Organization: Improving A Closet

We have lived in our new place for nearly a month. We had all boxes opened and empty within four days. We did a pretty good job of getting things into drawers and closets within a week. And since then have lived with it as is.

A new place does take some tweaking, rearranging to get things just right or at least improved. This post is about a secondary master bedroom closet. We have another one identical to this one that holds our most used clothing. It does not have a window.

Here's what it looked like before I started to make some changes:

About half of what you see in the picture below...disappears! Moved to other places or put into another container!

This closet is storing our file cabinet, two large bins of keepsakes, my sewing supplies, photographs and albums, framed memorabilia we haven't hung, my husband's Army gear, suitcases (not shown), craft items, and two comforters. 

Because it was overwhelming, I started simple. I moved the graduation gown to my daughter's closet! It did not need to be in OUR closet. There were also curtains that I moved to our linen closet. And the next decision was to remove a couple craft bins and store those in another closet on our lower level where there was more room. And finally, I moved a small shoebox sized bin INTO the filing cabinet. This was something that we actually may want to lock up, so that made sense. Good thing I eliminated so many files earlier this year...lots of extra room in that filing cabinet. 

The uniforms had been to the immediate left in the closet. Most are not used on a regular basis, so I moved them towards the back of the hanging space. I did leave a couple closer to the door. The space in between remains empty.

The items above the uniforms and gear are all photographs, albums and memorabilia. Some of these items had been in a bin on the floor. I emptied it of these items so I could add other items to it. Photographs out of site tend to be out of mind, so I did want them a bit more visible.

I moved two of the large keepsake bins under the military uniforms. These had been parallel to the left wall, but I rotated them perpendicular (or 90 degrees). 

The blue bin seen below is where the photo albums had been. I added three framed keepsakes, a framed flag, a plaque with its stand and some smaller less important albums to that bin, so they weren't just loose in the closet. On top, I stacked the two comforters.  Look at all the floor space! 

Immediately to the left on the shelf, I added my sewing machine, supplies and fabrics. I expect these to be removed from the closet most often, so I wanted them easily accessible. Before, the machine was in the back corner of the shelf and not easy to reach...and it's a little heavy! 

And finally, the finished product! I put some of our bags on the filing cabinet, along with an old computer we rarely use (it's black, so probably doesn't stand out in the photo).

For me, this is an improvement. We do have suitcases that need to be put on the floor in there. I have a couple ideas of ways I may be able to tweak the space, but overall, I'm very happy with the changes. 

Do you have an area of your home that needs some rearranging or tweaking in order to make the space more functional? 

Day 7: Bed Linens

We are on Day 7 of Decluttering and Organizing! I hope you have been motivated by at least one of my posts so far. I don't even mind if it motivated you to declutter an area I haven't yet mentioned.

Linens. For me, that means bedding. Such as sheets, quilts, comforters and blankets. And pillows. I also include kitchen and bath towels, but I will have us check on those tomorrow.

I realize these are usually stored away in most peoples homes and may be the last thing you want to declutter. However, I'm thinking of the holidays in the next couple months that may have you entertaining people in your home. Some guests may stay overnight. You want to be prepared!

I think the best way to approach bed linens is to pull them all out so you can review their quality. Have any items developed stains, or tears that you may not have noticed before? Do you have more linens than you have beds for? If you do, do those sheets or blankets have a purpose, or are you holding on just in case? Do they match your decor (if you care about that kind of thing)? Do they need to be washed? Likely they do. But that could wait until a week or two before guests arrive.

I like to have a set of sheets to fit every bed I could possibly have guests on. For us, this includes an extra twin bed and a queen size air mattress in addition to the beds we use daily. I consider the extras for guests as extras for us if the need would arise. I also want to have a blanket or quilt to cover each bed as well. I will admit I count sleeping bags to work in a pinch for this. Why not give it two uses right?

And my preference for organizing bed linens is to have the bed made up and an extra blanket or two in the room for the guest to pull out if needed. If the bed is not able to be made up normally, then I store all items for that bed in one pile (or often in an old plastic comforter bag). 

I have a pillow for every bed space also. We often pull our decor pillows off the bed and put them in a regular pillow case for guests. This way I don't have lots of extra pillows stuffed in a closet all year round. While writing this blog post, I realized I do have one extra pillow I can let go of (trash). It's older and we have other options. Yea me for decluttering while trying to inspire!!

A few other things to consider. Less is more. You might have flannel sheets, jersey sheets, and traditional cotton type sheets for one bed. Ask yourself if you would miss them if you let go of a set? Do you even remember to use them? Do you have a limit of sheets that you are able to store? For example if you have a shelf designated for sheets (or would like to), do the sheets you have and want to keep all fit? If they don't you likely need to downsize. Ask similar questions regarding extra blankets, comforters and pillows that could be consider extras.

Don't forget to put back what you are keeping in nice stacks. All like items together. Or in sets, which blankets on the bottom and sheets on top. Pillows can be vertical on shelves rather than flat. Consider folding in thirds instead of halves to narrow your pile of bedding. And don't forget to Google 'folding a fitted sheet' if you haven't yet learned that skill.

Did you find any bed linens to get rid of? Do you know how to fold a fitted sheet? Do you ever have guests stay overnight in your home?