It’s springtime! You know what that means – the dreaded spring cleaning. If you’re thinking about tackling a room or closet in your home, read up on this advice from our resident DIYer Amanda Fettig. She knows just how much work it is and has mapped out a plan of action to conquer it. Consult one of our professional organizers for some help as well!
You know when you move into a house and just try to unpack stuff and get it into a “space,” without really taking the time to organize?
That’s what happened to our linen closet. Even though we’ve lived in our house for 4 years now, it just was never at the top of my list. But, it’s been driving me nuts lately when I open it up to grab a towel. It stares me in the face begging to be organized. I’ve been putting it off to do other things since no one really sees it but me. And, occasionally a guest or two, which is usually family; so they forgive me. But it was time.
And so, I cleaned it out and organized it all into neatly folded stacks and bins. I can now open up the closet without stuff almost falling on me. Win!
In the process, I learned a few thing that were super helpful. I thought you might also find these tips helpful, so I’m sharing them with you today!
But first, a before shot; just because. I must really like you all to embarrass myself this much.
Don’t judge. It doesn’t look like this now!
Take Everything Out
I mean everything. Empty your linen closet out completely. This might seem annoying and take up a LOT of space while doing it, but it will make life easier when you’re putting everything back. Once everything is out, you can easily group it all. Everyone’s linen closet looks different and stores different things. That’s ok! Just organize everything into general groups: towels, bed linens, blankets, etc. When you go to put it all back in, everything will be neatly folded and you’ll have a fresh start to easily switch where things were kept before. You’ll definitely be able to get more in there!
Purge!
Now that you have everything out, you can start going through it all and decide what you want and need. Obviously when you haven’t cleaned out a closet in awhile, there’s junk stuff you find that you didn’t know you even had. I found a few things we bought when we got married and never used, as well as old sheets from beds we didn’t even have anymore! This all takes up precious space, and you know no linen closet has endless amounts of space.
- Throw away old towels;
- Donate bed linens that don’t fit your current beds (but are in good condition);
- Sell anything you think might be worth something.
Trust me, you don’t need 10 sets of sheets for your bed. So, just do yourself a favor and get rid of it. Phew! Doesn’t that feel better already? I had a HUGE donation pile by the time I was done sorting through everything!
Use Baskets or Bins
In my before photo, you can see everything was just sort of thrown in, without any rhyme or reason. I had no organizational tactics in place whatsoever. Without baskets or bins, it’s easier for a closet to get messy and out of control super easily. I didn’t want to spend much on this little project, so I found some little blue plastic bins at the dollar store. They were the perfect size to fit on my shelves and hold towels and random things. At a buck each, they were a steal!
If you’re really pressed for space in your closet, you can roll towels instead of folding them. Unfortunately, my bins weren’t big enough to roll my towels into, but it still works just fine for us! They hold our smaller hand towels and washcloths, cleaning rags, pillow cases, etc.
I totally haven’t mastered the whole folding-sheets-to-fit-into-a-pillowcase art, but I’m over it. If you can do that, I’m totally jealous and in awe of you. For me, throwing those things I can’t fold well into a bin is the best option. Find a system that works best for you and your family, and you’ll find it’ll be a lot easier to keep your linen closet in order!
Label Everything!
Labeling makes life soooo much easier. Just do it! You’ll only ever have to do it once, and you’ll forever be organized. Grab some pre-cut labels from the craft store, cut your own out of paper, whatever; just label the items you stick in bins. They can be easily attached with a clothespin or string. It won’t take up too much time, so there are no excuses!
Don’t they just make those bins that much prettier?
Put Everyday Items in Easy to Reach Spots
Maybe this is obvious, but it’s still a good reminder. We use towels the most out of our closet, so I put those on the very middle shelf so we can easily grab one. Just below that are the hand towels and washcloths. At the bottom are blankets that we use more often in the winter. Above the towels I store our bed linens because they’re still easy to grab. At the very top, I put items I only use a couple times a year. That way, we aren’t having to reach down or up to get items we need on a regular basis.
Since you already grouped your items together, it should be easy to put them in order of necessary and most used. Your back will appreciate it!
Here’s a look at the transformation!
Ready to get organized, or would you rather leave it up to an expert? Visit our list of professional organizers whose job it is to help declutter your home – for good!. What are you waiting for? Get started today!
About the Author: Amanda shares her DIY home decor crafts and projects on her blog Dwelling in Happiness.
