The Linen Closet

As I continue through October in my greening up mission, de-cluttering has taken a more prominent role in my daily chores. In tackling the big de-cluttering projects, like the garage and the storage area, I have come to see that I don't even have to watch horror movies as halloween approaches. The garage and storage area are scary enough!

So sometimes, it's a good idea to take on a more manageable task, such as the linen closet. It can be completed in a few hours, not a few days or weeks. And it gives me a sense of accomplishment.

This was what the linen closet looked like:

Stuffed to the gills with who knows what!

Pillow cases, shams, sheets, dust ruffles stuffed willy-nilly in the closet.

Full sheet sets mixed with queen sheet sets mixed in with twin.

No uniform folding method. Pillow cases with no sheet sets to pair them with.

And a bunch of non-linen type things living on the top shelf.

This wasn't a linen closet. It was absolute anarchy!

Just like the bathroom closet, the first thing I did was take everything out. 

That makes cleaning off the shelves and putting down shelf liner easier.

Once again, I threw out anything that was ripped or tattered or worn beyond repair. 

All the non-linen items were removed and either put elsewhere or in a donation pile.

Now twin sheets, full sheets, and queen sheets each have their own shelf.

Extra pillow cases are folded and easily accessible.

Dust ruffles and pillow shams have their own separate area.

As do tablecloths and cloth napkins.

Now, making the bed or setting the table doesn't involve an avalanche beforehand!

De-Cluttering Part One

One of the difficult things I've found since I've started to green up my environment is that I am living in a shared space. Just because one person in a shared space (me) has decided to make some changes doesn't mean that everyone sharing that space shares those goals.

I wanted to find a space that wasn't enveloped in cleaners and air fresheners. So I decided to start the de-cluttering in the downstairs bathroom -- this would be a spot where I could transition to green cleaners while the transitional cleaners could still be used in the upstairs bathroom.

But first it had to be de-cluttered!

See? This is what the bathroom closet looked like.

On the bottom, there were cleaning products where visiting nieces and nephews had direct access to them.

There were all kinds of miss-mashed products and towels and appliances crammed on the shelves.

Cleaners right next to products that you put in your mouth or on your skin, moth balls next to foot powder, and trash bags resting on top of it all.

Way too many of each product, some of them expired.

And a top shelf no-man's land where things just kind of got tossed.

The products had spilled out of the closet and were all over the shelf in the bathroom.

 And don't even get me started about under the sink!

I had my work cut out for me!

The first thing I did was clear out the entire closet and wipe down the shelves.

Then I put down some shelf liner.

Next, it was time to group products into categories. (It doesn't make sense to put toothpaste and towels on the same shelf!) Then put each category into its own separate basket or container.

 Towels were rolled and placed together in a basket.

Cleaning products placed together in a bucket that could be taken out all at once.

Now, you can open the closet and in an instant, see exactly what is in there!

No more dangerous cleaning products down low where little prying hands can get them!

Expired items or products that had separated or had a funny smell were tossed. The rest in bins.

The cleaning bucket high up on the third shelf!

And the cleaning products not close or touching personal care items.

Always a good idea to label the bins. Though I do not have a label maker, a sharpie and some stickers will do the job just as well!

Top shelf reserved for potentially dangerous products. 

(Now the air-fresheners fall into that category in my mind!)

I'd like to get rid of the air fresheners completely, but again, with a shared space, we have to make changes in baby steps!

The shelf is now clear save for a few select items displayed in decorative containers.

Now I can look under the sink without the fear of being attacked by a monster of some sort!

Just a basket of towels and wash cloths, a basket with hair dryers, and a couple travel bags -- easily accessible for that next plane trip!

The entire process took about 3 hours, beginning to end. It's a start. A little oasis of reduced clutter where I can start transitioning over to green cleaners. 

Of course, looking back in at all the personal hygiene products -- the powders and lotions and deodorants and shampoo and conditioner and dental products lead to another question to ponder: do we really need all this stuff?

But that is a question for another day.

CLUTTER

Up until now, I have been focusing on things that directly affect health; dust and chemicals from air fresheners are respiratory irritants that result in specific symptoms. However, there is another culprit that was contributing to the headaches, nausea, and stuffiness: clutter.

Clutter can be described as all the stuff that accumulates in our homes because of either negligence or sentimental attachment. Far from adding quality to our lives, clutter actually robs us of our time, our space, our finances our peace of mind, and yes -- our health. When you cannot find your keys because they are lost in a jumble of stuff, you waste time searching for them. If articles of clothing are jammed in overstuffed closets, they become frayed and worn more quickly. Or we may end up buying even more clothing because we cannot easily see what we already have. Studies have shown that people in cluttered environments report higher levels of stress and a more difficult time concentrating on mental tasks. Plus, excessive clutter makes cleaning up the environment that much harder.

One of the basic principles on the home organization website FlyLady  states "You cannot clean clutter." In other words, any attempt to clean up or green up your indoor environment will ultimately be unsuccessful until you reduce the amount of unnecessary items in that environment.

Clutter not only acts as a place for dust to accumulate, but also may block physical access to high accumulation areas for dust, such as clothing piles or drapes. Furthermore, the clutter itself often leaches out VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into the air, which can contribute health problems.

So it's official; my next mission for greening up the indoors is de-cluttering!