Say Goodbye To Pantry Clutter With These 18 Affordable Dollar Tree Solutions

Pantries have a way of getting messy quickly, especially if you don't have a clear organizational system. It's so easy to just toss that bag of chips or jar of peanut butter back in a random spot when you're in a hurry. Before you know it, you have stale crackers hidden in the back that you forgot about and 10 boxes of pasta because you always buy more since it's so difficult to find on the shelves. Sure, you could build a custom pantry, but the average cost for all of that customization is around $2,000. Instead, turn to the all-time favorite store of thrifty people everywhere: Dollar Tree. If you don't shop there, you're missing out. You'll even find Dollar Tree items that outshine HomeGoods, Walmart, and Amazon.

We're focusing specifically on tackling the mess and clutter in your pantry. And while there are always new Dollar Tree storage items that are no-brainer for use in the pantry, there are also many gadgets in other sections that are surprisingly useful for creative pantry organization. Think cooling racks used as shelves, wire trash cans for produce storage, and burner covers to create magnetized racks. That's just the beginning because we have 18 creative and effective ideas that will help you say goodbye to pantry clutter.

Grab several of these glass jars with stainless steel lids from Dollar Tree for affordable and stylish pantry storage. There are many ways to repurpose jars for clever storage in your kitchen, but buying these Dollar Tree containers gives you a consistent look with a sleek metal lid. Plus, the lid stays on tight, so you can pour your flour, sugar, and other staples into them to keep them fresher longer than in their original containers. Add labels of your choice to each jar to stay organized and make ingredients easily identifiable.

If you have a family of snackers, using woven baskets to store goodies makes it easier to scope out your options. These Dollar Tree baskets are small, which means they fit easily onto shelves, and you can grab a separate basket for each type of snack for maximum organization. Or, put a mix of snacks in a basket, so your child can see all of their choices in one spot. Plus, the woven design makes them attractive, which is a bonus if you have to DIY a freestanding pantry with open shelves in your kitchen. 

This pantry storage idea works if you have a swinging door in the space. Grab two Essentials over-the-door hooks and two Essentials rectangular wire baskets. They both come in black to coordinate the look, or spray paint them the same color. Then, just position the hooks over the door so the wire baskets fit onto the upper and lower set of hooks. You've instantly turned the wasted space on the back of your pantry door into useful storage for seasoning packets, snacks, or other essentials.

Dollar Tree's Storage Essentials acrylic soda can organizers aren't just useful for your Dr. Pepper. They're also the perfect size and shape to hold the canned goods in your pantry, making them perfect for storing items you buy in bulk. Use different soda can organizers for each type of canned goods. For example, you might have one for beans, another for canned meat, and a third for veggies. The cans stack neatly on their sides, so they won't tip over or slide around and become disorganized when you're looking for something specific.

Tired of your plastic pantry bins sliding around? Grab Tool Bench Hardware self-adhesive hook-and-loop fasteners to hold plastic bins (like these rectangular plastic storage baskets) in place. Place several of the fasteners on the bottom of your bins and on the shelf, so your kids don't run off with the bins or slide them around and make a mess. Since it's held in place with Velcro, you can easily pull the bins out for cleaning or restocking.

Essentials wire step storage racks can be used as-is, but this pantry storage hack levels it up to make the bottles you store easier to see. Push both sets of legs inward to make the rack sit at an angle. You can put the rack directly on a pantry shelf like this or put it inside of a rectangular bin to keep it from moving. Then, put your spices, vitamins, or other bottles on the slanted sections, so the labels are easy to see.

The Storage Essentials acrylic rotating turntable works well on its own, but you can customize it to organize smaller items, like tea bags and condiment packets. It's one of many ways to use a Dollar Tree lazy Susan. Strips of foam board hot glued together in the center create four sections. If you have a flat turntable, make it into a deeper rotating storage container by hot gluing on a Dollar Tree plastic trifle bowl. Spray paint it all one color if you prefer a matching look. You can also add the dividers to the bowl.

Books are among the things you shouldn't store in your pantry, but Teaching Tree plastic book bins do serve a convenient purpose there. Place them on their backs, and fill them with water bottles, paper plates, lids to storage containers, or other items that are difficult to store effectively. These are items that often take up a lot of space and easily tip over or slide around into other areas, which is why this pantry storage hack is useful.

Your pantry needs Essentials wire waste baskets, but not for snack wrappers and other trash. These little wire bins are perfect for holding your potatoes, onions, and other produce. Add a Crafter's Square chalkboard tag to the front of each bin to label them. Lining the baskets with a fabric bag, plastic shopping bag, or trash bag is also an option to keep dirt from the potatoes or pieces of onion skin from dirtying your pantry floor.

You can find many affordable Dollar Tree kitchen essentials that make your life easier, including Cooking Concepts metal cooling racks. The thinner wire used on these cooling racks makes them easy to bend into a mini shelf. Fold one of the long edges up, and use wire on either end to add stability to the shelf. Then, hang it on the inside of your pantry door or on a pantry wall using Tool Bench removable hooks or another fastener. It frees up shelf space and keeps spices accessible.

For this DIY storage solution, you'll cut out the shelves of the Home Collection wire shower caddy using wire cutters (and sanding the edges to prevent injury), leaving the rectangular outer frames in place. Remove the top hanger as well. The curved hooks at the bottom of the caddy will hold the rack onto a pantry shelf, but you'll need to bend them the opposite direction and add hooks at the back to hold it in place. Then, you can slide in plastic bins or put long items, like aluminum foil, into the below-shelf rack to use more vertical space.

Essentials round wire baskets form the container for this hanging storage DIY. Then, use Garden Collection planter pot chains to hang the wire baskets individually, or connect two together using a second set of chains. For an earthier look, slip the wire basket into a Garden Collection macrame plant hanger. If you have a walk-in pantry, suspend the hanging baskets from the ceiling. For reach-in pantries with a large space at the bottom, suspend the bins from the bottom shelf.

This DIY gets creative with pantry wall space by using a Cooking Concepts stove burner cover. Grab small airtight containers, and glue magnets to the bottom of them. You can put spices in them or small items, like toothpicks. Find a convenient spot on a pantry wall or on the back side of the wall to hang the burner. When you need the items, you can easily grab the container you need and put it back just as fast.

Dollar Tree offers a range of wire organizers, like the Jot three-section wire mesh desk organizers, that offer slim storage in your pantry. Install Command hooks on the pantry door, and slide the organizer over the hooks to hold it in place (just make sure it won't hit a shelf when you close the door). This pantry storage idea is perfect for small items that you use frequently or that get lost. It's also an ideal option for small snacks that you want your kids to access easily. 

Grab a pack of Crafter's Square wooden clothespins for an easy way to hold recipes, pantry inventory lists, menus, and other papers. They can even work for packets of sauce mixes. For this basic project, put sticky strips from Command hooks on the back of the clothespins, and stick them where you want them on the pantry door. Or, if you want to get fancier with it, you can decorate the clothespins with paint, washi tape, contact paper, beads, ribbons, or any other embellishments you have around the house — or get your creative kids involved to help decorate them. 

With this hack, you'll organize spices with a Dollar Tree kitchen essential: a Cooking Concepts paper towel holder. It helps to bend the long portion of the paper towel holder slightly, so it sits against the pantry wall at an upward angle to keep the bottles from rolling. Then, position several Command hooks (or the Dollar Tree equivalent) to hold the round base onto the pantry wall. You can position it just below a shelf to use the vertical space efficiently.

If you have a reach-in pantry, you likely have a large space below your bottom shelf — that's the perfect spot for large plastic buckets with handles to hold loose items, like rolls of paper towels, large bags of ingredients, or beverages. If you're lucky, you can snag a rolling plant stand at Dollar Tree or another dollar store, so you can turn the buckets into rolling storage. Glue each bucket onto a rolling stand, and you can easily move it in and out of the pantry.

To create an upscale look, grab several Crafter's Square wood slat crates, and glue them together to create a wooden storage rack. Two rows of crates makes an aesthetic design and should fit on most pantry shelves, but check the height first. Add a thin piece of wood along each row as a front stopper to keep the items from falling off the shelves. You can customize the design with paint or stain and add labels. Put mini jars of ingredients inside, or tuck tea bags and other small items into the cubbies.