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How many sheets or blankets did you find to donate last week? Now that I moved the kids’ bedding to the basement bathroom cupboard I have even more space in our linen closet! I need to see how I can make better use of that space so the items that are still in it aren’t jumbled together.
If you are just joining us, here’s the deal:
I still had this mindset of decluttering being a big ol’ chore up until a few months ago when I read this fantastic post from Nony at A Slob Comes Clean. It was like a huge light went off in my brain! Decluttering is simply the act of getting rid of what doesn’t belong, isn’t needed, or belongs in the trash. It doesn’t mean buying a whole slew of new bins for your things to go in or coming up with some type of system that you hope will change your life – that’s organizing. It’s a whole different ball game. Right now, I’m in the game of decluttering. I just want things GONE.
When there’s less stuff, especially less of what has no purpose in your home anymore, organizing can often happen naturally. You won’t be cramming thirty towels into the closet because you only need ten and they fit nicely. You don’t need to dig through a tub of medicines to find what you need only to keep coming across bottles that are long since expired.
Here’s my challenge: Each week, take on ONE area of your home. I’ve already made the list for you so that part is done. Go to the area, throw away trash, put items that you no longer need but are still in good condition into a donation box, and put other items where they belong. Simple!
You can read more about the challenge on the week one post.
Week 27: Towels & Washcloths
My dad loves a good deal. Like will go looking to see what he can score for free. Those home shows and state fairs with booths upon booths of people giving things out? He’s there. A few years ago he found dozens of white towels. An apartment complex that houses sports teams when they are in town was getting rid of their inventory and he cleaned them out. He passed on towels (as well as cutting boards, throw pillows, food containers, and several other items) to anyone that was interested. We took quite a few because they were fluffy white towels!
It’s been a few years and those white towels still get used occasionally. But when we got those towels we never got rid of other towels! Yes, there are seven of us using towels every week but two towels each is plenty because of how often we do laundry. And the majority of our towels are from my college days and have quite the collection of bleach spots from all my hair dyeing experiments. Whoops!
I found a stack to donate because these towels definitely still have some life left in them – just not in our home. I’m tired of cramming the towels in the shelves or trying to come up a new place to put them. Now we have enough to keep a few in the basement for the big boys and several upstairs for the rest of the family plus any guests that need one.
Several of the kids have their own special towels so those got kept along with the larger bath sheet sized towels. What’s the point of a towel if you can’t wrap it all the way around your body? Seems like a waste if you ask me! I kept towels that were significant or large enough and also in good shape.
That looks so much better! No more smooshing them in place and hoping they don’t fall out when I open the closet.
Go through your own towels and washcloths to find what you can donate or toss. You could also cut down towels to turn them into rags -as long as they don’t become extra clutter somewhere else!
Share a picture in the comments or on social media with the hashtag #clutterbusterchallenge of what you found to declutter.
Come back next week for week 28 so we can clean out the medicine stash! It’s time to find the proper way to dispose of old prescriptions, vitamins, and any other medical products that you no longer need.
If you are looking for a better way of keeping on top of your homemaking tasks now that you are steamrolling through all this decluttering you might be interested in a new course from Humorous Homemaking. Home Management How To: A Guide to Daily Success is open now! I’ve got a post about my experience with this course here but this is a great course for you to take control of all the household tasks in a way that is tailored specifically to your family and life.
