Thursday, May 26, 2011

Linens, Organized

We're really into the swing of things with organizing lately.
I think I had forgotten how satisfying it can be
to complete a task.

The hallway linen closet was sorted,
but still didn't feel right.
I knew it could be tweaked for a more streamlined effect.



Here's how it's looked for quite some time.
The baskets are useful and keep everything contained.
A little purging was in order.
One set of sheets and one extra pillow,
along with an old comforter set from the master bedroom
and a blanket no longer needed
were set aside for a trip to the animal shelter.
They always need linens.



Everything folded similarly makes it look more uniform,
but it still didn't make me feel all Martha
when I opened the door for something.
I decided to try to roll the towels instead of folding them.
After all, isn't that what spas do to make you feel
like you are being pampered?



Place the towel on a flat surface,
as smooth as you can get it.



Fold it into thirds,
one flap on top of the other.



Both outer parts come to rest in the middle,
so there are three layers.



Fold down at one end to get it started.



Then, rock-n-roll!



Yeah, I'm gettin' that spa feeling already!



The yellow towel was longer than the white ones,
so I just laid it on its side.
This also separates the towels from the washcloths
and hand towels, so the lil' guy can help himself
without confusion.




I also keep his sheets bundled
so that he can retreive what he needs
to change his sheets weekly.
I fold both the top and bottom sheets into block shapes.




These get tucked into the matching pillowcase.
We keep only two sets of sheets per bed,
as they are washed on a weekly basis.



There ya go! 
A nice, neat package
and only one thing to look for in the closet.
It's all about independence, baby!



His sheets and beach towel are kept on the same shelf.
One stop shopping!



A sprig of fresh rosemary from the garden
or a bit of essential oil on a cotton ball
adds a lovely fragrance each time the door is opened.



These plastic laundry bags provided during a rare hotel stay
are handy to keep around.
We usually pack these when we travel
to keep our dirty or wet clothes separate from the rest.




Rags made from old towels, washcloths and t-shirts,
are stationed on the bottom-most rack for easy access.
Around here, you make the mess, you clean it up!



An extra pillow and mattress cover fill the top-most basket,
as they are rarely needed. 
There is room to spare as we keep only what we use regularly.

I save the plastic bags that bed linens come in,
as new uses can always be found for them.
They work great for kids' larger toys
like wooden blocks,  a lil' girl's kitchen accessories,
or messy things like sand toys. 
The kids can find just what they need in these
handy see-through storage containers.


******************




BEFORE


AFTER

Ahhh, I feel so much better.




12 comments:

  1. Seriously, do you do this for a living? And if not why dont you. I know plenty of people who would love to have there homes organized and the herb detail, wonderful. And how clean is your house you put that white towel on the floor! If I did that it would be covered with dog hair. Even after I run the sweeper. I want to live at your house :)

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  2. Oh my! I thought your "before" picture looked super organized! I hope that doesn't mean I am a hopeless case. ;-) I LOVE the idea of a sprig of rosemary.

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  3. Hey Daisy...Jane is right you should do "organizer" as a career. I totally agree with you that having a couple sets of sheets and limited towels does make the closet more organized looking. I'm also coming around to towels of the same color. Don't have to worry about matching.

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  4. Jane-You're a trip! I did actually do organizing for folks before we moved here, but the economy doesn't really lend itself to these kind of services now. All in good time...
    I had just mopped the floors and we don't have dogs!
    You're welcome anytime!

    Heather-It looked okay, but it didn't feel completed to me.


    Susan-Simplified is best!

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  5. I love the way you organized the linen closet. Great job

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  6. "It's all about independence, baby!" great reminder to organize with the other people in the home in mind as well; thanks.

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  7. Looks great, I need to purge our line cupboard some time soon too as we have way to much stuff in there. Loved the rolled towels and the matching colors.

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  8. Motivated Mommy of two-Thanks!

    SaHMmySays-You're more than welcome!

    onenewhabit-Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. I really like the straw baskets to keep everything contained and unified. And I totally think it looks like 'Martha'. Thanks for sharing the inspiring photos!

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  10. hsmominmo-Thanks for the kind words.

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  11. I roll my towels and put sheets together in the pillowcases too, such great ideas!
    Keep up the great organizational work!

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  12. sara d.-Welcome! Thanks for the kind words of encouragement!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!