Linen closets and coat closets

Lisa wrote a great post earlier this week about cleaning closets--especially clothes closets. You can find it here.

She is absolutely right on. Take everything out and sort it, then put it back in. It's too hard to try to clean here and there around what's in the closet. And somehow, clothes closets need to be sorted through a couple of times a year. 

Especially when kids are little and grow all the time. I remember finding outfits with the tags still on that they'd outgrown before they'd worn them once--all because I hadn't taken the time to go through their clothes often enough.

I think that coat closets and linen closets are some of the hardest to organize--because they hold such a variety of things.

Our coat closet has some cleaning things, including mops and brooms, as well as things like hats and scarves and mittens looking for their friends.

The linen closet is the same way. I holds some sheets and towels, as well as the upstairs cleaning supplies and all the medicines. I have the hardest time with medicines because the bottles and boxes are all such funny shapes. Help!

In our house in California, it worked to keep shoe pocket organizers on the back of the closet doors to hold hats and mittens and scarves in the coat closet, as well as extra bars of soaps and medicines in the linen closet. But it doesn't work with the closet doors I have now.

Here are pictures of my two rogue closets--I didn't straighten anything before taking the pictures!

(Oops, went to take pictures and then forgot all about this post. But I need a little reading break, so I'm back!)

Here's what I see from my own pictures of the coat closet: 

• Lots of unused space on the top shelves.
• The baskets are pretty much empty.
• The hanging shelves are a good idea, but stuff is falling out of them like crazy.
• Once I'd hung all my coats together, all of Toben's together, and so on. No one else is keeping it that way!

I think we need to come up with a better system. Maybe put all the girls' stuff in the baskets below--hats, scarves, etc.--since they can easily reach them, and come up with something on the shelf for Toben and myself.

And the linen closet:

 

• There really aren't many linens in here. 
• Cleaning supplies are kind of taking over three shelves and not really organized by type.
• The medicines aren't working in my four-drawer thing. Especially since one drawer isn't even it in, but sitting separately!
• The top shelf has lots more vertical space.

Again, we need a better system for medicines. And something to keep cleaning supplies together and where they belong (furniture polish, dusting clothes together; bathroom cleaning supplies together, etc.).

So what are your coat and linen closet challenges? And what's worked well for you?

Comments

[Holly @ Crownlaiddown]

OK, I have a silly, but pitifully true answer. I am challenegd by them and immediately I close them. Poof! Problem is gone! Hee hee!

I look forward to reading what others do...other than my avoidance. :o)

[Stephanie]

I have a way to resolve the coat closet....just move the south...I have no problems with my coat closet. Now linene closet and craft closet is another story.

[Megan]

This is my first time commenting on your blog so "hello!" I love it and have been lurking for a few months now.

Not sure about your set-up. But, where are your linens? I don't have much space in my linen closet so I keep my medicines in my kitchen and bathroom cleaning supplies under one half of the bathroom sink cabinet. Then in my linen closet is space for linens, towels, and extra toilet paper and tissues, etc. I also have one big shoe-box (the size boots come in) full of bandages, alcohol, peroxide, etc. Works nicely.
My coat closet I just recently organized. I used the elfa system from The Container Store. All elfa stuff is on sale right now, by the way, I think until 2/9? I have a very small closet so we did half shelves w/baskets for hats/gloves and half coats, at 2 heights so the kids can hang their own. Ours are up high. We also have a cloth diaper pail and vacuum in there.
Good luck.

[Kate]

It's just me in this house, so my linen closet is fairly organized...in fact, I keep my slacks and shoes in that closet 'cause it's actually bigger than my bedroom closet. My only linen closet dilema is keeping Simon (my cat) from sliding the door open and curling up on my bath rugs, and if they all happen to be clean and there is no room for him to curl up, he just pulls them out until he can fit...stinker!

[Jen]

I have limited linen closet space too. I have started keeping sheet sets underneath everyone's mattresses! They are out of the way, stay folded and neat, and are right there when I'm ready to change linens. Work great!

As for medicines, do you have a space where you could hang a small cupboard over the toilet? That's worked for me to keep the kids medicines organized but out of reach. I also try NOT to overbuy medicines. I can tend to want to have one of everything on hand but as the kids have gotten older this has been easier to avoid and keep the closet less cluttered too!

Good luck!

[Kim Feth]

I have recently cleaned all of our closets over Christmas Break. That's the nice thing about working for the school system and having two weeks off! As someone who has battled weight issues recently, it was nice to pull out all of the clothes that are too big and donate them to someone else. I realized I was holding onto the fear that I would put the weight back on. Now I can't, put the weight back on because that would involve buying an entire wardrobe (all seasons). I also held up all other clothing and asked my husband, "When it did fit, did you like seeing me in this?" If the answer was, "Not really", out it went. Weird thing is, this was a closet cleaning exercise, but he ended up feeling valued and respected. A definite "two-fer".
Our house is small and our linen closet/clothes closet are the same, and our boardgames took up most of the space. So, I re-arranged the furniture around our mantle and now all of the kiddo/family board games are out by the fireplace. It's amazing how many more boardgames we're playing now that they're out in the open. Our next expenditure that we are saving for is one of those ottomans that opens up to store the boardgames so that they're still easy to get to.
Good practical advice sharing at this post and the other site's post.
Peace,
Kim Feth
Apex, NC

[Closets]

Hi,

The closet pictures are really nice. Closets are giving a new look to the total home.

Thank you
Nancy.

[Closets]

Hi,

The closet pictures are really nice. Closets are giving a new look to the total home.

Thank you
Nancy.

[Amy]

The bathroom is not a good place to store medicines...the humidity makes them lose potency faster than they should.