13 Clever Ways to Re-purpose Food Containers

I love having a nice, organized pantry – and honestly, it’s essential for somebody who preserves and stockpiles as much food as I do!

Unfortunately, it can be tough to find reliable food storage containers that are not only affordable, but the right size and shape for the type of food I’m trying to store.

ne thing I have started doing is hoarding – I mean saving – containers that could eventually be used to store food later on.

This is a great and free way to not only provide myself with all the food storage containers I need, but to reduce or even eliminate the amount of waste I am putting back into the environment. It’s a win-win!

So without further ado, here are some of my favorite DIY food storage ideas – as well as some great upcycled storage ideas for your non-food items, too.

Use Plastic Buckets with Lids

Wanting to keep a stockpile of basic food staples, like flour, sugar, grains, rice and so on? Then you are probably wondering how to safely store these things to keep them fresh and free of bugs.

Plastic buckets with lids are the best way to do this, but you can’t just buy any bucket. You’ll need a Food Grade container; they are white, and have a #2 on the bottom.

You could buy these, if you don’t mind forking out $8 per bucket, but I found a better way, and it’s FREE!

All you’ll need to do is stop by your local grocery store and visit the bakery. Simply ask the nice ladies behind the counter if they have any empty icing or sugar buckets with lids.

Usually, they are more than happy to hand them over, rinsed out and everything. I was able to pick up three yesterday, and was told to come back Saturday afternoon for more (since this is their busy cake making day).

Once you get it home, wash it out well with hot, soapy water and make sure it is dried thoroughly before using. I’ve had sugar and flour stored for over 6 months now in these kinds of buckets, and have never had a problem with any sort of bugs.

I did freeze the flour for 3 days before storing, which is something that I would recommend doing… just to be safe.

As gross as it sounds, there is often bug’s eggs in the flour already, and if it is stored for a long time they could begin hatching. Freezing the flour before storing will kill any eggs that may be present.

Use Magazine Racks

A magazine rack is the perfect tool for stashing things like Tupperware lids, packets of spices, or seasoning mixes. You can slide all of your like items inside, and the magazine rack will keep them separated and organized.

Cereal Box Food Storage

Cut the top off a cereal box (and one corner) and use it to create a magazine-style organizer just like the one in the tip above. You can use it to stash small, flat items that tend to get lost in the shuffle of your kitchen cupboards.

Use a Binder Clip to Hold Together Bags of Cereal

Since you’re ditching the box of cereal to be used as a food storage container, you might as well do something with those extra bags, right?

Hold together the half-full, opened bags with binder clips. You won’t have to worry about cereal bags spilling all over your cupboards and it will save precious space, too.

Use Soda Racks for Canned Goods

One of my biggest pet peeves is that nobody in my family seems to like to rotate out the canned goods! They always take the freshest ones first and leave the old stuff in the back.

Before long, our pantry is filled with canned goods that are no longer edible because they’ve been forgotten about. To avoid this, use a soda rack! This will let you add new cans and they’ll be sorted immediately to the back, while the old ones will be pushed forward.

Don’t have a soda rack? You can make your own out of an old 12-pack soda container (the long, rectangular ones).

Dump the Dog Food in a Trash Can

If you have a dog, you know how annoying it can get to have to lug around a heavy 20 lb bag of dog food! Instead of tripping over it in your entryway, consider depositing it into a large trash can.

As long as the lid seals tightly, you won’t have to worry about pests (including your dog!) getting inside.

Use Mason Jars or Save Other Clear Glass & Plastic Jars

One of the biggest and best pieces of advice that I have for anybody looking to store large amounts of food is that you’ve got to invest in clear jars! Having opaque jars ends up being a real pain because you’ll have to open the jar to see what’s inside.

Instead, use old mason jars that might not be good for canning any more to stash all of your dry goods. You will be able to tell what’s inside with ease.

If you can’t use a clear jar, at the very least, make sure you’ve written the name of the contents (and the date you added them) on the outside with permanent marker.

Pour Laundry Detergent into a Glass Decanter

If you make your own laundry detergent or simply don’t like how laundry detergent bottles look cluttering your shelf, consider pouring them into glass jar style beverage dispensers.

No more lugging around a giant bottle of detergent! Just make sure the spigot locks so it doesn’t leak all over your counters.

Use Old Baskets for Paper Products

If you have a few baskets lying around, you can use them to stash your toilet paper, paper towels, and other paper products.

Use a Shoe Rack as a Snack Station

It’s easy for a pantry cupboard to become a dumping ground for piles of packaged snacks. That’s no longer the case! Instead, hang a shoe rack inside your closet, and you can stash little packets of cookies, seasoning mixes, or whatever else tends to clutter your space inside.

Save Old Apothecary Jars for Bathroom Items

While you can easily stash your bathroom toiletries, cosmetic, and other gear in the medicine cabinet, why not leave it out on display?

You can use old mason jars or even gorgeous apothecary jars with fun shapes to store bulk items like cotton balls, Q-tips, and more.

Use Plastic Containers for Non-Acidic Foods

You shouldn’t store acidic foods in plastic containers that you’ve saved, like margarine or yogurt tubs, as the acid can cause chemicals to leach from the plastic. But for things like dry goods, an old plastic container is perfect!

Store Spices in Canning Jars

If you buy bulk grains, spices, seeds, or oats, you may want to stash them in an old-fashioned canning jar. This will not only make your shelf look more attractive, but it will help you keep tabs on what you actually have, too.

Hope that’s helpful to ya! Let me know if you have any other ideas for scoring some free food containers!

updated 05/14/2020 by Rebekah White