6 Pantry Mistakes You Didn't Know You Were Making—and How to Fix Them

The quickest route to mealtime stress has to be a messy pantry. From unlabeled items and duplicate products to expired foods and general chaos, pantry mistakes can lead to a host of problems, including food waste and unnecessary spending.

To set yourself up for success in the kitchen—and at the grocery store—Rachel Rosenthal, organizational expert and Post-it brand ambassador, shares the mistakes that are standing between you and the organized pantry of your dreams. Luckily, these pesky little problems are easier to remedy than you might think.

 

1. Not Organizing According to How You Eat

While well-meaning friends, family members, and even organizing experts are all helpful to consult when trying to garner ideas for how to set up a more functional pantry, at the end of the day, you’re the one who has to live with it. For that reason, Rosenthal says how you go about it should always revolve around your own unique habits.

Remedy: Keep the items that you use more frequently front and center. If you’re more inclined to reach for a snack than to start cooking up a meal, ensure you keep your snack stash readily accessible. Likewise, if baking is more your groove, create a section dedicated to that. “Organizing around your habits and routine—not just a standard layout—makes your pantry more functional and efficient,” she says.

 

2. Not Utilizing Organizing Products

“Sometimes, we buy organizing products because they look good, but they don’t actually fit our pantry’s needs,” says Rosenthal. While all those pretty little canisters can create an aesthetically pleasing pantry, if they’re not suited to your needs, they’ll do you no favors when you’re trying to pull together a meal or pack lunch boxes in record time.

Remedy: Rosenthal recommends only utilizing products that both fit your space and increase your storage functionality. “Things like adjustable shelving, clear bins, or pull-out baskets can maximize your space and make everything easier to grab when you need it,” she says.

 

3. Not Putting Like with Like

“A mixed-up pantry—pasta, condiments, and snacks all jumbled together—makes it harder to find what you need,” Rosenthal says. Instead of a willy-nilly setup, she recommends sorting items by category.

Remedy: Keep all your grab-and-go items, like breakfast bars and snacks, in one place and ingredients like grains and pastas in yet another. Baking items, coffee supplies, and more should also be placed together so you don’t need to search throughout your pantry gathering supplies that you regularly use for one task or meal.

Once you have your setup finalized, the organizing pro recommends clearly labeling everything. This will not only make it easier to find what you need, but also provide quicker cleanup when you and your family know exactly where to put everything when you’re finished.

 

4. Not Using Labels

A surefire way to make your pantry less functional from the start is to skip the labels. Fumbling around opening containers to see what’s inside can both eat away at time and quickly make your mealtime prep or even snack time a frustrating process. As can bins that get filled up with random items that don't belong there.

Remedy: Instead, labeling your containers, bins, boxes, and more with vibrant labels can help you quickly identify what you need, whether it’s breakfast items, snacks, or spices in a flash. “Labels are your friend!” Rosenthal assures. “Post-it Super Sticky Notes are great for quick and easy labeling—just stick a note on each container, and you’ll always know exactly what’s inside.”

 

5. Not Removing Unused Items

If your pantry isn’t organized, it becomes incredibly easy to allow items to expire before they’re used. This can lead to a great deal of food waste and also duplicate purchases that provide an unnecessary expenditure.

Remedy: Rosenthal recommends setting a reminder to check your pantry for expired items every few months. And take care with how you unload your groceries. “Follow the simple, ‘first in, first out’ rule—place older products in the front and newer ones in the back to ensure everything gets used in time.

To avoid duplicating your inventory, Rosenthal says a simple inventory system can do the trick. “You can use Post-it 100% Recycled Paper Super Sticky Notes to label the shelves in your pantry, making it easy to mark items you’re running low on or have too much of,” she says. “These notes are reliably sticky and easy to re-stick on any surface, making it simple to update your inventory as you add new items or organize in stages.”

 

6. Not Taking Advantage of Vertical Space

Deep shelves are useful for maximum storage, but things in the back are prone to being forgotten and can be inconvenient to access, whether you have a large or small pantry. Also, if you’re not looking up and around at blank walls, you're missing out on valuable pantry real estate.

Remedy: To make the most of the vertical space within your pantry, Rosenthal recommends tall, narrow bins that can help maximize every inch. Installing adjustable shelves or opting for tiered or stadium-like racks can help keep all your items visible while ensuring you don’t leave an inch of usable shelf space behind, as can shelves installed on free wall space or the back of the door. Lastly, put bulky or seldom-used items on the upper and lower shelves, saving central shelf space for things you use most often.

 

 

Source: Shannon, P. (2025g, April 24). 6 Pantry Mistakes You Didn't Know You Were Making—and How to Fix Them. Better Homes & Gardens. https://www.bhg.com/pantry-organization-mistakes-11706157