Day 23 Of The Declutter Challenge
The Airing Cupboard
Airing cupboards are very rarely just that – a space dedicated to storing towels and sheets. Nope, it becomes host to an assortment of housewares from blankets to board games. Very rarely are linens actually given the opportunity to dominate this space. Instead, piles of pillows, towels, sheets are stuffed into the closet to the point of potentially popping out when you’re not pressing against the door. So let’s avert the danger of a laundry avalanche and give the cupboard an overhaul that gets it a little bit closer to its actual purpose.
You should know the first step by now - empty everything out of the cupboard, and sort into like for like piles.
Now purge! Do you really need 20 towels and all those sheets and pillowcases that have been there for years? When was the last time you put them on the bed? Get rid of them into your donate box. The Salvation Army has textile banks in supermarket car parks, so there is actually somewhere you can take them!
Now give the space a good clean. Vacuum thoroughly to get rid of dust mites and moth larvae.
Now look at the space and make a plan of where everything will go. Even in the airing cupboard, set a plan so that space Is kept in proper order moving forward.
Have you enough shelving? Maybe you have some elsewhere that are not needed and might fit in your airing cupboard – perhaps a bookcase that’s not being used to its full potential? A garage is often a place where this happens!
You want to keep the most used items always within reach. So, take the items you use rarely and put them in first, at the back (or the top shelf if it’s rarely used). Using this directive, linen that get less use, like beach towels, should go behind the ones that get used daily. If there are bulky items like duvets, sleeping bags, and pillows that only get brought out when you have overnight guests, but those in vacuum sealed storage bags. Now you’re really starting to make space.
There are some clever tricks you can employ that will help you save space. For instance, you should fold towels in thirds lengthwise then into a rectangle. Face the edges to the rear for a neat appearance. In small spaces, it may best to roll your towels in order to get more in. Sheets can be troublesome, but there’s a way to make them less of a pain – neatly stack them inside a matching pillowcase. With this tactic, you can keep bedding sets together with ease. I learned this only a few months ago from a professional declutterer and it’s been a total gamechanger for me. Gone are the days of digging around in the piles of sheets to find the matching pillowcases!
You could always use baskets for grouping dinner napkins and table runners together. If these are items that are only used on special occasions, put them in a less accessible place as well. There’s no need to crowd your daily necessities with things you don’t immediately need.
You may notice that when you retrieve items from the airing cupboard that haven’t been used in a while, they’re not very light and airy. In fact, they smell musty. From now on however you can avoid the stagnancy among your linens and keep them smelling fresh by simply placing a pot of baking soda on the shelf.
And now the best bit – time for some photos of beautifully organised airing cupboards as inspiration for when you are knee deep in bedding! I mean let’s be honest, not many people’s airing cupboards will actually look like this, but it will certainly look better than before, and we can dream Keep going – it will feel soooo good when you have finished!
