Monday, April 30, 2012

The Linen Cupboard

THE most embarassing cupboard in the whole house right? The one cupboard that we do NOT want out guests to open by mistake because they all look something like mine:


Or after reading A Thrifty Mrs blog post on storage last week, my cupboard USED to look like that!

The problem was the sheets. They just don't stack nicely. The fitted sheets just don't fold properly either. And it's Miss 10's job to fold the washing so the sheets often just get tossed onto the shelves and the doors banged shut before they fall down.  Everytime I opened the doors I felt depressed and thought that it was just too much to tackle today, I'll worry about that tomorrow (as Scarlet O'Hara says) so I just closed the doors again.

A Thrifty Mrs Tip? To store the sheets INSIDE the pillow case! I know.....so freaking simple right??? But how come I never thought of this before?    DOH!


The sheets in progress.....


And the finished result. I got more room on the shelves because everything was stacked neatly, and my bath towels actually were able to be stacked properly inside of teetering on the edge.  The floor is free from towels and crap in general.  The very top shelf is even bare! 

The best part? This took me only half an hour to do.    So nobody really has any excuse NOT to have a neatly stacked linen cupboard.  Just imagine what it could have looked like if I had spent an hour in there!

Please check out A Thrifty Mrs blog as she is a pure genuis in the handy tips department.  A latest post is all about vinegar and the uses in the home.  And what you can use old toothbrushes for!  She even recently did several posts on how to bid on eBay.

So, who is going to restack their cupboards this weekend???!

29 comments:

  1. What a clever idea! I have been struggling to find something for my mother for mother's day - do you think organizing the linen closet would be something nice to do? :)

    Our's is a mess, LOL.

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    1. As a mother I can attest to the fact that having my daughter organize my linen closet would be one of my top five favorite gifts ever.

      Thanks doll,
      The Glamorous Housewife

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    2. I would give my left big toe for someone to come around and clean my cupboards! Best present ever Hannah!

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  2. Well my linen closets is looking pretty good, but I have a 'crap' room that I think I might tackle this week. I can barely open the door because it is so full of stuff. Lets see if I can work up the motivation :)

    Thanks doll,
    The Glamorous Housewife

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    1. I refuse to believe that anything in your house looks crap dear Glamorous Housewife!

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  3. A friend of mine once said that you're not a real grownup until you know how to fold a fitted sheet properly. I guess I will never be a grown up. :) The pillowcase idea sounds perfect though!

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    1. Laura, aint anybody EVER going to be grownup in that case. I detest folding fitted sheets.

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  4. Wow! That's a great tip! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. So jealous! I have a pretty good sized house... but it is almost completely bereft of good storage. I don't have a linen closet at all, or a cleaning closet, either. We do, at least hav a decent pantry, although the builders put in fixed shelves, so there's a lot of wasted space and I end up with the kids stuffing things in and making a mess like in your linen closet. Changing the fixed shelves out for adjustable shelves will be my big project when the older kids get out of school so that they can watch the toddler while I work. Yea!

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    1. I would go mad with no storage space. As it is all mine is full and I need double again.

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  6. Have you seen this video on how to fold a fitted sheet? I' m old enough to have a 16 year old, and I had never seen anything like this until a few months ago. Kills me that I spent so many years doing it he hard way (which mo often than not meant not at all because it was too much work).

    (crud... the comment system won't let me paste... If you do a google search on "how to fold a fitted sheet", it should be the first hit... it's a YouTube video from Living on a dime).

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  7. That's amazing! I almost wish I had a linen cupboard.

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  8. Hehe, my aunt taught me how to fold a fitted sheet last summer, it was a complete revelation.
    I have the problem of sheet sets not coming with enough pillowcases for all the pillows I keep piled on the bed, and those extra stray sheets that don't belong...

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  9. Brilliant idea! I might have to try it out. Any tips on overloaded utensil drawers? ;)

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  10. LOL that first one looks like my house. :D I have better things to do with my time (hair/make up/shop online/sleep) than tidy my cupboard.

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    1. Miss T, I detest cleaning and find any excuse NOT to do it...sometimes I just gotta!

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  11. My gramma taught me to do this forever ago! I thought it was pretty commonplace. I do it more now than I did in the past because my linen closet is laughably small - definitely saves room and looks so much neater.

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    1. This was something even my grandma doesnt know about!

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  12. I'm with u Miss Tallulah, better things to do, plus I literally have no built in cupboards except kitchen and vanity in bath. It helps when u have decent places to put things, my pet peev! Ohh to win Lotto and build my dream house! Awesome post btw! ;-)

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  13. Ah thank you so much for mentioning me in your post. I'm so pleased that it works for you. Isn't it really satisfying to have it all lined up neatly? Or am I just really easily satisfied? haha.

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    1. It is very satisfying and dont worry, being easily satisfied is a marvellous way to be ;)

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  14. Such a fabulous idea! My linen closet is always a mess!

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