Thursday, March 31, 2011

Best Organizing Tips for Linen CLosets

Hello! Welcome to my new blog where I will let you in on all of the best organizing tips for every area of your home! Organizing doesn't have to be hard. Attacking it just a little bit at a time is the best way to approach it. And, the dividends you will receive by having a neat and organized home (and life) will far outweigh the time you spent on these organizing tips. Ready - lets get started!

Yesterday we talked about the best organizing tips for closets, I thought today we would go one step further. Presenting the Best Organizing Tips for Linen Closets!

Don't know about you, but my linen closet used to be the dumping ground for everything that had no other place to live. There was never any room for what was supposed to be in there, namely linens! No more - here are my best organizing tips:
  1. remove everything from the space.
  2. find new homes for anything that isn't a towel, sheet, tablecloth, extra blanket, anything that isn't a linen!
  3. toss out the half used sample bottles of shampoo, the mini soap bar. Or donate them.
  4. store extra shampoo, soap, toothbrushes etc. somewhere in the bathroom. They are of no use to you in the hall when you are in the shower and need soap.
  5. keep only enough towels for your number of family members  X 2. For example, if you have 5 family members, you need 10 towels. One set to have out, one waiting in the wings. Note I said 10, not 30. Having extra towels makes no sense, you can only use one at a time, the rest just lay around waiting for their turn.
  6. If you have guests frequently, they can use the towels laying around waiting their turn. (see above.) Storing guest towels just takes up space. Use the good ones for you!
  7. have 2 sets of sheets for each bed. Same principle as towels. How many can you use at one time?
  8. take a look at whatever you have left. Donate what you no longer need. Worn out towels are always welcome at animal shelters.
  9. line the linen closet shelves with some pretty fabric or paper. Inspires you to keep it neat.
  10. fold, stack and replace only the items the deserve to live in the linen closet.
  11. hang a full length mirror on the inside of the closet door for last minute outfit checks.
  12. and finally, break the rules by putting a few baskets in there for any odds and ends that you just can't part with. (we have a gopher statue in there, don't ask!)
So, take a stop back and absorb the neatness. Doesn't it make you feel more in control? Great job!

If you would like more organizing tips, find out more about my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home, by clicking on the title.

be organized!.....evelyn

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Best Organizing Tips For Closets

Hello! Welcome to my blog where I will let you in on all of the best organizing tips for every area of your home! Organizing doesn't have to be hard. Attacking it just a little bit at a time is the best way to approach it. And, the dividends you will receive by having a neat and organized home (and life) will far outweigh the time you spent on these organizing tips. Ready - lets get started!

Today's topic is closets. Admit it, you would probably be horrified if a friend came into your home right now and peeked into your closet. Well, never fear - by using these organizing tips you will banish that fear forever.

The simple steps:
  1. remove everything from your closet.
  2. sort out anything that doesn't fit, makes you feel fat, gives you a bad feeling, whatever.
  3. save only one size smaller clothing if your goal is to lose weight. One size is a doable goal, more then that, not so doable. Box up the one size smaller clothes and store them somewhere else.
  4. donate whatever is still usable (reuse, reduce, recycle)
  5. throw away whatever is out and out trash.
  6. put whatever remains back into your closet, but hang the hangers on the rod backwards, in other words, with the hook facing out.
  7. after you wear something, hang it back in the closet with the hanger facing the usual way, with the hook towards the back.
After a month, check and see which hangers are still the wrong way around.

Those are the clothes you didn't wear in the past month. Ask yourself why not? And do you really need them?

If they are special occasion clothes, that's fine, they deserve to be in a closet, but not in the closet you use everyday. Hang them somewhere else if you can. (That in itself is a great organizing tip.)

What else is left? Things you didn't wear. Chances are, you don't need them. There is a reason, maybe not an obvious one, that you didn't wear them. It doesn't matter what the reason is, the fact is you didn't wear them. Sieze the moment! Now is the time to get them out of your closet and out of your life - donate them away.

That's it! Congratulations1 You now have more space in your closet thanks to these organizing tips. Go stand in front of your closet and drink it all in. Looks good, right? Enjoy your success!

If you would like more organizing tips, find out more about my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home, by clicking on the title.

be organized!.....evelyn
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