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Organizing Linen and Storage Closets

As the weather gets nicer, the more I want to clean out and get things organized. My project a couple weekends ago was to clean out my linen closet.  Did you ever notice that when you start a project like that, you end up involving other areas of the house and closets you weren't originally planning on cleaning out? So what started as cleaning out one closet quickly turned into two. The top picture is my medicine, storage closet. I keep extra bathroom and cleaning supplies here too. The bottom picture is my linen closet. I keep things in storage bags that I don't use often. I have one labeled for guest bedding so when we have company I don't have to go searching for extra bedding and blankets.  

Everyone has different spaces and storage needs so I put together a few general organizing tips:
  • De-clutter- I know everyone is probably sick and tired of hearing this, but this is the hard part.  You really have to think of the space you have and what you can realistically keep and will be using. 
  • Your space is worth something. I love a bargain and my local warehouse store as much as anybody, but it's really not saving money to bring home 40 rolls of toilet paper if I have to leave them sitting in my living room because I don't have space for them.
  • Store "like" things together. I like to use baskets, boxes or bins just to keep them together so they are easier to find
  • Remember the purpose of the space,  once your space has a purpose, it's easy to figure out what needs to go somewhere else and what can stay.
  • Store extra pillows and linens in storage bags to keep them from collecting dust when not in use. (You can also put a bar of soap in with them to keep them fresh or cedar blocks if you have pests)
  • Sheets can be stored in the pillowcase to keep sets together
  • Stock up when things go on sale but remember only buy what you have the space for.  You don't have to buy 4 of something just to get the sale price, most stores will give you the sale price for the item whether you buy 1 or 4.
  •  Label it- Everyone knows where to find it and where to put it!  You don't have to have a label maker for this. Masking tape and permanent markers work. For something different I bought a roll of blackboard contact paper and a liquid chalk marker on Amazon.
  • If you haven't used it for 6 months to a year, you probably don't need it.  I like "Organizing Guru," Peter Walsh's idea for cleaning out kitchen utensils by putting everything in a box, and as you use it put it away, what's left in the box after a few months can be donated. 
  • Check expiration dates on medicine. Store in an upper cupboard, out of the bathroom. Bathrooms are too humid and not a safe place if you have little ones around. If you have expired medicine, dissolve pills in a baggie with some used coffee grounds, add some water and squish the bag(make sure it's sealed tightly) until the pills dissolve, then throw away.  
  • In clothes closets, turn hangers backwards and as you wear it, turn the hanger around, in a few months, donate whatever is on the hangers you haven't turned around.
 We would love to hear your organizing tips,we like getting comments and we really do read them all!~Simply Angie


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