I am going to tell you a secret… I am terrible with organization. I make piles and then tell myself that I will re-organize it someday. Well, most of the time that someday never happens.
My mom was visiting for a couple of weeks and she loves to organize. She opened my linen closet and decided it needed an overhaul. Yeah- thanks mom!
I will share my completely embarrassing before picture…
Basically I had health and beauty products tossed on two shelves. Things were falling out- sometimes hitting me on the head! Also, I could not tell how much of a certain product I had. And of course you notice my linens are not folded- yes a real mess.
My mom headed to Lowe’s and bought clear plastic shoeboxes. I think she paid just over $4 for a package of 3. She separated out all of the products into categories such as: shampoo, body wash, lotion, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. Each shoebox contained one category. She slapped a label on the outside of the shoebox for easy recognition.
Of course my mom folded all of the linens too! For the top shelf, she used bigger totes for larger products. I do need to pick up a few more to complete the project.
the nice thing about using the clear shoeboxes is that they stack really well. I can fit more into my linen closet now. Some of the items now in my closet were previously under my bathroom sink. I can also see what products I am low on- currently body wash and lotion. On the other hand, I will not need deodorant for a very long time!
The last time my mom visited she re-organized my pantry. That was three years ago and I am able to keep it up pretty well. I just need her to get me started!
For more organizing tips check out the Simply Organized series.
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Do you rent her out…? I will take her for little while when she comes back ! LOL ! Fabulous job !!!!
Hi Julie!
If you pay for her plane ticket I am sure she would organize for you! LOL! I was so sad to have her leave- really enjoyed having her here. Hope you are doing well!
Fantastic! You are lucky to have such a large linen closet! Another idea I’ve seen is to put the clear shoeboxes under a bed that has a bed skirt. I need to do this since, as I’ve implied above I have a totally small linen closet that is way overused!
Hi Debi,
Funny, the linen closet is the only large storage area we have! One of my son’s rooms does not even have a closet. I love our house but we are really hurting for storage. Or maybe I just need my mom to reorganize every room! Have a good night!
Your closet looks awesome! I have one very large tote with my stockpile. This means it all gets dumped together so I have no idea how many of each item I have. I do know I don’t need toothpaste for a very long time!
Sara,
My mom said “I am surprised you only have 5 tubes of toothpaste!” Well, I stopped stockpiling toothpaste about a year ago. It seems like it was always free or under $0.50. At one time I had a large amount- it was ridiculous even for a dental hygienist! I will have to start looking for toothpaste deals again within the next couple of months- or I’ll come raid your stash! Have a good night!
I am hoping that is what it will look like at my new house!
I love when my mom visits too – always helping out with the organizing. Is this what we’ll be doing for our kids in 20 years? hahaha
Hi Heather,
Well, I hope I can be more organized in 20 years or else my kids will have no help from me! How did we get so much stuff? We are in the process of purging!