Storage

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Since this is the time of the year to stock up on linens during all the “white sales” at local department stores, I thought it might be a good time to talk about storing and organizing extra sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, etc.

I already showed you how our lack of a mudroom forced me to get creative and turn a $20 armoire into a totally functional mudroom… well, I also had to get creative when it came to storage for extra linens because we don’t have any type of linen closet either {and our renovations have not created a convenient place to put one yet!}

I know many people share this same frustration when it comes to storing extra sheets, blankest, towels, etc. so here are some of my tips to hopefully simplify the process. 

1. Sheets:

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We only have one set of sheets for every bed in our house… and they are on the beds! When it’s time for me to wash them, I wash/dry them and put them right back on the bed. Not only does this force me to get the laundry done on time, it also eliminates the need for extra storage.

For small children/babies who frequently get their sheets dirty in the middle of the night, I simply put 2 or 3 layers of waterproof mattress pads and sheets on their bed so I can quickly take the top layer off and put them right back to bed.

If you do want to have an extra set of sheets for each bed, consider storing them in between the mattress and box spring — you won’t be able to feel them, and you’ll save lots of storage space!

***One more tip for storing sheets — if you are storing extra sets in some type of cabinet, drawer or closet, simply fold the set together, and then put it inside one of the pillowcases. That way, you’ll keep every set together and you’ll never have to go searching for a missing bottom sheet or pillowcase ever again

2. Blankets:

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We live in Michigan… it gets REALLY cold here in the winter, and we keep our house REALLY cold at night so we all have multiple blankets on our beds. However, in the summer, we don’t need all the blankets so I have to store them somewhere.

One thing I do is to put several thin blankets on our bed instead of one really thick blanket. Then, as the weather gets warmer in the spring, we take one of the thin blankets off. Then we take another one off in the summer months, etc. Plus, thin blankets are much easier to store than thick blankets.

I store our blankets in an extra dresser we have in our upstairs storage closet. It has 2 large drawers that provide more than enough space for all our extra blankets. Another idea would be to store them in an attractive armoire, an old trunk, or even hang them on rungs of a large ladder.

3. Comforters & Quilts:

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We have one comforter for each bed… and they stay on the beds all year long. If it gets to hot for comforters in the summer, we just push them to the bottom of the bed when we are sleeping — mainly because they are just too big to store.

If you want to store your comforters, I would definitely suggest using Space Saver bags {these large Space Saver Cubes are my favorite for storing bulky items}. Once your items are sealed inside the Space Saver bags, you can store them in your closet, in a dresser drawer, in boxes in the basement, etc. They should stay protected from moisture, insects, dust, and anything else that could ruin them.

4. Pillows:

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We have a large extra closet upstairs that I hang our extra pillows in. I simply clip them onto pants hangers, put a clean garbage bag over the top and then hang them from the bar. This method has worked well for me — but you could also use the Space Saver bags to eliminate some of the “bulkiness”.

5. Towels:

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Towels are another thing that I don’t like to store because they always seem to take up SO much space. Every person in our house has 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels, and 2 wash cloths — that it!

We use them for a couple of days and then put them in the wash. At the end of the week, I do a load of towels and we start over again. So we really don’t need to have tons and tons of extra towels taking up valuable storage space.

However, we do have one basket of extra “guest towels” available if we need them — and that basket fits perfectly with the decor in our bathroom… so I don’t mind storing them there at all!

6. Tablecloths and Napkins:

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We don’t use tablecloths that often, but I do have a few. I store them in the bottom of a buffet table we have in our dinning room. We store our cloth napkins in a basket on top of that buffet table… and simply rotate them out as we use them.

These are just a few of my ideas for storing extra linens. Some day, I’ll build a house with a huge walk-in linen closet and store everything in one place… but for now, these creative solutions are working just fine

How do you store and organize your extra linens?

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UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to:

Audra (audrabredeweg@…)

Charlotte (charli914@…)

Sarah (sefendrich@…)

I will email you all to get your information!

Since the holiday season is RIGHT around the corner… and since I know many of you will be traveling over the next 6 weeks, I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce you to Flight 001 and a few of their amazing travel products that will really help to simplify your holiday travels this year!

I’ve been enjoying these products for awhile now, and only thought it was fair to give 3 lucky readers a chance to win a fun Fight 001 travel prize pack that will help you organize all the many things you need to pack!

1. Grid It Cocoon Organizer:

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As you can see by the picture below — the super slim Grid-It Organizer will quickly and easily organize all your technology. And speaking from experience, it will also organize toiletry items, make-up, and any other small accessories you need to travel with!

2. Rubber Tag Set:

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I don’t know about you, but I HATE the flimsy {and really ugly} paper luggage tags at the airport. I also hate wasting my time filling out a new one every time I use a different airline. So I’m absolutely thrilled with these super colorful, heavy-duty, Rubber Luggage Tags that allow you to quickly and easily identify your luggage… and will never get ripped off or ruined by water.

3. The STUFF Bag:

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Have you ever gone somewhere and had dirty clothes that you didn’t want to mix with clean clothes? Or muddy shoes that you didn’t want to put back in your suitcase? Or maybe you had some food items that you didn’t want to mix with your clothing. If so, then the STUFF Bag is just what you need!

It’s a small, lightweight bag that folds up for easy storage, but then unfolds to offer extra “stuff” storage whenever you need it.

I also have their WET SUIT Bag — which I’m thinking will be a very handy addition to our diaper bag

4. Fill + Fly Pump Bottles:

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Whenever I travel, I always try to pack as little as possible… so I don’t have to waste time checking my bags. But unfortunately, due to all the crazy carry-on restrictions, I’m usually scrambling to find small enough bottles to transport my “liquid” toiletries.

But I don’t have to worry about that anymore since I’ve started using the Fill + Fly Pump Bottles. I know they won’t spill, they are carry-on approved, and they already come in a heavy-duty zipped bag that is just the right size for airport regulations. So I can simply add my other liquid items to this bag!

Obviously Flight 001 has many more products that will simplify and organize your travel experience, but these are just a few of my favorites — and I thought you might like a chance to win them! 

The Giveaway:

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Today, three lucky Simple Organized Living readers will win a Flight 001 Travel Prize Pack that includes:

1. One Grit-it Organizer
2. One Set of 4 Rubber Luggage Tags
3. One STUFF Bag
4. One Set of 4 Fill + Fly Pump Bottles

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment. Where is the next place you plan to travel?

2. Like Simple Organized Living and/or Flight 001 on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prize:

(3) Flight 001 prize pack as described above.

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 11/21/2011 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

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UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

A few weeks ago, I talked about how I organize my purse clutter — and featured a bunch of really cool organizing tools from Invite L that I just KNEW you would love…

Well, today {as promised} I’m going to be giving away those same organizing products — just in time for the holidays!!! yay!

And just because I want to give you one more opportunity to drool over these gorgeous products, here are a few pictures of the items that will be included in today’s giveaway!

Felt Bag-in-Bag:

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I’ve been using the green Felt Bag-in-Bag for the past month now, both inside other larger bags and all on its own. And no mater where I bring it, I always get loads of compliments from friends, family, and complete strangers.

It’s just such an attractive bag… that also happens to be super functional!

Dual Bag-in-Bag:

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Seriously — do you know how much stuff the Dual Bag-in-Bag can store and organize!! And it’s SO small!

It also fits perfectly in our diaper bag with plenty of extra room for baby things!

The Agenda: my new favorite planner!

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Invite L. has a huge selection of planners and agendas that are totally customizable!

I’m currently using their Agenda, which allows me to start on any day of the year and organize each day, week, month, and year!  I love that there is PLENTY of room to write out the activities for every single day and extra room for notes, or all my to-dos at the bottom.

I’ve used many planners, and so far, this one is my favorite! 

Colorful Masking Tape:

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I’m seriously SOOOO excited to use some of this tape for wrapping holiday gifts!

The Giveaway:

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Today, one lucky Simple Organized Living reader will win an Invite L. Prize Pack that includes:

1. One Bag-in-Bag {your choice}
2. One Agenda Planner
3. One Set of 3 Decorative Masking Tapes

A second reader will win:

• One Bag-in-Bag {your choice}

Finally, TEN readers will win:

• $5 gift card to use on any of the Invite L. organizing products!

How to Enter:

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1. Leave a comment. What would YOU use the Bag-in-Bag for?

2. Like Simple Organized Living on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prizes:

(1) Invite L. prize pack as described above.

(1) Invite L. Bag-in-Bag

(10) Invite L. $5 gift cards

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 11/14/2011 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

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Even though our farmhouse has SO many features we absolutely wanted and needed in a house; the one thing it doesn’t have is a mudroom… or any type of front closet or back closet.

We have tons of storage in all the bedrooms and upstairs, just not by the back door or front door — which becomes somewhat of a problem during the winter months when we have a bunch of coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and boots to corral.

Last fall, I showed you how we organized our VERY SMALL entryway in in our old house, but believe it or not, we actually have less of an entryway now!

{our old entryway}

So I had to get creative!

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I knew I wanted some sort of closed storage… but without any type of closet, we were out of luck. I also knew that I didn’t want to try and make room for all our winter gear in our bedroom closet.

So, I was ecstatic when I found this armoire on Craigslist for $20 and painted it/distressed it to work with our living room decor {I’ll show you before and after pictures of the cabinet later this week.}

Then I simply installed a clothes rod on top and a couple shelves on the bottom to hold our winter gear.

Our coats go up top and then we each have separate shoe boxes for hats, gloves, scarves, etc. Not super fancy, but it was quick, cheap, and it looks great. You can’t even tell that this pretty cabinet hides all our “stuff”.

I also have a boot tray with a few more hooks by our back door for wet boots and gear — it’s right over top of a heat register so everything dries really quickly!

So that’s our make-shift mudroom… for now.

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I do have ideas of transforming our laundry room {which is right off our back entrance} into a mudroom. But that would require re-doing the plumbing and a decent amount of demolition, so for now, our little armoire will just have to be “good enough”!

It’s not perfect, and I’m sure as we have more children, we will NEED a bigger space, but it was one thing we were willing to deal with since we simply loved everything else about our house.

What about you…

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Do you have a nice big mudroom, a small back closet, or nothing at all {like us}?

Do you have any creative storage ideas for winter gear?

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Over a year ago I showed you everything that was in my purse.

And while I’m still using the exact same purse, the contents have changed a bit… and would you believe that it’s even MORE organized! 

Yup, I just recently came across a new company, Invite L, and they specialize in really classy organizing products and tools {so of course I instantly fell in love with them!} Oh, and you might just want to pay attention because in a few weeks, you’ll have an opportunity to win a bunch of their amazing products

The Bag-In-Bag:

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One of my favorite products is their Bag-in-Bag — or basically a small bag/purse with a bunch of organizing pockets. These bags are big enough to fit all the basic necessities, but small enough that they easily fit inside most bags, purses, and diaper bags. So when it’s time to switch purses, all you need to do is take the Bag-in-Bag out of one purse/bag and put it into the other.

SO simple!  

I’ve been using this adorable {and super functional} green Felt Bag-in-Bag for the last few weeks, and I can’t even tell you how much I’m loving it! 

I’m already thinking how great it will be in a few short weeks when I’ll be toting around a big diaper bag everywhere I go. Now I can just slip my bag-in-bag into the diaper bag and I won’t have to carry a diaper bag and a big purse!

I also have this really fun Dual Bag-in-Bag which has even MORE organizing pockets… and padded compartments for technology items like cameras, iPads, ect.

I could see the Dual Bag-in-Bag being my favorite travel accessory from now on! 

Planners:

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If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that I’m absolutely obsessed with paper planners. I HAVE to write everything down and I really want to be able to see a full week and month at a time so I can accurately plan my schedule and my daily to-dos.

Well recently, my daily planner broke… so I was in the market for a new planner, but it had to be one that could start in October, not January {which was REALLY hard to find!}

Thankfully, Invite L. has a huge selection of planners and agendas that are totally customizable!

I’m currently using their Agenda, which allowed me to start on any day of the year and organize each day, week, month, and year!  I love that there is PLENTY of room to write out the activities for every single day and extra room for notes, or all my to-dos at the bottom.

And not only is the Agenda totally functional, it also fits perfectly inside my Bag-in-Bag AND is the most lovely shade of yellow. I feel happy just looking at it!

Take a closer look at the image on the right — do you see how EMPTY my planner is??? That’s because starting in November, I’m pretty much declaring myself on “maternity leave” from my organizing business… which means WAY less appointments, meetings, etc.

Oh I can’t wait!

Colorful Masking Tape:

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The last product I want to tell you about is Invite L’s really fun line of colorful masking tape. Their tape comes in different widths, colors, and patterns and I actually use it in place of labels – because it just looks so much nicer!

Of course you could use this tape for anything you would use normal tape for as well… and just think of what a fun addition it would be to holiday gifts, homemade cards, envelopes, or as any type of label!

These are some of my favorite Invite L. products — not only because they are so fun and attractive, but also because they are super practical and functional. What a great combination!

Hopefully I made you drool a bit over these fun organizing tools, because I’ll be back in a few weeks with a really fun Invite L. giveaway!

In the meantime, I’d love to know how YOU would use the Bag-in-Bag.

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We’re coming up on cold and flu season and if you’re like me, you’ve already stocked up on many common over-the-counter medications.

I’m always keeping my eyes open for great sales, coupons and rebates {especially since our grocery budget has gone way up} and I’m usually able to get great deals on most of our over-the-counter meds. However, since I get so many of these products for free, I often end up with lots of “extras” that we might not need right now, but possibly in the future.

For this reason, it’s really important for me to keep our medicine cabinet organized so we can easily find what we need AND so we use the “oldest” medications before the newer ones.

I kept this in mind when we were renovating our house, and actually figured out a way to build a VERY large medicine cabinet into the wall right outside our master bathroom.

We actually built the cabinet to fit some old shutters I wanted to use for the doors — and then I found this really cool old lock that we use as a door knob!

However, even if you don’t have a large, built-in medicine cabinet, there are still a few simple things you can do to keep your medications and prescriptions organized and easily accessible.

1. Store everything in one place.

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If possible, I always prefer to keep ALL medications, prescriptions, and first aid supplies in one location so I never have to wonder where something is.

2. Keep like items together.

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I use smaller containers and baskets to keep like items together. These are some of the “categories” I have.

• Band Aids and gauze
• Pain Revilers
• Cough drops and syrup
• Day-time Cold Medicine
• Night-time cold Medicine
• Lip medication and lip balm
• Nasal Decongestants and sprays
• Allergy medications
• Heat Packs, Icy-Hot, etc
• Prescription Meds
• Baby medication
• Hydrogen peroxide, Rubbing Alcohol, and other ointments
• Sunscreen and bug spray
• Extra lotion, hand sanitizer, and hand soap

3. Write the expiration date on each package.

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There is nothing more annoying that spending several minutes looking for the expiration date when you’re in a hurry to give your child some medication.

I remedy this problem by writing the expiration date in large, black marker on the front of the box or bottle. That way, I never have to wonder and I can quickly see when something expires.

4. Keep it out of reach from children.

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Obviously, you all know this, but when you’re choosing a storage location, it should be somewhere they can’t reach.

We purposely put all the medications on the top two shelves of our medicine cabinet and put other items like lotion, lip balm, etc. on the lower shelves.

5. Properly dispose of expired medications.

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I was once told that we had to flush expired medications down the toilet; but the latest thing I heard was to dump expired medications in a zip-top bag filled with cat litter and throw in the trash.

How do you organize your prescriptions?

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Do you have a cabinet, drawer, basket, or a closet where you keep your medication?

Do you have any great tips for storing and organizing your medication?

Do you know of any other proper ways to dispose of expired medication?

7 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to Laura: laura.reed17@… I will email you to get your shipping information!

It’s Labor Day weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with a fun giveaway that will help you to get a little bit more organized!

Yesterday, I showed you our garage makeover and mentioned that the long weekend might be just the time to tackle one of the bigger projects on your to-do list. We used A LOT of elbow grease to organize our garage {and our laundry room later that day} but we also got some help from Unger Industrial Hang-Ups and their amazing line of cleaning products.

What I love about the Unger Products:

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Obviously it doesn’t take much for me to fall in love with great cleaning products… however the Under Products take “great” to the next level!

Unger not only produces amazing cleaning products that are 100% washable and require NO chemical cleaners, they also designed them in such a way they they are space-saving, and totally clutter free {bonus!!}

For example, all the different mop and broom attachments fit on the same pole. So while there is a huge variety of poles, you only NEED one. Plus, all the poles fit nicely on the 5-bracket Hang-Up {pictured above} so everything stays neatly organized and off the floor.

I’ve been using these products for the last few months to clean everything from huge home renovation messes to normal daily cleaning, and am beyond impressed with the function and quality of every Unger product.

So are you drooling yet?

Good, because you have a chance to win a HUGE set of these amazing Unger products!!

The Giveaway:

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1. one HangUp 5 Bracket
2. one 4’-8’ / 2 Stage Extending Pole
3. one 6′-12′ / 2 Stage Extending Pole
4. one 48″ Pro Water Flow Pole
5. one 10” Soft Brush with Squeegee
6. one set of Microfiber General Purpose Cloths {6 cloths total}
7. one Microfiber Dust & Wash Mitt
8. one pack of Microfiber Kitchen Sponges {4 sponges total}
9. one Cob Web Duster
10. one Dust & Scrub Plus
11. one Swivel & Sweep
12. one 14″ Window Cleaning Combi
13. one Dryer/Vent Brush

This is an amazingly huge giveaway and I just know you’ll love all the products as much as we do. 

Enter to Win:

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Simply leave a comment telling how you would use your Unger products to help simplify and organize your home and life.

You can also get ONE extra entry by posting the following message on YOUR Facebook wall: {and let me know that you did}

Enter to win a huge set of Unger cleaning and organizing tools over at Simple Organized Living: http://ht.ly/6jK2S

Buy Unger Products:

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You can purchase the full line of Unger products at any of these retail locations.

This contest is open until Wenesday, September 7, 2011, at 10:00 pm EST. ONE winner will be selected at random and announced later that week. Please read my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you might have. I received a complimentary selection of Unger Products for review, however my love of cleaning products and all opinions are my own!

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