Do you know what organizing product is one of the most regrettable purchases? The canister! They make Instagram and Pinterest pantries look PERFECT. I drool over them because I do love how matching canisters look. But, do you need these containers to organize EVERYTHING in your pantry? Or will they just make things more cumbersome for you?
Welcome to the second post in my series about how to decide whether or not you need organizing products. Click here if you missed the intro.
You want to wait until the 6th step of organizing before you purchase organizing supplies. I have my free mini 7-step guide here so you can know when it is the right time to consider organizing products.
Let’s jump into what it is that we need to evaluate in order to know if canisters or jars will work for your habits and your spaces!
ORIGINAL FUNCTION
The purpose of a canister or jar is to keep dry goods fresh and sealed away from pests. Dry goods typically do not come in the best packaging for long term storage upon purchase and once they are opened, they are not easy to reseal. And pests, like pantry moths, can easily penetrate opened packaging. Using these containers to organize and contain grains, whether whole or milled, can help prevent pest infestations in your pantry.
WHAT NOT TO DO
I don’t recommend using canisters for bagged and boxed snacks and cereal and even pasta, for most people, and here’s why. First of all, we are either busy or lazy or both, and we will not decant them into containers. That’s just real life. And, typically, you will consume packaged snacks and cereal within a reasonable amount of time before they have a chance to go stale or expire. Or you will cook a whole package of pasta at a time. Therefore, you do not need to store them long term. Snacks and cereal can easily be sealed with a chip clip until they are consumed, and so you can save money spent on canisters you really don’t need.
If you do find your bagged and boxed snacks and cereal getting stale or expiring before you can consume them, one, you are either purchasing too many snacks. Or, two, you are opening too many varieties at once. In your case, you will need to be more mindful of your grocery purchases and create a meal plan which is a whole other post (I plan to share my well-tested meal planning system in the future) or just be sure to finish one opened package before opening another. Or, if you are of the few people who really do just take that long to consume a few snacks or cereal, then, using canisters as containers to organize these items in your pantry can be a good idea for you.
If cooking a box or bag of pasta is too much for you or your family to consume within a few days, you can freeze the rest for another dinner. Or, if your freezer is too small to store freezer meals, then canisters used as containers for pasta in your pantry can work well for you especially if you won’t consume it for a while or if your pantry is prone to moths.
I, also, do not recommend canisters as pantry containers for individually-packaged snacks because they are already sealed. Since individually-packaged snacks are made to make things quick and convenient for you, you want to put them in a container you can easily reach into and grab them from like a bin or basket. A canister makes them not convenient as they can be cumbersome to open especially when you are on the go.
BEST WAYS TO USE
Canisters are ideal for bulk bin shopping for dry goods like grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits and dried vegetables. You will want to store nuts and seeds in smaller canisters and in the fridge or freezer as the oils in them can go rancid over an extended period.
For baking ingredients and grains, you want to make sure your pantry containers have a good gasket on them to keep pests out. If the contents of a packaged item, like rice or chips, does not fit into your canister, you can keep a rolling basket (like this Ikea VESSLA Storage crate with casters) at the bottom of your pantry to hold your bagged items which you will clip with a chip clip. Just be sure to either use the bagged portion first or decant them into your canisters as you use them so that you can keep your items fresh as long as possible.
UNCONVENTIONAL USES
If you haven’t seen my homemade laundry detergent post yet, you can click here. The recipe requires you to mix a few different powdered products together which last a very long time and so a canister or jar is essential to keep moisture out and to keep it from clumping over time.
HOW TO DECIDE IF YOU NEED CANISTERS
You will need canisters or jars for sure if you use a lot of baking ingredients. I don’t bake but I do use flour and cornstarch to thicken sauces and my daughter bakes occasionally, so she has these ingredients in the smaller jars available for her.
I don’t recommend purchasing large containers of spices unless you have a very large family or run a kitchen as a small spice container is more than sufficient for the average home. However, salt is a natural preservative, so it does not go bad, so it is okay to buy in bulk. The Costco Himalayan pink salt is perfect to store in this canister to keep moisture out as it is stored long term. I keep the dispenser container on a lazy Susan and can refill it from the canister as needed. Mini jars (like these Ikea RAJTAN Spice jars) can be perfect for you if you grow your own herbs and spices and dry them or if you purchase them in small bags. The spice jars on this lazy Susan are reused from the Walmart Great Value Organic Spices. I just used wild orange essential oil to remove the residue from the labels.
You may need canisters if you have, or a loved one has, a hard time opening conventional packaging or lifting large containers. For example, my mom has a hard time taking down the coffee and creamer canisters from her cabinet, so she needed to store them on her counter-top. But, I didn’t want her to have ugly canisters on her counter-top, so I got her these pretty canisters (I printed and laminated the labels). By the way, coffee is supposed to be stored in an opaque container. These are easy for her to open as they have the lids you can easily lift off and replace without having to twist them open. You will want to make sure your pretty canisters have a good gasket on them. You won’t need gaskets on your containers if you are storing individually packaged items like K-cups, mini-liquid creamers, or sugar packets.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY
Nicely sealed canisters in general can be a good investment if your home is prone to pantry moths or ants or other pests or if you live in a humid climate. You can save your food from being thrown out if an infestation occurs and therefore save money. Mason jars are some of the least expensive containers to use as canisters. Walmart has the best prices on glass canisters and jars. My favorites are obviously the ones with the hinged lid. For some reason, I can never find them online. However, I always see them in Walmart, at least in San Diego. The smallest size is a little less than $3 and the largest is less than $6. The size in between is less than $5. The Dollar Tree has a good variety of plastic canisters and glass jars. The plastic canisters are not airtight, however, so you don’t want to use them for anything you need to store for an extended period. The glass jar selections are small in size, so you can consider those for nuts and seeds as well as small containers of baking ingredients like baking powder. Here are some affordable options for you:
Dollar Tree Options:
Sure Fresh Professional Oval Dry-Food Containers with Lids
Large Plastic Canisters with Twist-On Lids, 2 Qt.
Plastic Containers with Screw-Top Lids, 32 oz.
Plastic Canisters with Green Twist on Lids, 3 qt.
Classic Counter Top Glass Cookie Jars with Metal Lids
Glass Canning Jars with Lids, 16 oz.
Glass Jars with Metal Clasp Lids, 20 oz.
Ribbed Glass Storage Jars with Metal Twist-On Lids, 28 oz.
Clear Glass Jars with White Plastic Twist-On Lids, 23 oz.
The Container Store:
Walmart:
Ikea:
Amazon:
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Don’t forget to grab your FREE organizing resources here so that you can know if the use of canisters and/or jars will be good solutions for your spaces. I have a lot more organizing products coming up, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell, so you can know the moment my next video is up and never miss another organizing video.
Happy Organizing!
Author of “How to Organize Any Space in 7 Simplified Steps“