Happy Monday and welcome to another week of GO! (Get Organized!) month. Today we tackle the linen closet. Are you ready?
Let’s recall the process we are using throughout the month:
THE PROCESS
- Gather your supplies:
- Boxes or bags labeled with:
- “Donate”
- “Elsewhere”
- “Store”
- Trash can/recycle bin
- Damp rag/wet wipe
- Boxes or bags labeled with:
- Empty challenge area for the day. And by empty, I mean EMPTY.
- Once the area is empty, wipe it clean with a damp rag.
- Now sort the items into these categories: (The Seana Method’s R.E.D.D.S. system)
- R- “Restore”: items to go back in
- E- “Elsewhere: items to keep, but which don’t belong in this space
- D- “Donate”
- D- “Dispose”: trash or recycle
- S- “Store”: items to keep for sentimental reasons, or perhaps for a long-term future use, but which are not regularly used. (These items will eventually need to go into a bin/box in an attic, basement, or closet.)
- As you are sorting, put items into the boxes/bags you prepared.
- Once you are finished sorting, put the “Restore” items back into your designated area.
- Carry the “Elsewhere” box/bag around your house and redistribute its contents.
- Move the “Donate” box/bag to the car to be donated.
- Trash/recycle the “Dispose” items
- Put the "Store" box aside for now. When the month is over, these items will be packaged for long-term storage.
THE TASK
Clearing out and organizing your linen closet can be pretty quick and very rewarding. Begin by emptying the space and separating the items into piles of like items. For example, all of the king size linens in one place, towels in another, etc.
If you store items other than linens in this closet (e.g. medicines, extra toilet paper, etc.), take the time to examine the contents and consider what you can either get rid of or relocate to a better location.
For bed linens…
Either put each sheet set into one of the corresponding pillowcases, or label your shelves so that you can easily tell which sheets go to which bed. If you have some linens that you want to keep, but which you are not currently using, consider loading them into clear, labeled boxes and putting them on the top shelf, or in an attic. Extra pillows also go well on a top shelf because they are fairly lightweight and easy to pull down.
For towels…
Group towels by color, and fold them so that the fold is facing forward (this just looks neater). If you come across old/stained/torn towels, either move them to be your rags, or donate them. Animal hospitals and shelters love old towels!
For other supplies…
If you keep small items in this closet (e.g. medicines, band aids) you need to find a smaller container that you can turn into a “drawer”. Clear plastic shoe boxes are ideal for this purpose. If you don’t have any, you can also use old cardboard boxes – just remember to label each box! A shelf organizer (which looks like stairs) can also be useful. Remember that deep shelves are not ideal for storing small items, so you need to add structure in order to maximize the space.
On the floor…
The floor should be reserved for items where dust isn’t an issue (i.e. not linens). Air mattresses, pumps, sleeping bags, extra toilet paper/paper towels, and large bottles of shampoo are all examples of great options for the floor.
So give it a try and let us know how it came out. For questions, feel free to email The Seana Method. Here’s to a great week!
Submitted by Seana Turner, founder and President of The Seana Method
