Saturday, February 21, 2009

Capturing Closets (part two)

Welcome!  We’re closing in to the end of our closet journey.  This week we are discussing the linen closet.  The linen closet is the place to keep sheets, towels, and possibly table linens. 

As usual, anything that you do not love or does not suit your purposes can be donated, as can surplus.  If you do not have a twin bed in your home, why are your storing twin sheets?  If you are saying, “For indoor picnics!”  or “To make dining chair tents, of course!”  Limit yourself to one (not ten!)

Sheets – divide sets by size (twin, full, queen, king)  or divide by ownership (son’s twin sheets, daughter’s twin sheets, etc).  Fold the sheet set EXCEPT for one pillow case.  Slide the set of folded sheets into the pillow case.  No more hunting for all the pieces when it is time to make the beds!  I like to stack these packets on my shelves vertically like books so that I don’t have to dig through a stack for the right sheets.  I can also fit more on my shelf this way!

Towels – fold in “ready to use” sets (bath towel, hand towel, wash cloth) or fold in stacks (all bath towels in one stack, all hand towels in another, wash cloths in another).  To keep extra wash cloths from getting lost in the shuffle, you may want to use a small basket or shoe box. 

Table Linens – To fold or to hang?  That is always the question when it comes to table linens.  I find it easier, in most homes, to store table cloths as folded items.  When they are needed they can be quickly ironed or tossed into the dryer. 

Off season items - (like beach towels and blankets) can be folded and set apart onto the top (aka hard-to-reach) shelf in the closet.

What’s in your linen closet?

 

Check out this current “Get Organized for Free Article” from http://www.shopsmartmag.org/.  Not only are there some super cute organizing ideas, there are some surprising closet statistics.

Common Closet Clutter-Uppers
51% of women cling to clothing they haven’t worn in three or more years.
64% find the stuff they no longer wear hard to get rid of because they might need it some day.
60% hold on to clothes that don’t fit anymore because they might lose or gain back the weight.
58% have clothes hanging in their closets with the tags still on them.
50% know they have too many shoes, boots, or handbags but cannot part with them.
54% complain that shoes, boots, and handbags are the hardest to store.
32% have too many T-shirts.
33% admit that their closets are bulging.
18% are actually embarrassed by their closets!
More than 1,000 women in our new national survey reveal what’s
hiding behind closed doors.
Also listed are tips for what not to buy when taming closet overflow.

Bloggy Winner for the month of February is….. Snaphappee!!!!!  Keep an eye on your mailbox Elli.  You will be receiving a super special gift for being the reader to leave the most comments on organizewithjulie.blogspot.com in the month of February!  Thanks for being such a great support to this blog!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Awwww...thanks!! You know I love your blog!

I love that idea of putting the sheets in the pillowcases. It seems so simple, and yet I've never thought of it! Thank you!

Your Organizing Guru said...

I am very thankful for my readers who leave me love! Thanks for doing it so often. I appreciate you!

I'm glad you like the idea of putting the folded sheets inside the matching pillow cases. I started doing this a few years back when I tired of mismatched pillow cases and not being able to find pieces of sets. You are certainly welcome for the idea!

~J

Tanna Clark said...

I do the sheet thing too. Hubby just asked the other night... "can you show me that thing you do with the sheets". He almost makes housework sound kinky. LOL

Your Organizing Guru said...

Oh, Tanna! I love it! You just made my day! ~J