Tip of the Day 10/18/11

With Fall weather here and cold winter nights soon to follow, now is the perfect time to clean out the dark hole called "The Linen Closet." It is probably full of blankets you haven't looked at since last winter and sets of sheets or mismatched pillow cases that you have been hanging onto for years. Well, now is the time to take action and get that closet organized.

Empty the closet completely and sort the items into categories: blankets, sheet sets including pillow cases, odd pillow cases, any other miscellaneous items stored in the closet including table clothes and napkins, etc. Evaluate each of the items to determine when the last time was you used it. If it has been more than a year, then they need to be gotten rid of. Seasonal items that you use once a year need to be evaluated to determine if you used them during the last appropriate season. If you are hanging on to a Spring tablecloth and napkin set that you have never used, let it go. If the item does not serve a specific purpose in YOUR home do not keep it.

If you still have children living at home you will want 2 sets of sheets per bed. With only adults at home now we have a set of Spring/Summer sheets and a set of Fall/Winter sheets. I also have a set for each of the guest beds. A great way to keep your linen closet uncluttered and make sheet washing day easier is to never fold the sheets, just wash and return them to the bed. (I was thrilled when I heard Martha Stewart say this is her method as well.) A good thread count sheet should last you about 2 years.

The goal with the closet is to wash all of the blankets that you will be placing on the beds, eliminate all unused or unwanted items including extra pillow cases, sheets with bad elastic or extreme wear, etc., place all extra items back in the closet sorted by category. If you have items that are only used when guests are visiting and your closet is not very large consider "Space Bags" and store the extras under the bed of the guest room.

Remember, more is not always good when everything in the closet falls out on you when trying to retrieve one item. You will use what you have if you can see it and retrieve it easily.