Save-your-back tip: set up a portable table or clean another surface nearby when decluttering the linen closet. There will be a good deal of refolding to do, so make the process easier on your lower back with a good work area.
before decluttering ▲
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STOP clutter in the linen closet
Pick a cool day—or turn up the air conditioning—to
begin linen closet decluttering; it’s more pleasant to handle blankets and thick towels when you’re fresh
and cool. Ready to STOP clutter in the linen closet?
1 Sort Set the timer for 20 minutes, grab your sorting boxes, and turn your attention to a single shelf,
area, or drawer. Remove everything from the shelf—
sheets, towels, lost toys—and sort into like piles.
Linens to be returned to the closet can be placed on the portable table for refolding; out-of-place items are delivered to the appropriate boxes (Put Away,
Sell/Donate, Storage).
2 Toss Assess your linens while you toss trash. Ripped sheets, ragged towels, and stained tablecloths
deserve an honorable retirement, offering new life if repurposed. Worn pillowcases, a hole snipped for a
hanger, serve as dust covers for stored clothing; the household’s car washer will prize shredded sheets for polishing chrome bumpers.
3Organize
Once the space is clear, use spray cleaner to
remove dust and dirt. Turn to the stacked linens on
the temporary table. Refolding is probably a must, but fold smart ( for folding tips, see pages 193, 194–195).
4Put away
When the shelf is replaced or the timer rings,
grab the Put Away box and circle the house,
restoring items to their proper home. Tuck away the
Storage and Sell/Donate boxes, and toss the trash.
after decluttering ▲
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Top tips for
the linen closet
Crisp sheets, fluffy towels, and colorful tablecloths represent gracious living and a happy home—and deserve proper storage to maintain your investment. Whether your household includes a formal linen closet, or you store linens in a cupboard or chest of drawers, these tips will keep household fabrics looking their best.
1Store clean and dry.
Keep the linen closet fresh and preserve pretty
fabrics by storing only clean, dry linens. Even
if a tablecloth looks clean, any hidden stains will
harden and discolor during storage. Body odors
trapped in blankets can cause musty odors, while
moisture encourages mildew.
2Keep cool, dark, and dry.
The watchwords for proper linen storage:
cool, dark, and dry. In humid areas, packaged
de-humidifying granules will help keep the linen
closet free from moisture and mildew.
3Take turns.
For best wear, ensure that you rotate linens.
Place freshly washed towels at the bottom
of the stack, or draw clean sheets from the bottom
of the pile to use all your linens in rotation.
4Refold.
If linens aren’t in active use, refold them once
or twice a year. This will prevent creases
becoming fixed and avoid fiber damage along the
creases.
▲ Make your bed work. Tuck an extra set of pillowcases and sheets between the mattress and base of every bed. The weight of the mattress will keep linens smooth, and they’ll be close at hand.
5 Avoid cardboard.
They may seem a practical storage option, but
don’t store linens in cardboard boxes. Acids in the
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cardboard transfer to the fabric, causing yellowing
Housework hacks:
and damage, while the glue between the layers is
The word “shambles” must have been
attractive to pests—and when they’re finished with
invented to describe linen shelves after a
the cardboard, they’ll often start feeding on the fabrics.
late-night rummage for a warmer blanket.
6
Carelessly folded linens invite the risk of an
Store sweet and fresh.
avalanche; they tumble and fall to the floor
Tuck fabric softener sheets into the linen closet
at the slightest provocation. Keep stored
or the linen storage areas—and your bedding
linens easy to find and easy to store with
and towels will come out smelling sweet and fresh.
proper folding techniques. Think of it this
7
way: better to fold the linens right just once,
Make bedding bundles.
than to refold them poorly once each time
If you use sheets in sets, store them that way,
you visit the shelf for a fresh towel.
in a “bedding bundle.” Fold both sheets, and
all but one pillowcase. Tuck the folded linens inside the folding linen
▪ Flat sheets. Fold in half lengthwise,
remaining pillowcase and fold the “case” down around quarter them, and then fold in half again.
the linens into a tidy packet.
Depending on the size of the sheet, flip the
8
remaining rectangle into halves or thirds to
Use the shelf system.
make a smooth fabric packet.
Sorting through different-sized bed sheets can
▪ Pillowcases. These look prettiest (and
be an exercise in frustration—just ask any parent
sleep best) when you avoid creating sharp
who has had to change a sick child’s bedding in the
center creases as you fold. To fold, grab the
middle of the night. If space permits, store sheets on pillowcase by the top corners and shake it
different shelves in the linen closet, or label closet smooth. Fold in half lengthwise, then in half
shelves with sheet sizes.
again. You’ll have a long, slender strip of
9
pillowcase; fold gently in half, then in
Introduce a family color strategy.
quarters to store.
Make it easy to get the right sheets on the right
▪ Hand towels and washcloths. Folding
beds by designating a color, pattern, or style of
in quarters makes sense for hand towels and
sheet for each size of bed: plain white sheets for the washcloths, as they’re used more often—and
infant crib, patterned sheets for children’s beds, and solid more quickly—throughout the day. To fold a
colors for the parental double bed. That way, you will hand towel, hold the two upper corners of the
know at a glance which sheet belongs to which bed.
towel’s short side in your hands. Bring your
10
hands together, being sure the right side of the
Make bath bundles.
towel is on the outside of the fold. Tuck the
For easy storage and instant access, make
folded edge between chin and chest as you
bath bundles: sets each containing a bath
grasp the towel halfway down the length. Drop
towel, hand towel, and washcloth. Place the folded
the top half over the bottom. Hang the towel
hand towel and washcloth in the center of the folded or washcloth, or set aside for the linen closet.
bath towel, and roll the three towels together from the short end. Store the rolled bath bundles on their side in the closet, stacking them as needed.
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Folding a fitted sheet
Hospital nurses, military recruits, and my 97-year-old grandmother can make a taut bed using only flat sheets, but the rest of us are grateful for the invention of fitted bottom sheets.
Fitted sheets are great on the bed, but
Carefully lay the sheet down on a large,
Fold the sheet edges to the
can be tricky to fold. Here’s how. Hold
flat surface—such as a table, or the top
inside. The flaps of fabric that
up the sheet, inside-out, and slip your
of a bed—so it is spread out smoothly .
hug the mattress should be
hands inside the top two corners. The wrong
Fold the sheet right side together, slipping
neatly folded down in line with the
side of the fabric should be facing you and
the top corners gently inside the two bottom
corners, making a large rectangle with
the right side should be touching your hands.
corners. Arrange the corners neatly.
all loose edges tucked in smoothly.
Folding a bath towel
Large towels should be folded in thirds, lengthwise, and hung over a towel rack from the center. This ensures that they will dry more quickly after use.
To fold a large bath towel, pick it up so
Bring one corner toward the other to
Pinch the folds between your
that the front is facing you. Grasping
a point roughly two-thirds of the width
fingers and shake the towel
it by the two upper corners, hold the
of the towel. Hold it there as you fold
gently to distribute the folds.
towel up at shoulder height and stretch it
the second corner of the towel over toward
Tuck the towel between your chin
out sideways so that it is smooth and flat.
the first, creating three layers.
and your chest to pin it down.
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“If linens aren’t in active use, refold them once or twice a year to avoid fiber damage along the creases.”
Fold the sheet in half, stacking
Fold the sheet in half again to create
Fold the strip in half, then (depending
all four corners on top of one
a long, narrow strip. The tighter and
on the sheet size) in half or in thirds to
another and encasing the
smoother the folds, the less likely it
make a compact—and wrinkle-free—
folded sheet sides. The curved edges
is that the sheet will become wrinkled—or
rectangle. Match the fitted sheet with its flat
should be tucked down to create a
balloon to an enormous size in the linen
partner (and any pillowcases), and tuck away
(more-or-less) smooth rectangle
storage area.
neatly in the linen closet or linen storage area.
“For best wear, ensure that you rotate linens. Place freshly washed towels on the bottom of the stack.”
Grasp the towel midpoint
Lay the towel on a flat surface and
Having a different-colored towel for each
down its length, then lift
family member makes it easy for people
your chin to allow the top
neat bundle, and store it in the linen
to find the right fresh towel when needed.
half of the towel to drop down
closet. If the towel is to be used right way,
Let children pick the color of their towel and
over the bottom half.
it doesn’t need as many folds; just flip it over
they’ll happily cooperate.
a towel rack.
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Sweet dreams in the
organized
bedroom
Marriage counselors and doctors who treat sleep disorders tell us that clean, uncluttered bedrooms make for happy homes and a good night’s rest—but you wouldn’t know it, judging by the clutter in a typical master bedroom, which for many families becomes a second-level storage area.
The theory seems to be that since the eyes are closed while sleeping, the mind won’t notice the disorder. Tumbled laundry spills over fitness equipment, books and crafts projects compete for floor space, a motley gang of dirty dishes sends colonies of water glasses to new settlements under the bed and atop the bureau, and the bedroom television wears a rakish cap of piled mail and unpaid bills.
A chaotic bedroom makes you feel wired and tired. If you want sweet (organized) dreams, it’s time to get organized—
but be prepared to devote several declutter sessions to rout out chaos in the bedroom.
Get it tidy
Gather your declutter tools—timer, boxes, and garbage bags
—for a STOP clutter session in the bedroom. Because so many unauthorized items wander into the bedroom (or are thrust there, unwilling, at the sound of the doorbell), the Put Away box will do extra duty during a bedroom declutter.
▪ Sort. Set the timer for 20 minutes, and start by tackling the bed area. Drag everything out from beneath it, and behind and inside the nightstand. Sort each item into one of the boxes: Put Away, for items that belong in other rooms; Sell/Donate for no-longer-needed items that are still in good repair; Storage, for items that belong in storage areas. Using the same
◀ Calm oasis. A bedroom is the home’s most personal space.
Time spent there should be devoted to rest and renewal. Clean and decluttered, the bedroom can be an oasis of calm and order.
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strategy, move on to dressers and bureaus, and any clutter littering the floor. Work systematically around the space and, Tips for bedroom
little by little, you’ll reclaim the bedroom as the sanctuary it’s clutter personalities
intended to be.
▪ Toss. As you sort, consign broken items and litter straight Our bedrooms reveal more about us than our to the garbage bag.
▪
taste in bed linens; they offer bedrock evidence of
Organize. The smart declutterer notes where the clutter is clutter personality type. Expressing personal taste in coming from, and then looks for ways to prevent the build-up the bedroom is one thing, but try to rein in clutter in the future. As you declutter, pay attention to the cause of personality excess with these tips:
the problem. Scattered piles of dirty clothes signal a need for a laundry basket in a nearby spot. Linty piles of pocket change,
▪ Sentimentalist. Visiting the sentimentalist’s subway tickets, and crumpled receipts can be kept under bedroom is like a trip in a time capsule. Too often, control with a pretty copper bowl or wooden box designated the room sports so many cherished symbols of the
for pocket-emptying at day’s end. Stacks of unopened moving past that there’s no room to move. Childhood
boxes, resident along the wall since you moved in, indicate a teddies nestle next to sports equipment, the walls
need for a household storage plan.
▪
are papered with posters and portraits tracking
Put away. When the timer bell rings, stop the session. Circle earlier enthusiasms, and bureaus sprout a forest of
the house with the Put Away box, put Sell/Donate items in the athletic trophies.
car trunk for delivery to charity. Add Storage items to attic, If you’re a bedroom sentimentalist, learn to celebrate basement or garage storage areas.
the now! Cut the ties to sentimental clutter by saving Keep it clean
a
symbol and releasing the surplus. Deforest the bureau of a trophy collection, for example, by choosing the If the bedroom is to be a calm and peaceful haven, it’s not most memorable award. Photograph it, and then write
enough for it to be tidy—it must be clean, too. To achieve this, a brief description of the memory it provokes. Tuck
include it in the household cleaning schedule. The primary goal: photo and journal entry into a scrapbook—then
to reduce and remove dust, dander, and other irritants.
donate the trophy collection to a youth organization Weekly vacuuming and dusting is a must in the bedroom.
for recycling.
Pay particular attention to window treatments; vacuuming drapes and dusting shades will help to keep air quality high.
▪
Baseboards, too, need regular attention to keep dust build-up Rebel. The bedroom can be the last refuge of a away. If the room contains a television, computer, or rebel clutter personality. While he or she may present entertainment center, use an electrostatic dry cleaning cloth a self-controlled face in the rest of the house, the to collect dust weekly, as electronic equipment attracts dust.
riotous bedroom remains, strewn knee-deep in rumpled Wash windows seasonally, and wipe down sills and window clothing and half-eaten sandwiches.
fittings to remove dust and dirt. A lambswool duster picks up If you’re a rebel, remind yourself that you’re a big any dusty residue on walls and snags cobwebs on ceilings or kid now! Big kids have better things to do in their
in corners; when necessary, wash the walls to remove smudges bedrooms than relive a childhood power struggle. Give and stains. Seasonal cleaning should also include lampshades yourself permission to pursue your adult side, and create and the light-diffusing bowls from overhead fixtures; you’ll see an atmosphere of relaxation, not rebellion, in this most clearly and cut the dust with clean lighting. Allergy sufferers may intimate of all rooms.
want to add a portable air filtration unit to improve air quality.
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