This Brilliant Hack Organizes Pantry Snacks And Frees Up So Much Shelf Space

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You've probably seen your share of Instagram-worthy kitchen pantries on social media, with well-organized rows of containers holding cereal and grains, and snacks carefully categorized into labeled bins or baskets. Organizing a pantry can be an art, not to mention an investment of time and money to get everything straight. But there is a quicker and cheaper hack to keeping those chip bags, Go-Go Squeeze packets, and Z-bars sorted, and it involves an inexpensive and easy-to find home storage solution: the hanging shoe organizer.

If your pantry has a door, you can hang one of these organizers on the inside of it and fill the pockets with snacks and other small items to free up shelf space. These organizers are ideal for small items that easily get lost on your shelves, or that your kids are reaching for on a daily basis. TikToker brunchwithbabs demonstrates how useful a simple plastic shoe organizer can be, stashing different pantry snacks in each see-through plastic pocket. You can find these organizers in most big box stores or online, often for under $10, like this Simple Houseware Over The Door Hanging Shoe Organizer. When it comes to finding kitchen storage and organization ideas, you'd be hard-pressed to find an easier hack.

Depending on which snacks or other items you'd like to store, one style of organizer might be better than another to make the most of your pantry closet. Plastic multi-pocket organizers do the trick, but if you have a shorter pantry door, you can still use this hack. Smaller organizers with fewer pockets are available, like this KIMBORA Narrow Over the Door/Wall Shoe Organizer, which comes in a handy set of two. 

TikToker grimminwonderland shows how you can take this storage solution to another level by using an organizer with shelf-like compartments, such as the Yecaye 5 Tier Clear Over the Door Organizer. Organizers like this provide a bit more space for larger items, and their shelves are still transparent, which is key to knowing what is available. Don't get a shoe organizer with cloth pockets that you can't see through — it'll defeat the purpose of quickly taking inventory of all your snacks. 

If you don't like the look of hooks showing on the exterior of your pantry door, you can try attaching your organizer to the door interior with Command Strips, as demonstrated by YouTuber Three Acre Homestead. Just make sure you buy strips that can hold plenty of weight, and even then, keep your items on the lighter side (think tea and spice packets, not juice boxes or soda cans) so the whole organizer doesn't fall down.