Organizing pots and pans can be tricky and it requires a lot of patience. But with the correct methods and pot and pan organizers, you will not have to worry. These cooking essentials require a prime position in your kitchen, trust me.
Organizing your pots and pans in the kitchen storage saves you a lot of effort in the long run and your time while cooking. Here is a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to organize pans and pots, with a lot of tips mixed in.

First Step: What To Do Before Actually Organizing

Here is what you need to do before you start organizing your pots and pans.

1- Access the Previous Storage

The first thing you will have to do during the organization process is to go through the previous storage of the pots and pans. Take out everything and decide what type of storage you will need for a better organization or a practical kitchen.

2- Get rid of items you don’t need

If you are not a professional chef, having a big cookware collection or multiple pots and pans of different sizes is useless. Even if you have a pull-out organizer for pots and pans, you will not be able to store everything and make it look organized. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the collection small and take out the pots and pans you don’t need regularly.

Get To Organizing: Top Organization Items for Pots & Pans

Now that you have taken out all your unnecessary cookware and have realized what you need and don’t need, it is time to decide between some of the most efficient and considerable pots and pans organizing methods. So go through all of the options below and just the right one for your space:

1- Hang them from Pot Rails

You don’t need cabinets to store your pots and pans. The easiest and cheapest way is to install rails on the wall, across the window, or ceiling. Wherever you find it most convenient. These rails make the whole organization a lot easier as you can hang pots and pans from the rails. You can get a good quality pot and pans rail from Amazon.

2- Use a Pots & Lids Organizer

Another way of storing pots and pans is to stack all similar-shaped pots and pans onto one another. This will only be possible if you store the lids separately. You can store these lids at the back of the cabinet door or on the pantry wall.

Or you can use a pots and pans organizer.

3- Use Vertical Pot Rack

A vertical pan organizer is always a great option to store your pots and pans if you don’t have cabinets or enough storage space. You can get a variety of unique and stylish vertical pot racks that can make the whole pots and pans process a lot easier and more convenient.

4- Nest your Pots and Pans with Pot Protectors

While organizing your pots and pans, you must not forget to nest them with protectors, so all the hustle and bustle around the kitchen doesn’t ruin your cookware.

There are different types of protectors that you can get on Amazon or even from your nearest store. Here are some cookware protectors that caught my eye.

5- Set them on Rolling Cart

Most think a rolling cart is not practical when organizing pots and pans. But it is a great option, especially if you have a spacious kitchen. You can arrange your pots and pans, alongside other kitchen items, on the pots and pans rolling cart and put them in a corner. Whenever you need it, you can move it however you want.

6- Hang the Pots and Pans on a Kitchen Pegboard

This is one of the simplest DIY options for organizing your pots and pans. If you don’t want to use a rail on your wall, you can utilize your wall by installing a pegboard and then hanging all your pots and pans on it. You can get creative with the accessories you use on this board, and you will be good. The one I recommend (see below) also comes in a lot of colors, so win-win.

In Conclusion

I personally know the struggles of getting pots and pans organized, especially because I have a small kitchen. But with the right tips and the right organizers, you can make your space as practical as it gets.

The various organizers and storage ideas I provided will hopefully help you organize your pots and pans in the best possible way, without taking considerable space. Make sure not to crowd your kitchen too much and keep your frequently used pots and pans near your cooking space or stove.

p.s. If you want to learn more Kitchen hacks, check out this blog post on 7 Kitchen Cleaning Hacks For Things You Aren’t Cleaning Often Enough and How to keep produce fresh longer

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Whether you’re new to parenthood or a seasoned veteran, parents can all agree that one of the biggest obstacles is figuring out how to organize kids’ toys. You start with just a few kids’ toys in a decorative basket in the corner and before you know it your children’s toys are the main focal point and have transformed your home into a toy-filled jungle.

So, if you’re trying to regain control of this toy-nado, let me help you! Ahead are some organizational strategies and toy storage recommendations to help you stay organized and in control of your kids’ toys.

Toy Organization – The Plan

Let’s start with an attack plan for how to organize your kids’ toys.

1.      Take inventory of your toy stock: Doing this will give you an overhead visualization of what you have, and it’ll help set you up for success when moving through the following steps.

2.      It’s time to part ways: Go through all the toys and see if there’s anything you and your kids can get rid of (either by throwing away or by donating). This is a great opportunity to declutter!

3.      Determine toy priority: It’s time to sort through all the “keepers” and determine which toys are high-demand toys and which are low-demand toys. Just because the toys exist doesn’t mean they all need to be front and center. Which makes sense, right? It’s just like seasonal clothing. Not every toy is “in-season” at every point in the year. This priority grouping method allows you to have a better idea when planning for organizational storage space and products.

Now that we have an organizational plan in place, it’s time to talk about some toy storage ideas!

Storage Ideas For The Front And Center Toys

Now don’t let this title fool you, all I mean is that these are the toys you’ve determined are high-demand. High-demand toys are those that your kids always seem to gravitate towards. These are the toys you want front and center. That being said, the goal is to have these toys both easily accessible while being organized and neatly stored away. Easy access is the name of the game. If the toys are too difficult to access, they’ll get taken out and likely not get put back. And, you want to make it as easy as possible to put toys back.

If you have some available shelving space, clear bins with handles and open-tops may be the product for you. This type of bin is helpful because it allows you and your children to see exactly what toys are where. The handles make the bins easy to grab and the open-tops allow for both easy access and easy clean up.

If clear bins aren’t for you, consider simple photo labels and a unit with open cubbies for pull-out cubes. Having these simple photo labels takes the guesswork out of toy grabbing and makes clean up easy. Whether you choose a furniture piece with built-in drawers or one that allows for boxes and bins to be included where needed, the pictures will make the toy search and clean up seamless. Ideally, you’ll find pictures that help you group similar toys, such as a puzzle piece picture to indicate the home for puzzles or a picture of a car to indicate the place for toy cars.             

These are both alternatives to the classic large storage box that would house all your children’s toys. While it succeeds in hiding all the toys, you inevitably must dump out all its contents each time to find that one toy. Let’s avoid that mess!

For The Tucked-Away Toys

In this case, we are working with those less-used toys such as niche crafting supplies, board games, a holiday-themed train track set, or those toys you’re saving for your next child. These types of toys can be easily stored under a bed, sofa, or cabinet. There’s no reason to waste the space beneath your already existing furniture, and with the right toy storage products these less-used toys will have a perfect home. Depending on the size of the underneath space, you can use a variety of different items with handles or wheels so they’re easy to grab, such as storage containers or sliding racks.

When choosing a storage container that’s going underneath a piece of furniture, like a bed, I’d suggest investing in one which either has a clear top or one that’s fully clear. I make this recommendation because you want it to be as easy as possible to spot the toy needed. This leads to less work, less mess, and makes sticking to a toy organization system a bit easier. If you decide on a sliding rack, I’d recommend placing a non-slip mat down to avoid toys sliding when the rack moves.

I hope this article on how to organize kids’ toys has been helpful! Do you use any of these products or organizational strategies? Do you know of  a “must-have” storage product or technique that isn’t on my list? I’d love to know what works and what doesn’t work for you when it comes to organizing kids’ toys—let me know in the comments below!

p.s. If you’re in the process of organizing and decluttering other areas in your home, check out these posts about How I Declutter My Closet Twice a Year and How To Declutter Your Books.

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Even if you’re not a huge book fan, but you have many, then you still need to know how to pack books for moving in the best way possible. 

Why? Because books are tricky to pack:

• They occupy a lot of space because of their size. 
• Hardcovers are usually pretty heavy.
• Paperback editions can be fragile, especially if you’re not careful with the edges.

That’s why it’s important to know how to pack books for moving. You need to make sure the packaging is appropriate and can hold that many books. Then you need to pack them the right way in order for them to not be damaged during transportation. And of course, let’s not forget sorting and labeling them. 

So if you care about your books and you want to make sure they make it safe and sound to your new place, here is how to pack books for moving:

Size down your book collection before packing

First thing first. Size down!

I know, a tragedy! But trust me, it’s better in the long run, you will have a cleaner, more organized space….and more room for new books!

I recommend going through your whole collection and checking to see if there are any books you don’t want or don’t need anymore. If you’re stuck on the how, I’ve actually written a short, but comprehensive guide on How to declutter books. Check out the article for more details!

Group the books before packing them

If you want to make your life easier when you have to unpack, think of a way to organize them before actually packaging them.

There are many ways to go about:

1. It can be by type of books: Hardcovers and Paperbacks. I don’t particularly recommend this option because you will end up with heavy boxes (with the hardcovers) and lightweight boxes (with the paperbacks), and too bad for the people who will have to carry the heavy ones. 
2. You could also try packing them by author. Especially if you have large collections of prolific authors like Stephen King.
3. I also recommend the genres option. Young adults in one box, non-fiction in another, and so on.

Either way, think about how you will organize them in the new place, and pack them accordingly, to make your life easier. 

How to pack books in BOXES

The first and obvious choice of packaging are BOXES. 

Preferably, sturdy, medium-size cardboard boxes that are sealed with sturdy packing tape on the bottom and the top. 

Before actually starting to pack, make sure the boxes are not damp, because then they will ruin the books. Also, have a marker on hand to label each box. 

How to pack hardcover books in boxes

The easiest way to do that is to place the hardcovers in the box standing upright, with the spine against the box’s side part. Exactly like you would arrange them on a shelf. 

How to pack paperback books in boxes

The paperbacks can be packed in flat stacks, one on top of the other. Or you can set them spine first in order for the paper edges to face up. That way, you will avoid bending the pages. 

How to pack books in SUITCASES

Yes, you’ve read that right. You can pack books in suitcases. I’ve done it before. 

It’s not exactly convenient or efficient, but you can do it, in certain circumstances. 

For example, I had two large suitcases that I would fill up with books every day and take them to the new place. I was in a particularly lucky scenario where I wasn’t in a hurry to move all in one go, so I took my time packing and transporting my things, and I could afford to transport only two suitcases a day. I know most people are not that lucky, so you might not like this option. 

But if you can, or if you have extra suitcases you can use on the day of the move, just stack the books on top of each other and trolly them to your new home. 

How to transport the books

The books are packed, labeled and ready to go to the new place. But how will they get them to the new place? There are multiple options, but the two most frequently used ones are 

• Transporting them yourself (with your car or a rented van), or
• Hiring a moving company.

I definitely recommend hiring a local moving company, like Fresh Start – The Moving Crew Springfield,. They’re considered to be one of the most trusted moving companies out there and have great reviews. They do residential and commercial moving in Springfield MA and surrounding areas, and they have 8+ years of experience. If you’re in the area, check them out!

All in all, moving companies are great because they will literally do the heavy lifting for you. Moreover, it will save you money and time and effort. Win-win on both sides. 

So this is! Now it’s time to start packing! I hope this blog post helped you; let me know in the comment how you prefer to pack books for moving!

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Post-Covid, my pantry is still full, but it’s a more organized mess, and most importantly, I have what I know I eat, and I have it in extra quantities, in case of emergencies. 

If the pandemic showed us something, is that food supply can get low and you might start fighting for bags of rice. Remember the “great battle” of March 2020, where toilet paper was nowhere to be seen and the pasta shelf was empty by 10:00 am? I do, and although I was pretty fast, and got most of my essentials in the days before lockdown, I still regret not buying certain things, like flour, which I couldn’t find for at least a month after. 

So, like many other women out there, I started reconsidering my grocery shopping, and most importantly, my pantry organization. If my first trip was pure panic buying, but after a while I realized what I actually needed, so I could make sure I always have stocked cupboards. 

So if you are here because a second wave of covid has hit, or if you just need some advice on how to organize and stock a pantry, here are some tips & tricks that helped me tremendously to build a good pantry. 

1. Stock the pantry with items that follow two simple rules: 

a) they have a long shelf life, and 

b) it’s food you actually like to eat. 

The second point is actually the most important. Stock your pantry with only what you eat. Sit down and make a list of meals you usually consume: pasta, stews, snacks, etc. Then write down the ingredients, especially the ones that are shelf stable, and add those to your pantry.

In my case, it’s the following products:

• Pasta. It really doesn’t matter the brand or type of pasta, Just go with whatever you prefer and eat. We’ve been on a rice noodle kick recently, so we have at least 3 bags of it at all times. 
• Pasta sauce. We go for the simple Italian one. Tomato & basil. At least 3 bottles of it.
• Cans of vegetables. I always make sure I have what I need for a chili, so that means cans of diced tomatoes, black beans and sweet corn. We also stock chickpeas and other types of beans. 
• Rice. We use rice for chili, egg fried rice, or for stews. It’s filling and it should definitely have a place in your pantry. I have two kinds: the simple one, and the Uncle Ben’s flavored one. Depends on the food. If it’s a side for meat, we can use the already flavored one. If it’s for chili, we use the simple one. 
• Flour. This was a surprise for me during the pandemic. In the first few weeks, flour was one of the first things to go off the shelves, and it took me about 3-4 runs to the supermarket (so 3-4 weeks, since I went once a week) to find it. If you’re a baker or like to make bread, I strongly recommend you get a couple extra bags next time you go to the store.
• Spices. In my case, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and paprika. 
• Cooking Oil. Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, whatever you want.
• Milk. I use it for my coffee, and my boyfriend uses it for his cereal or when eating sandwiches. So I always have to make sure we have milk on hand. I usually get the one that is shelf stable, not the one you put in the refrigerator. Yes, I know, it’s not the healthiest option, but I want to avoid going to the supermarket often, and we are pretty inconsistent with our milk consumption, so this helps.
• Snacks. I definitely have a sweet tooth, so I have to have sweets in our pantry. That means cookies, chocolate, but also trail mixes, like dried apricots and plums and caju. I also count cereal, Nutella, peanut butter and jam as snacks/sweets, so definitely make sure you have those, too.
• Paper towels. This one is pretty explanatory. I use paper towels all the time, unfortunately for the environment, so I need to have backups. 
• Multi-surface wipes. I don’t know if it counts as a pantry essential, but ever since covid hit and EVERYTHING had to be sanitized, I started building my stock of wipes, as well. 

Other items I don’t personally stock, but you can, if you eat it:

• Tuna.
• Spam (or other meat cans).
• Ramen noodles.
• Lentils.
• Oats.
• Baking mixes (pancake, cupcake, etc.)
• Instant Mashed Potatoes

2. Don’t panic buy; build it over time.

This might be a side-effect from covid days, but those weeks of panic buying everything definitely traumatized some of us. That is why it is important to stock a pantry over time, not in one go. 

One, to avoid buying everything off the shelves and depriving others of goods, when it’s not necessary.

Two, to figure out, over time (weeks or months), what you actually eat and want in your pantry, so you don’t buy 10 cans of spam you won’t eat.

Three, to stock things you are low on or ran out of, not things you  already have 10 of in the pantry. 

Be smart about stocking your pantry, and most importantly, about your money. 

3. Store the Smart Way: the oldest products in the front.

This is a cool tip I learned from one of my favorite YouTubers: put the products with the most recent expiration dates in the front, so it gets used faster, and you don’t get to it too late. 

Similarly, when you go buy another can of diced tomatoes, put it in the back, since it most probably has the best expiration date. 

4. Store products by type.

And by type, I mean however you want, it just needs to follow a set of rules, so that it’s easier for you  to find. You can store products by grains, cans, containers, bags, etc. Or you could do it by size, if you have issues with that- the bigger ones on the lower shelves, the smaller ones on top. 

Or you could do it like I do it, which is by type of meal. 

• Up top, I have cans, rice, pasta. 
• A shelf lower, I have Milk & Baking. 
• One down, and you get to Snacks and Miscellaneous.  
• Further down, you have paper towels and wipes. 
• And then I go to my utensils and pots & pans. 

BONUS

5. Stock your….freezer.

I think I’m cheating here, but let’s just go and assume the freezer area is part of your pantry, since it can store products with long shelf life. 

This is also a very important part of having a stocked pantry, in case of emergencies or income problems. The reason why I am talking about it is because it can store meat (a great source of protein) and vegetables (vital for healthy meals). 

Now, the refrigerated space is different from household to household. Right now, in my apartment, I have very limited space (3 small freezer shelves), but I know there are people who have an extra fridge in the garage, so that’s great. 

Adapt the list below to your needs and your available space:

• Meat. Plenty to choose from (poultry, beef, fish, etc). I do chicken and pork, and ground beef for chili. I also have meatballs and sometimes, chicken nuggets. 
• Fries. I just grab the first bag of frozen fries I see in the cool section of the supermarket. 
• Cheese nuggets. My boyfriend is obsessed, so I always make sure to have some in the freezer.
• Ice cream. Vital if you have a sweet tooth, like us. Brownie Chocolate for me, Mango Raspberry for my boyfriend. 
• Frozen fruit. For smoothies, pies and so on. 

So there it is. My tips & tricks for how to stock a pantry. I hope it was useful, that you added at least one new item to the list, and that you’re implementing some of my tricks, I think they can definitely help you.

I love to see what others stock in their pantries (I’ve watched so many YouTube videos lately).

What is in your pantry? What do you stock?

p.s. If you’re on the lookout for new recipes, here’s my Easy Homemade Chili Recipe!

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