Happy Monday y’all!!

I don’t know what it is about January that makes us all buckle down on the clutter (isn’t that supposed to be reserved for “Spring Cleaning?!”) but whatever it is, Michael and I have the bug. We’ve been crushing it since the holidays taking each room and getting rid of all the crap clutter and turning it into livable usable space again.

Over the weekend I tackled the laundry room and linen closet. I’ll share the laundry room in another post, today I want to focus on the linen closet.

I’ve always been most proud of our linen closet because it was the one area that actually stayed organized the longest, but lately it’s become a bit unruly and needed some attention…

Now for the after photos…

Here are 5 tips that I’ve learned over the years that might help you as well:

(1) COME PREPARED. Bring a trash bag and a box. Whenever I clean out a space I always end up sorting items into 3 piles: keep, donate, and trash. If I haven’t used it in the last year (and can’t see using it in the future) but it’s in good condition it goes in the donate box. If it’s expired or half used, trash it. Whatever is left over goes back on the shelf.

(2) GROUP SIMILAR ITEMS. Take everything out and group them into categories: candles, travel toiletries and overflow from the bathroom, medicines, towels, etc. It’s so much easier to find something when they’re all in the same area – I’ve been on the hunt for a lightbulb only to discover I had stashed them in more than one place. ugh.

(3) KEEP IT VISIBLE. You can’t use what you don’t see! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought something because I thought we were out of it, when really it was hidden and I just couldn’t see it. I try to use things I already have around the house (think small empty boxes/containers) to create tiers when I need to place bins in front of each other. I also like using clear containers for this very reason!! You’ll notice that I repurposed an old kitchen lid organizer on the bottom shelf, it allows me to store my cloth napkins and tablecloths — all neatly folded and visible whenever I need them!

(4) UTILIZE WASTED SPACE. Our linen closet had a lot of wasted space at the very top so I purchased stackable wire shelves to create more stacking space. Then I placed things we don’t use very often (like beach towels) at the top. That said, you’ll notice that I didn’t use every single square inch of the closet. When I cram things in every nook and cranny that’s when the clutter takes over – you have to give things a little space.

(5) LABEL IT. While clear containers help, adding labels gives everything that “in it’s place” look and feel. Plus it helps cut down on the the number of times someone has to yell “where are the band-aids?” — did ya see the label??! *wink* I found these clear adhesive label pockets in the dollar bins at Target ($3 for 20.) They’re great for being able to change out the label! I’ve also used packing tape to create a faux lamination that works pretty well. In fact I just replaced my homemade packing tape labels this weekend, not because I needed to (I wanted to have all labels that matched) and they were from 2012! You can find tons of free printable labels on Pinterest, or create your own — my 2012 labels were handwritten using these free printable labels from BHG.com!

Today I’m linking up with Kate, Jaclyn, and Keri for their Clear the Clutter Challenge. It’s so motivating to see what others are doing to organize their space. What are some of your tips and tricks for keeping the closets organized?

Cheers! ♥