Clear containers look great on a shelf, but not everything needs to come out of its bag. Decant the things you use often and the things that spill. Leave the rest alone.
- Worth it: dry staples you use every week. Flour, sugar, rice, oats and pasta are easier to scoop and measure from a wide container.
- Worth it: snacks the kids grab. Clear bins at their height show what is left and cut down on half-open bags.
- Worth it: things that spill or go stale. Cereal, crackers and brown sugar keep better in airtight containers once the bag is open.
- Usually not worth it: things you use once or twice a year. Leave them in their box on a high shelf.
- Usually not worth it: cans and jars. They already stack. A step riser or a turntable does more for them than a new container.
- Measure your shelves first. Note the depth and the height between shelves, then pick containers that fit those numbers.
- Keep the details. Cut the cooking directions and the date off the bag and tape them to the back of the container. Finish the old food before you pour new food on top.
- Label everything. A simple label helps everyone in the house put things back in the right place.
Send us your shelf measurements and a list of what you keep in the pantry, and we will help you pick containers that fit.