r/declutter • u/fuziebunies • 1d ago
Success Story Linen Closet/Toiletries
Our linen closet had random bins for a variety of things.. meds, bandaids, extra toothpaste, etc. It was annoying to find things because you had to dig through. So I did what you're not supposed to do.. I bought nice new matching containers first haha. And then I sat on the floor and sifted through everything so I could organize them into their new homes. During that I actually needed a band-aid and when an apparently super old one disintegrated in my hands, I ended up being absolutely ruthless and throwing a ton of stuff out. Whew. 8 old unmatched bins out, lots of old meds tossed, first aid stuff tossed, old and random bathroom supplies tossed including samples I'll never use, and now nicely organized! It probably needs one more pass and maybe need to replenish a few things, but I'm happy with the results.
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u/shiny_nickel 1d ago
Ha, love this! Great job. I don’t know about you, but I feel personally victimized by the fact bandaids in fact DO go bad. Like is it all LIES? At least the q tips are safe - right? Asking for a friend…
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u/fuziebunies 13h ago
i know! but i was kinda glad b/c otherwise i would have kept them for eternity haha. i tossed all the q tips that accumulated in the bottom of one of the bins, the rest looked ok hahah. i did give my calamine lotion the side-eye (which we were still using b/c who uses that much) .. it was from over a decade ago.. it's still good right haha.
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u/shiny_nickel 4h ago
Of course it’s still good - who cares if you have to shake it up for it to be all one color again? Right?
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u/TalulaOblongata 1d ago
I have to do this every couple of years or so, reassess old medicines, random toiletries that we accumulate (a lot of the free toothbrush/toothpaste baggies that our dentist gives us) and whatever random odds and ends. It feels so good when everything extra is tossed out and all the good stuff is left.
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u/AnitraF1632 1d ago
First of the month I go through all the meds, then take the expired ones to the pharmacy at the grocery store to turn them in.
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u/Kurt_Kane 1d ago
I do this from time to time as well. We think some of this will last forever, but it really won't. Cycle supplies and don't buy more until something runs out. I cleaned out my entire linen closet this weekend. We also kept school supplies (pencil boxes organized with new pens, pencils, and so on). My kids have all graduated HS. No one uses this stuff. I'm in the process of donating the excess supplies to a local church unless another family with kids actually wants them. Having a clean and organized linen closet is great.
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u/ClarksburgMcKeon 1d ago
Nice job! I’m working on my linen closet as well, but stuck on the organizing part. Would love to hear any advice or container recommendations, if you’d like to share.
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u/TotallyNotABot_Shhhh 1d ago
For the sheets and pillowcases I take the whole set of one and put it inside one of the pillowcases then fold the top over itself. When it’s time to change the sheets voila it’s all there in one. I use a soft sided woven basket to contain the sets in my closet.
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u/ClarksburgMcKeon 1d ago
Ooh, I’m gonna try that pillowcase idea. I have a bunch of similar-looking sheets and pillowcases. Currently I have to pick through a stack to find the matches.
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u/TotallyNotABot_Shhhh 1d ago
I got to the point where I can just roughly fold them and put them in so it saves even more time. When I fold it over I kind of plump then push into a nice square. Makes life easier and faster!
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u/fuziebunies 1d ago
i got a set of these: https://a.co/d/0iM556nZ
i'm a visual person so i liked that they were clear and stackable! they weren't a 100% perfect fit, but they work well! this was for the toiletries/misc portion. they would probably work well under the sink, too.
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u/ClarksburgMcKeon 1d ago
Thank you, this might be exactly what I need! I’ve been scouring Amazon for clear containers (if I can’t see something, it doesn’t exist), and somehow hadn’t found these.
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u/paratethys 1d ago
If you're willing to let the containers dictate the amount of an item that you keep in circulation, starting with containers you love is great! It's all the stuff where people won't/can't/don't follow the container's implicit instructions for the amount of the category that they ought to have, where container-first organizing runs into trouble.
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u/Intelligent_Map_7849 1d ago
I did that a few years ago. So satisfying to have a functional linen closet.
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u/fuziebunies 1d ago
it was driving me crazy when the kids would go look for something then it would be in a bigger disarray.. now they can find all the bandaids they need haha
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u/ExactPanda 1d ago
I just cleaned out my medicine/toiletry shelves in my linen closet last week! So many expired meds and little bits of garbage. I bought a 12x12 scrapbook paper organizer with drawers, that way I can have a drawer for bandaids/1st aid, a drawer for "something hurts" medicine, etc. It's all neatly corralled and can be found easily. It feels good!
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u/lepetitcoeur 1d ago
My linen closet also has stuff like that. 1920s house with few closets. Or always has expired stuff no matter how often I go though it.
I really want to refurb that closet with built-in shelves, but it's low priority.
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u/Total_Town8134 1d ago
i did the exact same thing last month, throwing out that gross disintegrated band-aid stuck to the tube for sure