pantry for storing sports equipment. If you are a lover of gardens and harvesting, then the pantry can become a place where garden supplies, jars of pickles, flowerpots, and country accessories are stored. For fashionistas and fashionistas, the pantry can turn into a dressing room. If we talk about using the pantry for several categories of things at once, then here you need to use life hacks and, possibly, buy several storage devices to save space: hooks, organizers, drawers, shelves, racks, etc.
So, what can be stored in the pantry:
- Bicycles;
- Skis;
- Scooters;
- Rollers;
- Snowboards;
- Inflatable circle;
- Tent;
- Grill;
- Fishing rods;
- Inflatable boat;
- Dumbbells and sports equipment;
- Seasonal clothes;
- Seasonal shoes;
- Children’s toys, clothes, and footwear;
- Children’s furniture;
- Stroller;
- Blanks, conservation;
- Garden accessories;
- Suitcases and bags;
- Archives with documents;
- Photo albums and memorabilia;
- Vacuum cleaner and mops;
- Other things for cleaning and household means;
- Iron and ironing board;
- Old household appliances;
- Festive dishes (services);
- Disassembled old furniture.
What storage systems are used in the pantry
Storage rooms are different both in area (large and small) and in shape (for example, a sloping ceiling or an irregular shape). We list several storage systems that will help you organize the storage of things in any pantry.
1. Shelving
A storage rack in the pantry is simply necessary – it simultaneously stores things and zones the space. Open storage in shelving can be made more closed by adding boxes with lids to the shelves, which will store things that need cleanliness (electronics, gadgets, fabrics, shoes).
2. Hanging shelves
Shelves for storage in the pantry, including corner ones, will help you store cans with preservation, tools, and books – most importantly, do not forget about consistency (by color, by size, by purpose) to make it easier to find a thing.
3. Shelf dividers
The pantry is often used to store clothes – we hang large ones on a hanger, but small ones? It can be folded according to the Marie Kondo method and stored using dividers either on shelves or in a drawer.
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4. Baskets
This refers to both ordinary baskets and hinged metal ones. They will help create a beautiful and eco-friendly storage system. For a pantry in an apartment, sometimes there is not enough comfort, because they don’t live in this room, and baskets will help not only store things but also create a visually pleasing picture.
5. Boxes
The pantry is often used for storing tools. To protect them from dust, it is better to purchase special boxes for tools and small parts.
6. Containers
Storage in a small pantry will be more convenient if you buy containers with lids and stack them on top of each other. Also do not forget to sign with stickers, what’s inside.
7. Organizers
Storing shoes in the closet can be very ergonomic thanks to wall organizers. Organizers can also be plastic – these are suitable for small accessories, nails, needlework, and stationery.
8. Roof rails
They will help to store packages, string bags, and baskets with handles on the wall. Because the hooks move along the rails, you can fit quite a lot of hanging bags with things.
9. Use of the door surface
Using hanging storage (the same hooks, for example), the entire area of the door can be most effectively used for storing a variety of little things.
10. Hooks for hanging storage
They, among other things, can be used on the side surface of the cabinet, shelving, or chest of drawers, as well as on the walls of the pantry. With the help of hooks on the door, you can store mops, and small household appliances (iron, hair dryer, etc.). Also on the hooks, you can store twisted wires or accessories – belts, scarves, and sports equipment.
General pantry storage tips
When you have equipped your pantry for storing all types of things, it’s time to finally use it for its intended purpose. Here you will need the following tips:
- Be sure to inspect things before storing them in the pantry. As in the famous meme, you can’t just take and put all the things there. Before storage, you will have to get rid of about a third of things – it seems that this is exactly the part that you keep at home for no reason. This includes all the things that are broken, as well as things that you no longer plan to use – admit it to yourself and let go of such things.
- Be sure to sort everything. It is best to do this by thematic groups, and if you have things of the same category, then by size or color.
- Zone the space in the pantry for sorted things. Zoning can be done using shelving rails, basket containers, curtains, and dividers – they are often used inside boxes.
- Be sure to use the full height of the walls in the pantry. If in the living room or the kitchen, we cannot sacrifice the beauty and interior design, the rules of architecture and comfort, then you will not invite guests to the pantry, and, in principle, you stay there for a minimum of time. So easily engage walls from floor to ceiling!
- Combine different types and storage systems – as far as the area of \u200b\u200bthe pantry allows. So you use the space in the pantry to the maximum advantage. It’s a good idea, for example, to combine a shelving unit with lightweight rag organizers that can be hung on side rails.
- And the best way to organize home storage of things as conveniently as possible is to hand over everything “extra”, seasonal, and unnecessary to you at the moment for storage at the Attic warehouse. After all, the Attic is, in fact, your pantry, but not at home. And you can rent this pantry at any time. Just imagine – a personal pantry without space restrictions, not occupying the square meters of your apartment and at the same time available at any time of the year and for any period. The magic solution to the problem!
