I am due to reset my linen closet. The space serves for more long-term storage than daily access and, therefore, gradually descends into disorder as I pull out beach towels, swap out seasonal couch pillows, and restock the paper products. I do have storage helpers in there: the spare bed pillows are in vacuum seal bags to reduce their space-hoggishness, the beach towels are in a zippered bag with a window, the spare sheets are folded tightly and wrapped in the matching pillowcases, but over time I have not put things back into their containers. The most recently used beach towels are parked on the shelf next to the zippered bag in which they belong. To make matters worse, I use the closet doors to stage my travel outfits and, by so doing, make access to the space difficult on a regular basis. That explains the pillows that my husband pulled out to consider which are now on the guest room couch and have been there for months. I have accumulated a random collection of pillowcases and curtains that have fallen from favor but are still clinging to valuable space. Like I said, I am due to reset.
What will the reset process look like? When I have the time—at least two hours—and energy—quantity unknown!—I will empty the entire linen closet. As I remove the contents, I will quiz the linens: Are you in good condition? Do you fit our current needs? Do I still like you? Those linens that fail the quiz will also be removed to the “outbound zone” where I put anything that is on the way out of the house. The worn-out linens will eventually be donated to the local pet shelter; the linens that no longer meet our needs or style will go to a thrift store. After I complete the reset process, all those donations will go into the capacious trunk of my Kia so that they do not hang around indefinitely.
If I find items that do not belong in the linens category (And I surely will!), I will take them to their proper homes immediately. There is not enough room in my sorting area to let those imposers hang around until the end of the process.
Once the emptying and sorting process is complete, it will be time to refill the closet. Like items will be contained again and located on the shelves that most suit their frequency of use: long-term storage of light items will go on the highest shelf, more commonly accessed items will occupy the middle shelves that are easiest to access, and the heavy paper goods will return to the floor under the lowest shelf in a box that slides in and out with little effort. I will not stack more than three high unless the linens are identical since that would make it more difficult to take out and put away the items on the bottom. I want this reset to last as long as possible!
The result: peace of mind that the linen closet is back in order. It is a task that lurks in the back of my mind and reminds me that I am an organizer with a disorganized space—how embarrassing! The next time I need to pull something out or put it away, I will be thankful for the return to order and easy access.
