Monday Motivation: Clean out the linen closet

I have to say right up front that THIS IS NOT MY LINEN CLOSET.  I wish it was.  I wish I had a linen closet.  But, I have to say, even if I had a linen closet it wouldn't look like this.  I know for sure it wouldn't look like this because I have WAY more linens than this closet owner does (disclaimer:  this closet was staged for a magazine article in Parents Magazine).  My current home doesn't have a closet so I use my childhood dresser that stands against a wall in my upstairs bathroom. 

Let me tell you what I love about this closet:
     1.  A place for everything and everything in it's place.
     2.  Baskets that work like drawers on the shelves.
     3.  Plenty of shelves.
     4.  Shelf platforms that give you a second shelf within a shelf.
     5.  Towel bars on the door.
     6.  Pull out lazy susan (it swings out) for smaller items.
     7.  Room for lots of toilet paper (I have a fear of running out of toilet paper)

Let me tell you what I don't like about this closet:
     1.  This is not large enough to store linens for a large family or for a particular housewife who loves all linens and collects them with reckless abandon.
     2.  The thought of someone hanging a wet towel up on the door towelracks and then closing the door.  Can you say mildew?
     3.  Medications in an unlocked closet that little ones could get into.  Meds should be accessable only to adults.
     4.  Items on the floor usually end up collecting dust and dirt because they are. . . well. . . on the floor.
     5.  I find folded towels stay organized better than rolled towels, but that's just my opinion.
     6.  There's only a 1 month supply of toilet paper in that closet - I'm already starting to worry and it's not even my closet.

Enough about my likes and dislikes.  Let's get on to organizing.  If you've read any of my other posts about organizing closets, then you're familiar with the process. 

     1.  Remove all items from the closet.
     2.  Wipe down the shelves, walls, and baseboards.  Vacuum the floor and clean it too.
     3.  Sort all of the closet contents into piles of like items.  (towels, sheets, toiletries, blankets etc.)
     4.  Weed out any items you no longer use.  If it's ripped, stained, or thread-bare give it a toss.  I recycle my old linens as cleaning rags, paint rags, or drop clothes. 
     5.  Place items back onto the clean shelves, like items with like. 
     6.  To find bed linens quickly, fold up the sheets and extra pillow cases and place them in one of the pillow cases.  (I personally don't do this because I only have 2 sets of sheets for each bed and one set is always in use)
     7.  Place smaller items into containers (square or rectangular is best) and set on the shelves.  If possible, label the containers so that you know what it in them.
     8.  Put away any items that don't belong in the closet. 
     9.  Stand back and enjoy an organized linen closet.

* Think twice about storing anything wet/damp in the closet like towels or cleaning sponges.  See dislike #2.