Storage Room Organization in One Day

The other day I heard a crash and went downstairs to see that shelf in my storage room had crashed to the floor and there was a sea of food storage covering the floor. It was a disaster and it was finally time to give my neglected storage room a little attention. I had probably, ok, surely been stacking the shelves with way too much and it was time for action. A trip to the hardware store and $117 later we were ready to install eight additional shelves that were much stronger than the originals.

Overall it was fairly simple. 1. Clear everything out. 2. Add additional brackets for strength and more shelves closer together. 3. Cover the mismatched wood of the shelves with shelf paper. 4. Move everything back in with a purpose in mind.

We added two shelves on the left in the entryway, two more running the length of the wall, and a set of four to hold our five gallon water jugs. Our shelves use brackets, so we added an extra bracket holder to each set for strength, along with making the shelves a lot closer together so they would not be so loaded down.

Tips for organizing your storage or pantry:

Use the vertical space. Adding shelving to a small space can made it hold twice as much.
Buy clear $1 plastic containers to house smaller packages of things like pasta and make them easy to stack.
Organize so it is like shopping. It’s kind of fun to have everything lined up like a grocery store.
Organize everything by date with the oldest in front so you never have to question which to use and things are less likely to expire.
Put the things you use most often down low so you can send the kids to grab items.
Cover shelves with shelf paper to add personality and cover mismatched or stained shelves.
If you have buckets for Flour, Sugar, Rice, etc. Get the easy access spin off lids! They save you time and frustration. I got mine at Macey’s grocery store.
Can rollers are fabulous to use vertical space but still have easy access to cans. Plus they rotate your store for you!
Keep #10 can in their original boxes and label with what is in them and expiration dates. This keeps them easy to move, but you don’t have to search wondering what is where.
Keep 72 hour kits easy to grab in an emergency.

This organizing makeover gave us access to twice as much space! I was able to move things in that were stacked ominously in the corner of the playroom. Our 72 hour kits and emergency supplies were in a huge tote on the bottom of that stack. Not great for access. They are now in backpacks in the entry of the storage room, easy to grab and go if needed.