Sunday, October 18, 2015

Day 18: Letting Go of the Linens




Read the previous entry in this series:  Day 17: Clear Out the Coats or start at the beginning with the Introduction: 5 Ways Clutter Costs.


Like my mother, I love fabric.

I especially love fabric when it comes in the form of a blanket, or a duvet cover. Even sheets and pillowcases pile up because I can always, always use them.

Like my couch, I like to have a seasonal bed.

Summer:

Hmmm, I had to reach all the way back to 2013 to find a shot of the bed with the yellow duvet cover. Is that a clue to let it go?


Fall:




Winter:



Spring:



My kids are different. My daughter just wants one set of sheets and a duvet cover. My son wants two sets of sheets (one for winter, one for summer), one comforter cover and a favourite blanket for winter which I think I've tossed, unfortunately.

Like anyone in a small home, I have storage challenges.

This is the linen closet. This is on the second floor between the bedrooms.




This is also a linen "closet." It's in the basement between the pantry and the freezer.


When someone says to me: I can't declutter because I don't know what I need, I don't know what I want--I look at my blankets and throws and pillowcases and know exactly what they mean.  It's overwhelming and there's no criteria to make a decision.


Except: how much is enough?

Do I really need four duvet covers with coordinating pillowcases and throws for the bottom of the bed?

Maybe I do. Maybe you don't. Maybe you need room for 16 towels but I don't.

The only other question is then: do we have the room?


Read the next entry in this series Day 19: Declutter the Desk Drawers or Surface, Your Choice.

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3 comments :

MMarie said...

Great topic, Alana, and one I can definitely relate to on many levels: small home, little storage, too many linens but I love them all. I live in a warm climate and do not need all the quilts, sheets, and pillow cases I own! I've been needing to go through everything and choose a few to give / sell... thanks for the encouragement!

Unknown said...

I have a small home, too. I've cut myself back to two sets of duvet covers for my room. I've got spring/summer and fall/winter versions. I'd love to have more but I'm finally learning (forced to??) to cut back now that I'm in a tiny home.

I spent yesterday going through my closet and I managed to fill one very large box and a smaller box with tightly folded clothing. I still have one more jam packed closet to go through (I'm red-faced!) along with another large box of clothing that was never fully unpacked when I moved to this house.

I haven't started on my shoes yet but I've got just a bit of of Ms. Marcos in me. I've been putting that off because I've been telling myself I need to wait until after I get my feet fixed. Then I will be able to determine which ones will be the most comfortable after surgery. I think I'll have to move forward anyway because after I saw the surgeon (today!), he said I will HAVE to be off work for 3 months. And that's just for the first foot. So it will be a minimum of at least 6-7 months before both feet can even be wearing shoes again. I need to bite the bullet and donate most of them. I dropped off the first 2 boxes of clothes at the Salvation Army shop on my way to see the doctor today. That felt very good!

I cleared my linens out just after I moved here. I made sure I washed all the sheet sets, blankets, and towels, packing them in separate clear bags so the people who received them would get complete sets of things.

Thank you for posting so faithfully. It helps me keep on track for decluttering all my extras. 😊

Alana in Canada said...

I hope it isn't too difficult, Marie.

Janina, my goodness. Good for you!

I am proud of you, both. This isn't easy.

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