Here’s a quick tip for organising heavy pantry items to help ensure that they are stored safely and easy for you to access.

Organising heavy pantry items can often be a challenge. Due to their weight, bulky and heavy pantry items like oils, vinegar and other sauces can be difficult to organise and often difficult to reach when stored on the higher shelves of the pantry.  Storing them on a high shelf can also become a personal safety issue. The heavy item can easily fall from the high shelf. This can be particularly dangerous if it is glass bottle full of olive oil that falls off the shelf. Imagine trying to clean up that slippery mess without cutting yourself on the glass!  This is definitely something everyone would want to avoid.

So here’s my quick tip for organising heavy pantry items: by storing them in sturdy clear plastic baskets on the lower shelves of the pantry.

The baskets act like a drawer. They allow you to easily spot what you need – making it quicker to retrieve specific items from the pantry.  They can eliminates potential safety concerns. It is also a low cost way to maximise your storage space.

When choosing your basket or container to organise heavy pantry items select one is made from sturdy plastic.  A sturdy handle that can withstand the weight of what you are choosing to store is a must, as a high sides.  You need a container with sides that are roughly the same height as the items which you are storing (or at least 3 quarters of the height).  The clear basket pictured is from Howard Storage World.

Try to avoid handles which are flimsy and flexible, as they pose the risk of snapping when heavy items are stored within them. Baskets with flexible handles are designed to store lightweight pantry items like 2 minute noodles and pouches or sachets of food.

If you are interested in reading some of our Client Case Studies, including organising a pantry, you can do so here.