think about it Thursday...

Today I am thinking about my linen closet!

I have this linen closet in my bathroom...we have lived in our home for almost 4 years...somehow I can't quite seem to keep it organized. I guess the real problem is that it was never REALLY organized to begin with. It is the place that things get thrown, shoved or placed and not really ever looked at again! I have "straightened" it up in the past, but with in days it is a mess again.

I have always had visions of a nicely organized linen closet so a few days ago I decided to get it done!

The main problem area tends to be the bottom of the closet. I have linens for guests, extra pillows, towels, an extra "girl" crib set (I have only used once...so there it sits!). Any time the kids need a band aid, play hide and seek, or think they need something out of there all the pillows, and towels end up on the floor. I should normally be able to walk into this closet a few feet, but that rarely happens!

Look at all that stuff on the floor! It gets stepped on and unfolded faster than you can blink your eyes!

While I was clearing everything out I found a few gems that got shoved into this lovely black hole: Like these white alligators from the zoo...You know the kind that squeak when you squeeze them? Well, when my parents took all three of the older ones to the zoo they ALL came back with these dreadful things. I believe these 2 were put in eternal "time out" a few months ago! Some things aren't so hard to throw away!

Then I came across my very LAST caboodle! Yup...your reading that right! Do you remember these things? I used to have a really big one with the wing trays that would spread to each side and the tray that would lift out. Oh, those were the days! Well...this little beauty was empty and taking up much needed space. I finally had the guts to let it go and throw it away! I thought about giving it to my daughter to play with, but honestly she doesn't need any more "containers" in her room!

Another find was my old dance makeup bag from high school and college. I used to compete in Latin Ballroom dancing and was on teams in both high school and college. Oh the tours and hours spent applying makeup, gluing on fake nails and eyelashes, bronzing my skin with powder and sunless tanners, and spraying my hair black! Those were the days. It was really hard for me to part with this bag, but I figured that taking a picture of it might help!

Seriously what describes my highschool years more than my phase with the blue mascara, and my travel size bottle of Heaven from the GAP!!?? Oh...the memories! Don't worry...I DID throw it away...I just had to stare at it for a while first! ; )

And here is the final product. A closet that is purged of old trash and unused items!

First thing I did after pulling everything out was use these great sage colored bins that I picked up at Walmart to house my towels and linens. One problem with stacking them directly on the shelves for our family was that it was almost impossible for you to grab a towel off the top without pulling the whole stack onto the floor...and somehow no one was ever able to figure out how to pick up the fallen stack right after! So placing them all in this bin insures that you really can take JUST ONE towel at a time! Also I used one for my linens and stuff. Honestly we don't have over night guests that often and so keeping them all together where they can't be involved in the mess on the floor is awesome!

I also took some left over linoleum that we have from when we moved in to line second shelf from the top. Have any of you tried to store bottles of stuff on these stupid wire shelves? It is a disaster! I HATE wire shelves! But a strip of linoleum does the trick. Now I am able to store my bottles of shampoo, lotion, etc. without them constantly tipping over! I LOVE IT! It is my goal to stock up on bathroom stuff for my storage...I have visions of someday having rows and rows of toiletries in storage...someday...!

Next I bought an extra set of drawers. We had been using a tub with a lid to house our band aids, neosporen, etc.. but somehow it seems impossible to replace the lid after getting into the tub and it always seemed to be shoved on the wrong shelf. (although I guess there can't be a "wrong"shelf it there NEVER was a "right" shelf... at least that I explained to anyone else...I guess if the "right" shelf only exists in MY mind then I can't really get mad...can I?)

I used one of the drawers at the bottom to hold the band aids (we seriously go through a box a week in the summer...i'm not kidding) then I used the other drawers to hold things like extra razors, travel size toothpastes, shampoos, etc...(does anyone else seem to have an over flowing supply of these? When you have 5 people going to the dentist every 6 months we always have this stuff coming out our ears!) Now we have a place to put them!

And last but not least I went through my stuff stuck at the bottom of the closet! I got rid of a TON of stuff that we just hadn't used since we moved here 4 years ago. I figure if we haven't used it then I needed to donate it or throw it away!. I usually keep the plastic zip up thingys that new linens and comforters come in to store extras in. I wish I could just buy some new ones, but I was able to cut my stuff down at the bottom in half!

So there you have it! Mission complete! It has been 5 days and things are still where they should be.

What closet can you organize today?

Think about it...