8 Items in Your Kitchen to Throw Away Right Now, and What to Buy Instead

A cluttered kitchen makes life more difficult. A cabinet stuffed with mismatched food storage containers and a pantry where cereal boxes are constantly toppling over and spilling their contents makes cooking so much more frustrating than it needs to be. And ripped open packages of rice and pasta aren’t just unsightly, they can be unhygienic, not to mention that these unsealed containers make food go stale so much faster.  

There’s probably plenty in your pantry that you can throw away. But it can be difficult to begin. To help you get started, we found eight pantry and cabinet organization products that will get your space tidier, and recommend what to throw out in their place. The best part is, everything is under $60. 

8 of the Best Products to Organize Your Pantry:

• OXO 5-Piece PopP Container Set, $55
• Honey-Can-Do Dry Food Dispenser, $28 (originally $50)
• Orii Spice Rack, $40 (originally $65)
• Deiao Sandwich Bag Organizer, $27 (originally $39)
• 60-Piece Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers, $39 
• YouCopia Lazy Susan Organizer, $30 
• 6-Piece Hihegd Food Storage Organizer Bins, $23

OXO 5-Piece Pop Container Set

To buy: $55 at amazon.com 

One of the first messes you should tackle in your pantry are cardboard boxes.From salt to pasta, you likely have many of them.These boxes get ripped open and stacked unsteadily on top of each other, which can lead to spills and they’re hard to sort through. The solution is this five-piece OXO container set.

They’re transparent so you can immediately find what you’re looking for, stackable for easy organization, and airtight, so your food lasts longer.The set comes with a 2.1-quart container, 1.5-quart container, and a 0.3-quart container, as well as two 0.9-quart containers, which can fit pasta (including spaghetti), salt, dried nuts, coffee beans, and lentils. And it’s not just for dry foods, either. These are also great for baking supplies like flour, sugar, and sprinkles. 

Honey-Can-Do Dry Food Dispenser

To buy: $28 (originally $50) at amazon.com

Open bags of rice can mold and attract bugs, and multiple cereal boxes crowd cabinets. If your family eats a lot of cereal or rice (or both), this dual dry food dispenser is a must-have.. These food dispensers have a 35-ounce capacity, and a portion control knobs that dispense 1-ounce at a time, cutting down on waste and reducing clutter. 

According to the brand, the dispensers keep dry food fresher for more than a month longer than if you stored it in the box or bag you bought it in. And the twist knobs make it easy for kids to serve themselves at breakfast time. 

Orii Spice Rack

To buy: $40 (originally $65) at amazon.com

Mismatched spice jars make your cabinets look disorganized, especially when the bottles are stacked on top of one other. One way to make your spices and seasoning look uniform and tidy is a spice rack. 

This one comes with 20 stainless steel jars that are all the same shape and size. The jars labeled on the lids and the base rotates, making it easy to find the oregano hiding in the back. This is a stand up rack, so it takes up less space on the counter or in your pantry.

Deiao Sandwich Bag Organizer

To buy: $27 (originally $39) at amazon.com

There’s a special drawer in my kitchen dedicated to different sized plastic storage bags that I use for snacks and leftovers, and it is a jumbled mess.If you have the same problem, this bamboo box is the solution. It holds gallon, quart, sandwich, and snack sized plastic storage bags, all in one place. Each type of bag has its own slot so it's easy to find the exact size you need and pull out one bag at a time. Measuring 12-inches by 3-inches, it can fit in most kitchen drawers, or it can be stored on the countertop for easy access. 

60-Piece Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers

To buy: $39 at amazon.com

Takeout usually comes with lots of plastic containers that some industrious people like to rinse them out and store leftovers in them in the future. But then these takeout containers end up getting stored in random cabinets, the lids get lost, and they just end up taking space. Throw them away — there is a better way to store your food.

This 60-piece Rubbermaid storage container set (which includes lids) comes in every size you could need: There are six 0.5-cup, six 1.25-cup, six 2-cup, six 3-cup, six 5-cup, two 7-cup, and one 9-cup containers. The durable plastic is both dishwasher- and microwave-safe and the lids snap together for easy storage (although if you’re having trouble keeping track of them, this lid organizer might help).

Whether you need a convenient container for snacks to take on the go, or a place to keep all the leftover side dishes from Thanksgiving fresher for longer, these Rubbermaid containers are a much-needed replacement for all the flimsy, mismatched takeout containers you’ve saved over the years. 

YouCopia Lazy Susan Organizer

To buy: $30 at amazon.com

Some kitchens come with a built-in lazy susan in one of the cabinets, but it can make it more difficult to access what you’re looking for inside the cabinet. Measuring in at 10.8- by 10.8- by 4.3-inches, this compact version of a lazy susan organizer fits neatly inside a cabinet or on the countertop. It comes with three transparent bins for easy storage of anything from granola bars to condiments neatly organized, and from toppling everytime you give it a whirl. 

6-Piece Hihegd Food Storage Organizer Bins

To buy: $23 at amazon.com

Nearly everyone enjoys stocking their pantry with tea bags, coffee, canned beverages, candy, and other snacks but there the containers all these things come in cause so much clutter. Bulky boxes of tea bags take up counter space, as do boxes of canned seltzer. But these plastic storage bins help consolidate all of that clutter.

Measuring 11.81- by 6.4- by x 2.8-inches, these storage bins come with removable dividers that let you customize your storage space depending on your needs. They can fit eight cans of seltzer, or small items like tea bags in the front, and bulkier bags of coffee in the back. Even boxes of dried pasta or pancake mix could be lined up inside these bins. And because they’re transparent, you can find what you need at a glance.