organized bedding

after living in 2 very spacious southern homes, adjusting to smaller storage spaces has been a challenge. both of my homes in arkansas had large walk-in closets in each room and ample closet space for storing linens and towels. this isn't a complaint, don't get me wrong. you know me, i'll adapt and make due when necessary. and i'm always up for a good organization challenge!

so when it came to organizing the bedding in this new/old house, i rolled up my sleeves and got serious. for a small investment, i made the tiniest of linen closets work hard for us.

the bedding in this place was becoming an issue. in particular, the kids bedding. the storage space for their bedding is at the end of their bedroom hall (sorry if the photos look yellow - hard to get good light down here for photos)...

see, not exactly working for me! it wasn't hard to figure out the issues either...

1. it was time to purge old bedding sets. we have a lot of bedding because between the 3 bedrooms there is 4 beds and 2 trundle beds. when we moved i purchased a few new sets on sale, but never went through the existing bedding to sort out donations.

2. bedding, especially fitted sheets, are difficult to fold neatly. anyone out there nodding in agreement? if you could only fold it nicely, you could maximize your space.

3. all but 1 of the beds mentioned are twin size. we have 1 full size bed. when i find a great bedding set i tend to buy the same pattern in both a twin and full. when it's time to change sheets, i tear apart the bedding to find out which set is twin or full. this causes the cabinet to become a mess. writing on the bed sheet tags wouldn't work because i would still be tearing the bedding apart to find that tiny tag! ;-)

time for a simple, easy solution!

first thing - empty the cabinets...

once everything was out, i sorted the sets into twin and full...

also made a pile of pillow cases...

keeping in mind what was currently on each of the beds, i sorted through our collection to create a donation pile...

with the sets sorted out, it was time to put it all away. a few weeks ago i found these great shelf dividers at The Container Store...

the dividers come 2 to a set and are minimal cost. i had a 10% off coupon, which helped reduce the price a bit more. the tall size is $9.99 and the short size is $6.99. i added the shelf dividers to the shelves...

then i taught myself exactly how to fold those elusive fitted sheets. a quick google search brought up my girl Martha and her tips for folding fitted sheets. score!...

folding a fitted sheet could make anyone throw their hands in the air and yell "i surrender!". i feel so much wiser after learning how to do this simple household chore. who knew how easy it was all this time!?

now that i had the folding technique down, it was time to put away the bedding...

looking much better, right? this new system saved so much room that i was able to add a few more items to the cabinets...

looking good, but there was one remaining issue to solve. how would we know which sets were twin and which were full? using some washi tape and my label maker...

i added a simple label to the shelves...

super easy and cute, too!...

needless to say, am very pleased with the new kid's bedding cabinets...

with the kid's bedding done, it was time to tackle the master bedroom. i haven't used this dresser for clothing in more than 7 years! what has it been doing in the master bedroom during that time? holding bedding, of course...

with the new master closet system, i created so much new space that the bedding is now located - neatly - on a few shelves...

i followed the same system - went through all of the bedding, sorted into keeps and donate, folded neatly and put away. and now the master bedroom bedding is organized too!

this girl is in bedding organization heaven over here, peeps!

and guess what, that empty dresser? oh does it have something to look forward to. i can't wait to get on that project and share it in here!

again, the shelf dividers weren't a big investment but they make a huge impact with the limited space. if you have a closet full of bedding that is a jumbled mess, i hope this easy solution will work for you!

have a great day!

(i linked up with iheart organizing)