The 10 Best Pantry Hacks on Pinterest for Organizing Your Costco Haul
We all know and love Costco for its amazing deals on all of the pantry items (like seriously, all of them). But what do you do when you get home and you realize those bulk items don’t exactly fit in your pantry? We turned to Pinterest to find the smartest hacks for organizing your Costco haul. You’ll just need a few common items — some of which you probably have on hand already.
1. Use a shoe organizer for paper goods.
When it comes to those big packs of paper towels or toilet paper, think outside the (shoe) box — and turn to a hanging shoe organizer instead. This ingenious idea comes to us from Karen from Sew Many Ways, who turned her bulk-buy paper towels into a skinny, easy-to-hang package.
See more: Organized Broom Closet at Sew Many Ways
2. Use lazy Susans for canned goods.
Stick extra canned goods in the back corners of your pantry — but place them on a Lazy Susan, like Brigit did over at Birgit’s Daily Bites, so they’re easy to get to when you want to use them.
See more: The Pantry Project at Birgit’s Daily Bites
3. Consider can dispensers.
Another solution for all those cans (it’s soup season, after all!) is a can dispenser. There are a bunch of different options, but we’re feeling the ones Heather, the blogger behind Cooking with My Food Storage, shared on A Bowl Full of Lemons.
See more: Food Storage 101 at A Bowl Full of Lemons
4. Use an over-the-door rack for spices.
For smaller items an over-the-door rack in an out-of-the-way spot is a great way to keep things contained. Angie from I’m an Organizing Junkie used a rack for toothpaste, shampoo, and other toiletries, but we could see using this system for spices and other condiments.
See more: Making the Most of Small Spaces at I’m an Organizing Junkie
5. Upcycle your small containers.
Instead of keeping dry goods like cereal or pasta in the big boxes you bought them in, distribute the contents into containers that actually fit on your shelves. And no need to splurge on spendy vessels: Use containers from other Costco products, like Amanda at Burlap and Denim did.
See more: Recycle and Reuse Bulk Packaging at Burlap and Denim
6. Skip the glass jars.
If you do decide to invest in containers, think rectangular, not round. Yes, those cylindrical glass jars look lovely, but big rectangular tubs are actually more space-efficient in shelving, letting you use every inch of space. They’re stackable, too, as DaNita at Delightful Order found.
See more: Peek Inside My Pantry at Delightful Order
7. Don’t forget your floor space.
While you want your easiest-to-access shelves to showcase the items you use most frequently, don’t ignore your floor space. Use big handled bins or baskets that are easy to pull out, like Jen at A Bowl Full of Lemons did.
See more: Pantry Organization at A Bowl Full of Lemons
8. Consider pet food bins.
Just because they’re marketed for pet food doesn’t mean you can’t put these narrow rolling bins to other use. Kimmy at Kimmy’s Kitchen uses pet food bins to hold staples like flour, sugar, and rice.
See more: Some of My Favorite Food Storage Items at Kimmy’s Kitchen
9. Label, label, label.
Nearly every Pinterest pantry we saw had some kind of labeling system in place. Chalkboard labels, like Ashley and Whitney of Shanty 2 Chic used, mean you can update them as necessary.
See more: Chalkboard Labels for the Pantry at Shanty 2 Chic
10. Build your own storage room.
If you find that you’re frequently stocking up on bulk stuff — and you have the space to do it — buy utility shelves and set them up in an out-of-the-way spot, like Alejandra did at Alejandra.TV.
See more: How to Organize Bulk Items in a Storage Room at Alejandra.TV
Got any other tips to add? How do you store all your Costco goodies?