Linen Closet Organization

In our little home we have very few closets.  One of which is our linen closet, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t too bad in size.

Like our old office downstairs that collected all the big stuff nobody knew what to do with, our linen closet became the place where all the little stuff landed when it had no other “home”.  Everything from linens, to gift wrap, Wii accessories, scrap book supplies, table linens, books, nail polish, and everything in between.

In my ongoing quest to organize and simplify our lives, it was time to tackle that beast.

There was no point in putting it off any longer, or pouting about the fact that “I” had to do it despite the fact their are 3 other adults contributing to the clutter!

Okay.  I pouted a little bit.  But quietly and when no one was looking.

I first emptied the entire contents of the closet onto our bed, which is a mere 6 feet from the closet.  Yup.  Our house is that small!

I knew that by piling everything on the bed I had to commit to finishing the job by the end of the day or we would be sleeping on the living room floor.

I then gathered up my all purpose cleaner, some paper towels, a couple bags for garbage and a box for things I would donate to Goodwill.  I gave it a good cleaning and a thorough vacuuming.

I toyed with the idea of painting the inside, but I knew that should really wait until a day where I had more time or we really would have been sleeping on the floor!

I sorted through each and every thing, putting it into either garbage, donate, its rightful home, or back into the closet.  How we managed to accumulate 5 huge bottles of mouthwash is beyond me.  And, I don’t think my girls need to buy nail polish for at least 5 years!

Two very stuffed garbage bags and one box full of donations later the job was all done!

Using some dollar store baskets that were purged in the process I gathered like things together.  One for nail products, one for first-aid supplies and one for extra soaps, hairsprays, etc.

While we haven’t played bingo in almost 2 years, I held on to 4 bingo dabbers, but threw away 8 so I thought that was a good compromise!  As far as hand soaps go, I don’t think I will need to buy any for the next several months.

I discovered lots of things I forgot I even had, but I also discovered I really need more towels!

This linen closet organization took me about 2 hours to complete and I feel like a weight has been lifted.  I actually don’t cringe when I have to open the door and find something anymore!

In the spring we will renovate the closet, putting up new drywall instead of the paneling that is in there now.  Fresh paint will brighten it up.  We would really like to put in a proper closet system to help keep the space neat and organized!  Our furnace pipes run straight up through this closet making it a bit awkward, and our water meter is also tucked in there which has to be exposed for meter readings.

Until next time….

Maureen