Creatively Organized Spaces
Spring fever and the extra hour of daylight spur many of us onto spring cleaning, especially right now while we are spending more time at home! We are still in the height of Spring Cleaning frenzy so if you haven’t yet tackled the closets, there’s still plenty of time before the heat of the summer and seasonal vacations and kids summer breaks are upon us!
I was inspired to write this post after finding sadly rumpled fitted sheets and other linens jumbled into closets and baskets time and again. Our lovely linens are slept on every night, they dry us off daily after we shower or wash our hands, we count on them to keep crumbs and stains off our tabletop and other surfaces. I love linens, old and new…I adore their function and beauty so lets give our linens some love and learn to care for them to help them last.
Think about all the linens you use in your daily life, how and where you use them, store them, fold them and treat them. Though I don’t necessarily fold everything as Marie Kondo does, I do take the time to thoughtfully fold or hang each linen, giving them adequate storage to keep things neat and tidy and allow for easy access.
Keeping Linens Clean
Because I have a degree in fibers, people often pick my brain about cleaning their linens, especially vintage and antiques. Though I won’t go into great detail about vintage linens in this post, I will offer some suggestions for cleaning which will help prevent damage to your linen collection, no matter the age. The most important thing to know is what fiber your linens are made of and feel them to determine if they are brittle and dry, if so they may not be strong enough to clean. Most vintage and antique linens are likely made of cotton, linen or a blend. Special linens like blankets and some towels may also contain other natural fibers like silk or wool. Cotton and linen are fibers made from plants, wool and silk are made from animals, therefore each type of fiber will need to be cleaned differently. If your not sure, check out this post for more helpful info. Generally speaking, treat your linens in a more delicate manner than you might some other household laundry. According to Victoria & Albert Museum (and other textile conservationists),
“If you wish to preserve your textiles, you need to avoid or minimise the need to clean them. It is important to prevent dirt accumulating rather than causing unnecessary damage by repeated cleaning treatments. Not all textiles were originally intended to be washable.”
If you get a stain on linens, pre-treat as soon as possible. Lots of people like to use products like oxy clean, which are safe and effective in a general sense. If you are stain prone and want more specific stain pre treatments, check out these specialized products formulated for specific stains. Use color safe (non-chlorine bleach) on colors, and chlorine bleach on whites as needed (use caution, this can degrade fibers over time). Add vinegar to substitute half or so of the detergent which will help remove extra detergent residue.
Sort linens by color and type of fiber, washing according to labels (if you can find them). Wash towels using cool or warm water (unless you feel the need to sanitize, if someone has been sick for example), without fabric softener which can prevent towels from absorbing water and doing their jobs:). Shake towels when removing from the wash to fluff them up before drying. I recommend cleaning delicate items separately, using delicate laundry bags for smaller items and hang them to dry. Hang dry as many items as possible which can help prevent wear and damage.
Dry cleaning may not be necessary if the linen is made of cotton, linen, acrylic (blends), nylon or polyester. When a label says “Dry Clean”, it is recommended but when the label says “Dry Clean Only”, that’s what is highly recommended to prevent damaging the item. The site “Tip Nut” offers some great recipes for cleaning vintage linens. If you are a linen lover like I am, see this excellent video to learn more about specific vintage linen cleaning products and techniques.
Linen Storage
Where you store each type of linen, will of course depend on your home’s storage spaces. You may have room to store your extra towels in the bathroom, extra sheets in a closet or cabinet etc. Many homes have a “linen closet” in a hallway, outside the bedrooms. These widely vary in size and function. Take a quick evaluation of where you currently keep where. Furniture can also function as a great place to store linens, especially place mats, fabric napkins, table runners and other kitchen/dining room linens.
Overflow and extra storage can be placed in plastic bins if needed. Store less used items with cedar chip sachet’s (I can’t stand Moth Balls-who can!?) to protect them from moth damage. Always, always store linens clean. Body oil and food residue will attract moths and cause long term damage. Prevent linens from directly coming into contact with wood, some plastics and cardboard, which are not archival or acid free. We often find yellow stains on older linens that were stored improperly. If you have vintage or antique linens, invest in archival storage to preserve your treasures.
Kitchen & Dining Room Linens
Since these are often both functional and decorative, there are no “rules” to how many you might have. Some people collect liens, other use paper towels for everything, not sure why when there are so many fun kitchen linens! When it comes to purging kitchen linens, let them go when they are badly stained, miss matched, have holes or are “out of style” or you’ve changed your decor.
The kitchen is the obvious spot to keep towels, rags and aprons as well as frequently used place mats and napkins. If you have a spare drawer or two you can store these items directly in your cabinets. You can also keep some linens in baskets, neatly tucked into your pantry or other convenient spots. Keeping like with like w
ill minimize rummaging through and leaving linens in a jumble. I prefer to hang long table cloth’s and runners, ironed and folded. If you dry clean your larger table cloths, remove the plastic and leave linens hanging. I recommend storing seasonal linens with other seasonal decorations, with the exception of table cloths, which should be hung or folded neatly.
Bedroom Linens
As a rule, keep 2 sets of sheets for each bed in the household, that way you are only storing one set of extra. Reuse, donate or recycle old sheets if they are badly stained, torn or very worn. If you have extra closet space in the bedrooms, you might be able to store bedroom linens in each bedroom closet. This can help to identify what sheets go on what bed!
Keep like size sheet sets together, folded neatly (see how to fold a fitted sheet here) and either on a shelf or in a basket, labeled (with the roo
m/size). Like kitchen linens, bedroom linens can be seasonal and may contain body oils that should be cleaned before storing linens for the season.
Bathroom Linens
Fluffy towels, who doesn’t love them!? Some people use a different towel every day, which honestly seems excessive to me, especially since we use our towels to dry off our Clean bodies! I recommend changing towels ever few days to week, depending on your personal preference and lifestyle. I prefer a tri-fold for towels, which make them look neat when hanging on the rod but also allows them to evenly dry between uses. However you like to display your towel, use the same fold when you store them so that you are not re-folding when you put out new linens.
PS…I didn’t mention Ironing…did you notice? Bah, I don’t love to iron and tend to go for fabric’s that don’t require it, or I steam, or I store up ironing and do it all at once while watching a movie! How about you? Do you like to iron, love to do laundry, hate to fold? What’s your least or most favorite part of taking care of your linens?
Do you love or loath laundry? I don’t mind it but I know for so many people Laundry is not about love, at all! That’s why I work with my clients to create a laundry schedule, including what I to keep on top of weekly laundry tasks.
In creating a laundry schedule I ask a few questions to help determine what the best household action plan for doing laundry…here are some questions you can use to create your own laundry schedule.
With all this info in your back pocket, calculate how many loads need to be done per week and who will do them. Then, take a look at your weekly schedule and assign laundry tasks by the date to yourself or other household help (kids, spouse, cleaning helpers etc).
I change and wash whites, or linens (towels, sheets and the oddball other white items) on Wednesdays and thus the term Wednesday Whitewash! Maybe doing a couple loads mid weeks and more on the weekends makes sense to you and with your schedule or maybe your weekends are busy with family activities and your better off tackling one load per evening through the week.
Keep Laundry Contained
In my observation, many people do not have laundry baskets, have them where they need them (in the bedroom, bathroom or closet) or seem to use them at all! I find laundry in piles on the floor, draped over furniture, hanging form hooks, light fixtures and everywhere else you can imagine. If you don’t know what’s clean and what’s dirty, you will constantly be re-washing items or at least giving your nose a workout with the sniff test. Keep dirty laundry contained in a basket or bag and use this to take laundry to your laundry area and then sort (or buy bins with sorting compartments if you have room). There are tons of great laundry basket options, like these available…so measure your space and determine what/how many you need and invest!
Minimize Maintenance
When you buy new clothes, think about their laundry requirements.
Sort laundry by color and by weight. I don’t like to wash my husbands heavy duty work pants with my delicate tops or undergarments (which should be in a bag). Sort weekly loads by dark/light/white and weight. This helps keep clothes looking newer longer.
Do you love linen but hate ironing? Maybe these things should be kept for less frequent use or sent to the dry cleaner?
Keep it Green Clean
Do you dislike using dry cleaners because of the chemicals? If so, look for a green cleaner in your area. While we are talking about green options, look for cleaning products that are phosphate free and use minimal scents and chemicals (though there seem to be more an more products on the market to mask odor-that doesn’t mean it’s really clean!). This might seem obvious but wash things only when needed. If you’ve only worn something for a couple hours, didn’t sweat or spill on it, then wear it again before laundering. This is not only going to save you time, it will keep your clothes looking new longer and will save resources (water power etc).
Consider hanging delicate, knits and lightweight items to dry (like the French do!). I use a collapsible laundry rack to dry about 1/3 to 1/2 of every laundry load, it takes a bit more time to dry but it keeps my clothes fro wearing out as quickly and saves energy. When it comes to stains, do pre-treat as soon as possible and if your really stain prone, check out these stain specific products (not all stains are alike!) by Carbona.
Any way you schedule it, whether you love or loath laundry, having this household task in perpetual motion will keep you from melting or collapsing under this task mountain!
Getting organized and deciding what and how to consign your children’s toys and clothes may feel overwhelming. But by following a few simple step and guidelines you can actually have fun and earn some extra cash! Here are some easy tips from Tiny Tadpoles to help you with your kids consignments.
Go to a few children’s resale/consignment stores in your area. See what they sell. Look at sizes, brands, etc. Ask what items they are currently accepting. Ask to subscribe to their email list. Most stores have a website &/or social media sites they update with items they need. If it’s someplace you shop frequently, there is a good chance they will want to re-consign or purchase from you.
Second Step: Get Organized!Go through your children’s closets, drawers, toy boxes, and bookshelves. Make 3 piles: 1. items that you want to keep (clothes still fit, toys are still being played with etc) 2. Items that you want to pass to friends or relatives, donate to a charity, yard sale, or toss. 3. Items that you want to be considered for consignment. Sometimes first timers aren’t sure what to put in this pile.
Here are helpful hints on what to consider consigning: only select items that you would want to buy yourself. Consider what Season the store is currently taking. Preferred and designer brands are usually selected. Make sure these items are clean. Items that have been stored need to be freshly laundered. Button and snap everything. No excessive wrinkles. Make sure all toys are working and have all original parts. Keep things current, toys and clothes over 5 years old aren’t usually selected.
Third Step: Start Consigning!
Bring your selections to the kid’s consignment store of your choice. Most of them offer cash with an additional percentage to spend at the store. This is key when you have small children who grow so fast! Feel good about yourself. Your gently used item will be sold again at an affordable price and put a smile on another child’s (and mom or dad’s) face.
Most small consignment stores are locally owned by families in your community.
Yes, consigning is a little more work than tossing everything in a bag for donation but by taking a little time to Understand Kids Consignments, it’s worth it!
Kelly Hartong
Owner
Tiny Tadpoles Children’s Resale Boutique
For much of the country school is already back in swing. Maybe your feeling the back to school Overwhelm too! Last week I shared some tips (here) for back to school scheduling and this week I’m tackling systems for homework stations, wardrobe organizing and taming lunch/snack time stress. One suggestion all around is to involve your kids in at least part of each of these projects. You might prefer to just do it yourself and not have the hassle of the kids opinions and distractions but honestly when I work with kids they love to be involved and they tend to do a much better job of maintaining. Most kids love order and organization!
They don’t have to be fancy or complicated but carving out a specific area where you kids know they go to do their homework is an important part of their school routine. Every child and household is different so your system might differ but the main components needed are pretty simple.
What’s most important is a distraction free zone with a surface, quality task lighting and a comfortable chair. Depending on kids ages this might be in a family room, off the kitchen, at the dining room table or in their bedroom. It’s great if you can incorporate permanent and convenient storage for common supplies-calculator, ruler, pencils, pens, erasers, notepaper, art supplies, books and anything else specific to your kids classes. Maybe a rolling cart and some bins are a good solution if your kids homework space doubles as a family area. Kids will often find a lot of excuses to keep them from doing homework, beat them to the punch and make them feel comfortable and supported for this important daily task that will help them build life long skills!
Have you heard of a Capsule Wardrobe?
I hadn’t until I ran across this article. I love this idea and I’ve naturally done this to some degree on my own (gravitate towards colors I love etc). The full article is worth a read but I’ll give you a quick 5 step summary:
1. Clean all the clothes and gather in one place.
2. Sort and eliminate any that are not in good shape, don’t fit or are impractical.
3. Look at the overall colors, style your kids gravitate towards and start gathering them into categories eliminating duplicates and oddballs that don’t fit with the scheme.
4. Put clothes away, hanging and folding. You might want to try the Kon-Marie method of folding (Tee-shirt video here) or use a folding board. Arranged by category (shirts, pants, shorts etc) and color to make it easier to mix and match outfits.
To make this work you may have to fill in some pieces if you find wardrobe gaps. Now you have the makings for a funky, fun and easy mix and match wardrobe system! This could be a great way to simplify your kids wardrobe and from there, the closet’s and clothes storage might be a little easier!
This is a category that I could go into for many posts and I’m sure I’ll come back to this subject because food prep and meals are something my clients often struggle with. Here are a few ideas for easy make ahead lunches and snacks And PLEASE don’t feel bad if you don’t have time to make kitty bento boxes every day!
Start with a well made, insulated and cute lunch box that’s easy to clean!
[Cute lunch boxes via honest.com]
Stock up on snack friendly foods (pre-packaged if you must or make ahead portions) and create snack stations in the fridge and pantry. Contain items that are snack friendly in bins, baskets or boxes and label them so everyone knows these are mom/dad approved. These should be age appropriately placed (lower shelves for smaller kids) and available with supervision and permission. Older kids can help themselves.
[tons of lunch and snack ideas via realsimple.com]
Make lunches ahead and stock up on easy to prepare lunch foods. There are a million or more ideas on Pinterest and entire websites dedicated to kids meal prep. So many great ideas that I’m really just passing them along here!
Hope you are no longer feeling like you want to pull your hair out or flip at the idea of back to school. If you can’t get it ALL done before school starts, remember it’s a process you can ease into. Pick the one or two areas that drive you the most nuts and tackle them first. Once you’ve got a handle on them add on other systems and remember to keep your kids involved and most importantly, have fun with them!