Marie and I met at a fall women’s business owners’ conference. Could I help with her linen closet clutter? Sure! She would have to wait a few months, though, as her professional life was about to become quite busy, and she wouldn’t have free time. Okay!
I arrived six months later, on a bluebird-blue-sky day, relatively rare during this dreary winter. We agreed that the sunshine was a delight to see, and we wouldn’t take it for granted – ever – again!
Once upstairs, Marie first said that, some months previously, a repair person had to go through the door at the back of the closet. Everything on the floor in front of it had to be pulled out – bedding, a fan, bath tissue, and paper cups. We repeated it, I assured her that we would completely clear it, leaving the floor empty. We also would refold every item, so that the folded side shows. A simple and subtle action, it’s surprisingly powerful. It’s much easier on the eyes to see everything that way. Really!
I first noticed something charming – stored facial tissues in varied colorful boxes. Fun! We would leave them. Beyond that, I explained that we would work from top to bottom, and from one end of a shelf to the other end. We methodically cleared them. Eye drops and lens cleaning supplies migrated to the bathroom. We set aside electrical current adapters for use in foreign countries. We started a donations pile, to include a boxed humidifier. We placed beach towels at the back end of the top shelf, having refolded them. For the moment, we left the rest of the shelf clear. On the back of the second shelf – blankets.
There were a number of plastic bags for packing for trips – the kind that magically compress clothes. We set them aside, collecting them with adapters. I suggested storing them inside luggage. Marie smiled.
We pulled more bedding from the shelves, piling it all on the beds in nearby bedrooms. Carefully considering different sizes for the beds, we made fast decisions about which to keep, or to discard or to donate. More piles developed, including one of pillows. I showed Marie a nifty way to fold fitted sheets, by matching corners. We refolded everything before returning items to the shelves.
One of the last actions – we removed rolls of toilet tissue from their outer plastic packaging, then placed them in the empty spot on the top shelf. Perfect!

Marie was happy that the closet, which had been messy for several years, was now neat. No more linen closet clutter. Yay!
About De-clutter Me!
De-clutter Me! offers non-judgmental, competitively-priced, and confidential assistance to help clear clutter in your home and/or business. We’ve been changing chaos to calm since 2013.