Moving? How to Declutter and Reorganize Your Linen Closet

We’d all love to throw open our linen closet doors when we need an item to find neatly stacked and organized shelves. Perhaps not unlike what you’d see in an MLS listing or a home design magazine.

The reality is though, for most people, linen closets are packed with blankets, sheets, towels, and miscellaneous items. Yet, most people only use 20% of what they own, 80% of the time. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to declutter and reorganize your linen space. 

Now that you’re getting ready to sell your home and move, people will be checking out the closets — including your linen closet. It’s the ideal time to get a handle on this unruly space. Not only do clean linen closets show better to potential buyers, but the packing will be a breeze, and it’s an excellent way to start fresh in a new home — with a clean, pre-organized linen closet.

Here are some tips to get started before your move.

Remove All Items From Your Closet and Sort

First, remove everything from your linen closet to get a full idea of what you have, what you need, and what you can eliminate. Chances are you’ll find several items you rarely, if ever, use. An empty closet can give you inspiration for organizing. You essentially have an open canvass to arrange belongings practically and conveniently. 

As you empty your closet shelves, set the items in one of four piles: Keep, discard, donate, and repurpose.

  • Keep pile — Place items you actively use (or newfound ones you’d like to use) into this pile so you can prioritize them when they’re put back away.
  • Discard pile — This pile is for items that are no longer usable or worn beyond repair.
  • Donate pile — Compile items you no longer need or want that are acceptable for donation or consignment.
  • Repurpose pile — Make a pile for old linens to use for other purposes. (For example, worn-out towels are great for cleaning, and old sheets as drop cloths.)

Separating items into piles for easy viewing makes it easier to determine what to do with them. Use the Marie Kondo philosophy for any items you’re unsure about – ask yourself – does it spark joy? If not, don’t put it back into your closet.

Give Your Closet Some Flair

Once you’ve got an empty closet, if you want to jazz it up for resale, now is the time. Drab paint? Give it a fresh coat of paint. Want to brighten up your shelving? Add a new shelving liner or contact paper.

Assess Your Space and Arrange Items

Look at your “keep” pile and assess the best way to store these items. Decide if you want to categorize items by type or by room. For instance, do you want to keep all sheets together? Or do you want to put blankets, pillowcases, and sheets together for each room? It doesn’t matter what system you choose, as long as you find one that makes sense to you and keeps things in their proper place. If it helps family members remember, add labels designating where items go.

Fold Items Neatly

To maximize your space, fold items properly. Good Housekeeping offers a video for how to fold sheets properly. Put items you don’t regularly use into vacuum-sealed bags and place on a high or low shelf, or better yet, begin your packing process by packing those items in moving boxes now.

Consider Hanging Organizers

If you keep miscellaneous items in your linen closet (soaps, lotions, etc.) or simply want to store smaller linens in an easy-access space, add hanging basket shelves to one or two of your shelves. This works best if you have sufficient space between each shelf because you can still store larger items under the baskets. If your shelves are too narrow, try putting smaller items in baskets or small cube bins to store smaller things on a shelf.

Moving Made Easy

As a moving company, we’ve seen closets of all shapes and sizes. A good declutter and organization system goes a long way towards spiffing things up and helping with your home’s sale.

Need help getting packed and moved? Contact us for a free quote. We can help simplify your move.

3 Ways to Downsize Efficiently and Move On

Having a large home can be overwhelming if you are living in it alone. Downsizing can make taking care of your home more manageable and less stressful. 

It’s amazing how much stuff a person can accumulate over a few years’ time. When you start to downsize, there are several things you can do to make sure your move goes smoothly and that you don’t have any misunderstandings between family members.

Here are some ways to help you with your downsizing effort.

Donate Items to Charity

Moving to a smaller home or apartment means that you will more than likely have a lot of extra furniture, cooking utensils, and other household items. Many local charities will pick up donations of large items like beds, sofas, and dressers. Just notify them about what you have and schedule a time for pick up. 

Most charities will also provide you with a receipt allowing you to take your donation off of your taxes at the end of the year. Once you have a list of items you want to donate, call your favorite charity, and schedule a pick-up time.

If there are items you just can’t part with yet, consider renting a storage unit. It might ease your concern about parting with things you aren’t ready to let go of.

Ask Family Members What They Would Like to Have

If you have family heirlooms or keepsakes, you may want to arrange to give these to your family members. This ensures that all of the things go to the person you want to have them. This will eliminate any disputes later and will make your move much easier. Another advantage of distributing family heirlooms is that there is less likelihood of something getting broken with repeated moves. 

Talk to each family member and find out what they would like to have. Once you have decided who will receive what item, make arrangements to have them come over and pick it up.

Find the Right Space

The hardest part about downsizing is making sure you have the right amount of space in your new home. 

After you have decluttered your current home, schedule a meeting with a real estate agent in your area. If possible, select a realtor called a Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SERS) to help you sell your house. SERS realtors have experience working with clients that need to downsize. An excellent way to find a reliable agent is to ask friends and family for referrals. 

People who have recently downsized might have leads on real estate agents who understand your unique needs. Another way to find a realtor is to connect with a relocation specialist. They can refer you to realtors in your area and help you navigate the relocation process if you are moving to a new state.

Relocation Help

Downsizing is a great way to maintain control over your living area. Although it may seem overwhelming at first, once you make the final decision, you will feel like a burden has been lifted off your shoulders. You will have the peace of mind you need to live comfortably without having to deal with excess clutter. Downsizing also makes caring for your home much more manageable and will give you more free time to enjoy your day.

We can help with your downsizing move! Contact us today for a free quote.