Cut the Clutter

by Dorling Kindersley

  Save-your-back tip: set up a portable table or clean another surface nearby when decluttering the linen closet. There will be a good deal of refolding to do, so make the process easier on your lower back with a good work area.

  before decluttering ▲

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  STOP clutter in the linen closet

  Pick a cool day—or turn up the air conditioning—to

  begin linen closet decluttering; it’s more pleasant to handle blankets and thick towels when you’re fresh

  and cool. Ready to STOP clutter in the linen closet?

  1 Sort Set the timer for 20 minutes, grab your sorting boxes, and turn your attention to a single shelf,

  area, or drawer. Remove everything from the shelf—

  sheets, towels, lost toys—and sort into like piles.

  Linens to be returned to the closet can be placed on the portable table for refolding; out-of-place items are delivered to the appropriate boxes (Put Away,

  Sell/Donate, Storage).

  2 Toss Assess your linens while you toss trash. Ripped sheets, ragged towels, and stained tablecloths

  deserve an honorable retirement, offering new life if repurposed. Worn pillowcases, a hole snipped for a

  hanger, serve as dust covers for stored clothing; the household’s car washer will prize shredded sheets for polishing chrome bumpers.

  3Organize

  Once the space is clear, use spray cleaner to

  remove dust and dirt. Turn to the stacked linens on

  the temporary table. Refolding is probably a must, but fold smart ( for folding tips, see pages 193, 194–195).

  4Put away

  When the shelf is replaced or the timer rings,

  grab the Put Away box and circle the house,

  restoring items to their proper home. Tuck away the

  Storage and Sell/Donate boxes, and toss the trash.

  after decluttering ▲

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  Top tips for

  the linen closet

  Crisp sheets, fluffy towels, and colorful tablecloths represent gracious living and a happy home—and deserve proper storage to maintain your investment. Whether your household includes a formal linen closet, or you store linens in a cupboard or chest of drawers, these tips will keep household fabrics looking their best.

  1Store clean and dry.

  Keep the linen closet fresh and preserve pretty

  fabrics by storing only clean, dry linens. Even

  if a tablecloth looks clean, any hidden stains will

  harden and discolor during storage. Body odors

  trapped in blankets can cause musty odors, while

  moisture encourages mildew.

  2Keep cool, dark, and dry.

  The watchwords for proper linen storage:

  cool, dark, and dry. In humid areas, packaged

  de-humidifying granules will help keep the linen

  closet free from moisture and mildew.

  3Take turns.

  For best wear, ensure that you rotate linens.

  Place freshly washed towels at the bottom

  of the stack, or draw clean sheets from the bottom

  of the pile to use all your linens in rotation.

  4Refold.

  If linens aren’t in active use, refold them once

  or twice a year. This will prevent creases

  becoming fixed and avoid fiber damage along the

  creases.

  ▲ Make your bed work. Tuck an extra set of pillowcases and sheets between the mattress and base of every bed. The weight of the mattress will keep linens smooth, and they’ll be close at hand.

  5 Avoid cardboard.

  They may seem a practical storage option, but

  don’t store linens in cardboard boxes. Acids in the

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  cardboard transfer to the fabric, causing yellowing

  Housework hacks:

  and damage, while the glue between the layers is

  The word “shambles” must have been

  attractive to pests—and when they’re finished with

  invented to describe linen shelves after a

  the cardboard, they’ll often start feeding on the fabrics.

  late-night rummage for a warmer blanket.

  6

  Carelessly folded linens invite the risk of an

  Store sweet and fresh.

  avalanche; they tumble and fall to the floor

  Tuck fabric softener sheets into the linen closet

  at the slightest provocation. Keep stored

  or the linen storage areas—and your bedding

  linens easy to find and easy to store with

  and towels will come out smelling sweet and fresh.

  proper folding techniques. Think of it this

  7

  way: better to fold the linens right just once,

  Make bedding bundles.

  than to refold them poorly once each time

  If you use sheets in sets, store them that way,

  you visit the shelf for a fresh towel.

  in a “bedding bundle.” Fold both sheets, and

  all but one pillowcase. Tuck the folded linens inside the folding linen

  ▪ Flat sheets. Fold in half lengthwise,

  remaining pillowcase and fold the “case” down around quarter them, and then fold in half again.

  the linens into a tidy packet.

  Depending on the size of the sheet, flip the

  8

  remaining rectangle into halves or thirds to

  Use the shelf system.

  make a smooth fabric packet.

  Sorting through different-sized bed sheets can

  ▪ Pillowcases. These look prettiest (and

  be an exercise in frustration—just ask any parent

  sleep best) when you avoid creating sharp

  who has had to change a sick child’s bedding in the

  center creases as you fold. To fold, grab the

  middle of the night. If space permits, store sheets on pillowcase by the top corners and shake it

  different shelves in the linen closet, or label closet smooth. Fold in half lengthwise, then in half

  shelves with sheet sizes.

  again. You’ll have a long, slender strip of

  9

  pillowcase; fold gently in half, then in

  Introduce a family color strategy.

  quarters to store.

  Make it easy to get the right sheets on the right

  ▪ Hand towels and washcloths. Folding

  beds by designating a color, pattern, or style of

  in quarters makes sense for hand towels and

  sheet for each size of bed: plain white sheets for the washcloths, as they’re used more often—and

  infant crib, patterned sheets for children’s beds, and solid more quickly—throughout the day. To fold a

  colors for the parental double bed. That way, you will hand towel, hold the two upper corners of the

  know at a glance which sheet belongs to which bed.

  towel’s short side in your hands. Bring your

  10

  hands together, being sure the right side of the

  Make bath bundles.

  towel is on the outside of the fold. Tuck the

  For easy storage and instant access, make

  folded edge between chin and chest as you

  bath bundles: sets each containing a bath

  grasp the towel halfway down the length. Drop

  towel, hand towel, and washcloth. Place the folded

  the top half over the bottom. Hang the towel

  hand towel and washcloth in the center of the folded or washcloth, or set aside for the linen closet.

  bath towel, and roll the three towels together from the short end. Store the rolled bath bundles on their side in the closet, stacking them as needed.

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  CYCLES OF AN ORGANIZED HOME

  Folding a fitted sheet

  Hospital nurses, military recruits, and my 97-year-old grandmother can make a taut bed using only flat sheets, but the rest of us are grateful for the invention of fitted bottom sheets.

  Fitted sheets are great on the bed, but

  Carefully lay the sheet down on a large,

  Fold the sheet edges to the

  can be tricky to fold. Here’s how. Hold

  flat surface—such as a table, or the top

  inside. The flaps of fabric that

  up the sheet, inside-out, and slip your

  of a bed—so it is spread out smoothly .

  hug the mattress should be

  hands inside the top two corners. The wrong

  Fold the sheet right side together, slipping

  neatly folded down in line with the

  side of the fabric should be facing you and

  the top corners gently inside the two bottom

  corners, making a large rectangle with

  the right side should be touching your hands.

  corners. Arrange the corners neatly.

  all loose edges tucked in smoothly.

  Folding a bath towel

  Large towels should be folded in thirds, lengthwise, and hung over a towel rack from the center. This ensures that they will dry more quickly after use.

  To fold a large bath towel, pick it up so

  Bring one corner toward the other to

  Pinch the folds between your

  that the front is facing you. Grasping

  a point roughly two-thirds of the width

  fingers and shake the towel

  it by the two upper corners, hold the

  of the towel. Hold it there as you fold

  gently to distribute the folds.

  towel up at shoulder height and stretch it

  the second corner of the towel over toward

  Tuck the towel between your chin

  out sideways so that it is smooth and flat.

  the first, creating three layers.

  and your chest to pin it down.

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  “If linens aren’t in active use, refold them once or twice a year to avoid fiber damage along the creases.”

  Fold the sheet in half, stacking

  Fold the sheet in half again to create

  Fold the strip in half, then (depending

  all four corners on top of one

  a long, narrow strip. The tighter and

  on the sheet size) in half or in thirds to

  another and encasing the

  smoother the folds, the less likely it

  make a compact—and wrinkle-free—

  folded sheet sides. The curved edges

  is that the sheet will become wrinkled—or

  rectangle. Match the fitted sheet with its flat

  should be tucked down to create a

  balloon to an enormous size in the linen

  partner (and any pillowcases), and tuck away

  (more-or-less) smooth rectangle

  storage area.

  neatly in the linen closet or linen storage area.

  “For best wear, ensure that you rotate linens. Place freshly washed towels on the bottom of the stack.”

  Grasp the towel midpoint

  Lay the towel on a flat surface and

  Having a different-colored towel for each

  down its length, then lift

  fold it again in the middle to form a

  family member makes it easy for people

  your chin to allow the top

  neat bundle, and store it in the linen

  to find the right fresh towel when needed.

  half of the towel to drop down

  closet. If the towel is to be used right way,

  Let children pick the color of their towel and

  over the bottom half.

  it doesn’t need as many folds; just flip it over

  they’ll happily cooperate.

  a towel rack.

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  CYCLES OF AN ORGANIZED HOME

  Sweet dreams in the

  organized

  bedroom

  Marriage counselors and doctors who treat sleep disorders tell us that clean, uncluttered bedrooms make for happy homes and a good night’s rest—but you wouldn’t know it, judging by the clutter in a typical master bedroom, which for many families becomes a second-level storage area.

  The theory seems to be that since the eyes are closed while sleeping, the mind won’t notice the disorder. Tumbled laundry spills over fitness equipment, books and crafts projects compete for floor space, a motley gang of dirty dishes sends colonies of water glasses to new settlements under the bed and atop the bureau, and the bedroom television wears a rakish cap of piled mail and unpaid bills.

  A chaotic bedroom makes you feel wired and tired. If you want sweet (organized) dreams, it’s time to get organized—

  but be prepared to devote several declutter sessions to rout out chaos in the bedroom.

  Get it tidy

  Gather your declutter tools—timer, boxes, and garbage bags

  —for a STOP clutter session in the bedroom. Because so many unauthorized items wander into the bedroom (or are thrust there, unwilling, at the sound of the doorbell), the Put Away box will do extra duty during a bedroom declutter.

  ▪ Sort. Set the timer for 20 minutes, and start by tackling the bed area. Drag everything out from beneath it, and behind and inside the nightstand. Sort each item into one of the boxes: Put Away, for items that belong in other rooms; Sell/Donate for no-longer-needed items that are still in good repair; Storage, for items that belong in storage areas. Using the same

  ◀ Calm oasis. A bedroom is the home’s most personal space.

  Time spent there should be devoted to rest and renewal. Clean and decluttered, the bedroom can be an oasis of calm and order.

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  strategy, move on to dressers and bureaus, and any clutter littering the floor. Work systematically around the space and, Tips for bedroom

  little by little, you’ll reclaim the bedroom as the sanctuary it’s clutter personalities

  intended to be.

  ▪ Toss. As you sort, consign broken items and litter straight Our bedrooms reveal more about us than our to the garbage bag.

  ▪

  taste in bed linens; they offer bedrock evidence of

  Organize. The smart declutterer notes where the clutter is clutter personality type. Expressing personal taste in coming from, and then looks for ways to prevent the build-up the bedroom is one thing, but try to rein in clutter in the future. As you declutter, pay attention to the cause of personality excess with these tips:

  the problem. Scattered piles of dirty clothes signal a need for a laundry basket in a nearby spot. Linty piles of pocket change,

  ▪ Sentimentalist. Visiting the sentimentalist’s subway tickets, and crumpled receipts can be kept under bedroom is like a trip in a time capsule. Too often, control with a pretty copper bowl or wooden box designated the room sports so many cherished symbols of the

  for pocket-emptying at day’s end. Stacks of unopened moving past that there’s no room to move. Childhood

  boxes, resident along the wall since you moved in, indicate a teddies nestle next to sports equipment, the walls

  need for a household storage plan.

  ▪

  are papered with posters and portraits tracking

  Put away. When the timer bell rings, stop the session. Circle earlier enthusiasms, and bureaus sprout a forest of

  the house with the Put Away box, put Sell/Donate items in the athletic trophies.

  car trunk for delivery to charity. Add Storage items to attic, If you’re a bedroom sentimentalist, learn to celebrate basement or garage storage areas.

  the now! Cut the ties to sentimental clutter by saving Keep it clean

  a
symbol and releasing the surplus. Deforest the bureau of a trophy collection, for example, by choosing the If the bedroom is to be a calm and peaceful haven, it’s not most memorable award. Photograph it, and then write

  enough for it to be tidy—it must be clean, too. To achieve this, a brief description of the memory it provokes. Tuck

  include it in the household cleaning schedule. The primary goal: photo and journal entry into a scrapbook—then

  to reduce and remove dust, dander, and other irritants.

  donate the trophy collection to a youth organization Weekly vacuuming and dusting is a must in the bedroom.

  for recycling.

  Pay particular attention to window treatments; vacuuming drapes and dusting shades will help to keep air quality high.

  ▪

  Baseboards, too, need regular attention to keep dust build-up Rebel. The bedroom can be the last refuge of a away. If the room contains a television, computer, or rebel clutter personality. While he or she may present entertainment center, use an electrostatic dry cleaning cloth a self-controlled face in the rest of the house, the to collect dust weekly, as electronic equipment attracts dust.

  riotous bedroom remains, strewn knee-deep in rumpled Wash windows seasonally, and wipe down sills and window clothing and half-eaten sandwiches.

  fittings to remove dust and dirt. A lambswool duster picks up If you’re a rebel, remind yourself that you’re a big any dusty residue on walls and snags cobwebs on ceilings or kid now! Big kids have better things to do in their

  in corners; when necessary, wash the walls to remove smudges bedrooms than relive a childhood power struggle. Give and stains. Seasonal cleaning should also include lampshades yourself permission to pursue your adult side, and create and the light-diffusing bowls from overhead fixtures; you’ll see an atmosphere of relaxation, not rebellion, in this most clearly and cut the dust with clean lighting. Allergy sufferers may intimate of all rooms.

  want to add a portable air filtration unit to improve air quality.

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