13 Tips for Organizing Your Supplies During the Quarantine

Many people have had to dramatically increase the amount of food they are storing at home during this quarantine period. Maybe you’re used to eating out for 10 meals per week and now every meal is at home. Between the non-perishable food containers and an extra stash of paper products, it can be tough to find a place for everything.

Perhaps you could use some pantry organization ideas and storage tips to help keep your new large stash of food from overflowing everywhere in your home. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a professional organizer to get things under control.

13 of our best organization tips:

1. Go through your current pantry and toss out expired food. If you haven’t done this lately, you may be shocked by how much extra space this can give you. It’s not uncommon for people to end up having to throw away several kitchen garbage bags full of expired items. (Be sure to check the fridge and freezer, too!)
2. Organize items by type. Store all of the canned vegetables in one area. Reserve a place for dry goods like rice, pasta, and boxes of stuffing. Group dessert mixes in one spot. Put your baking supplies together. Have a certain place for soup, broth, and tomato sauce. 
3. Turn your foyer or mudroom coat closet into an overflow pantry. Pack up your coats and winter things in garbage bags and store them in plastic totes or cardboard boxes in the attic, garage, or storage shed. Make shelves in your closet with boards and cinder blocks, plastic crates, or other shelving options. Be sure that the shelves are strong enough to support the weight of any heavy cans.
4. If you still need more storage, add extra shelving, wall-mounted cabinets, or storage furniture in the kitchen or in rooms near the kitchen. You can use the new storage, cabinets, or shelving for pots and pans, dishes, or non-perishable food and supplies.
5. Add hanging storage for your pots and pans. You may be able to add hooks over the sink or a hanging storage rack over your kitchen island for your cookware. This may free up a big drawer or two for more canned and boxed goods.
6. Install a dish rack over your sink. Then you can store dishes there and use the dish cabinet for food and supplies.
7. Clear out the junk in your garage or shed. If you are able to get rid of some things you don’t need there, you may be able to safely store paper products and other bulky items that are not sensitive to heat/cold.
8. Increase your frozen storage capacity with a chest freezer. If you have space, it is very helpful to be able to store frozen dinners, meat, lasagnas, veggies, and ice cream treats in a large freezer in your garage or laundry room. This way you won’t have to make so many trips to the store and risk exposing yourself to the virus.
9. Add furniture with storage. Some large coffee tables have storage capacity. Or maybe you can build a window seat in the kitchen, dining room, or living area to increase your kitchen storage. Just be sure you know where everything is and don’t forget to use your supplies.
10. Add spice racks to the inside of your pantry door or inside your cabinet doors to free up shelf space.
11. Use a lazy susan in deep cabinets to make items more easily accessible and make the best use of your space.
12.  Add a kitchen island with cabinets to organize your food if you have space. It can be a portable one on wheels or a built-in island.
13. Use the space on top of your cabinets. If you have space between the top of your cabinets and the ceiling, take down decorations, dust the tops of the cabinets, and let them serve as additional storage space.

Don’t forget to rotate your non-perishable food supply! Keep the newest things with the longest expiration dates in the back and put the oldest items with the most current expiration dates in the front so that you don’t end up having to throw away your food stash.