Permission: 5 Things You Can Let Go Of, Linen Closet
Have you ever thought, "I just need someone to give me permission to get rid of this"? That's what this Permission series is all about. We'll walk through room by room, list 5 items per room you can part with right away, and why the items can be easy to get out of your house.
I ran the first part of this series back in 2019. You can see those post by going to the Permission Intro here.
As always, it's your house and your stuff. You may actually need and use the things I suggest you part with. But if you don't, give yourself a little more freedom to find a little more peace in your house by letting go of things that you don't need.
Today we'll be in the linen closet. You may not have an entire dedicated to just linens but we will soon see that there are other things that can be tossed from what may only be by name the linen closet. In my experience linens are in dozens of different ways and places. And those linen closets hold much more than just linens. So let's jump in and see what we can let go of today.
Lamp Shades
Some of you reading this just thought, "why is she talking about lamp shades in the linen closet?" You're right. They don't belong in the linen closet but you would be surprised at how many people just toss lamp shades just anywhere. Do you know why? Because no one knows what to do with them. I was just talking with someone the other day about how hard it can be to shop of lamps and shades. In fact, you are probably holding on to some simply because you aren't sure if you could use them again with a new lamp. Let me just do you the favor of giving you permission to let go of those shades and get new ones when you get the new lamps. If you decided to hang on to any, put them in the attic or a storage space with other things that you would like to use in the future to decorate with.
ACTION - let go of those unmatched lamp shades and look forward to getting more when the time comes.
Worn-out Towels
Be honest, when did you last purchase towels? I'm willing to bet that at least 75% of you who are reading this are still using the towels from your wedding or that they are older than your adult children. The problem is, they are either ugly, tiny, thread-bare, or not doing their job. Towels aren't meant to last forever so don't ask them to.
ACTION - put all those old towels in a bag and donate them to the local animal shelter; if you need more towels, invest.
Excess Sheets
Here is your "how many sheets should I own" formula: Number of beds in your home x 2. One set on the bed, the other set to put on while the first set is washing or a middle of the night change. Some of you may want to have just one set per bed. Use it, wash it, replace it. It's a lot less to think about when you get into the routine.
ACTION - gather all your sheets, pull your favorite 2 sets of sheets for each bed, let go of the rest.
Baby Wash Cloths
Those softer than soft for your little ones delicate skin were a delight at one time. Now, you've moved on to normal wash cloths because your little ones aren't so little any more. And those baby wash cloths? They are probably yuck. You may still be using baby wash cloths. If so, save only the ones that aren't gross. If you need to get a few extra, go ahead and do that.
ACTION - toss all of the unused baby wash cloths.
Curtains
I'm not really sure why there are curtains in so many linen closets. Not one person has ever said to me, "oh yes, I'm going to put those curtains up this week". 99% of my clients that find curtains in their linen closets say, "those are old curtains I forgot we had and we aren't going to use them again." Time for a little reality check. Did you even remember you had them? Are you going to use those curtains?
ACTION - make a decision about those curtains: use them or let them go.