I am not one of those good people whose pantry shelves are stocked
in alphabetical order. My old station wagon is hardly equipped for
every emergency (in fact, my husband would prefer that I park it
down the block so no one suspects its messy contents are in
any
way tied to him). And, until now, I cannot say a
winter’s afternoon ripping apart and reorganizing my linen
closet—of all places—was a notion that brought me any
sort of thrill. I would rather have had toenail surgery.
But I am now a true believer. Born again and feeling full of
virtue. About to proselytize, in fact, as I nudge you, too, to join
the Spiffy Closet Club.
It all began one dreary day when my wise and ever-crafty editor
implored me to join her in Embracing Winter. She dangled before me
the notion that my nirvana would be found in ditching my messy
laundry-basket look, where sheets were more lumped than folded,
where old Band-Aid boxes perched atop pillowcases, where blankets
I’d long forgotten took up prime real estate in the dark corners of
that closet.
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Ever game for emotional/organizational rescue, I took the bait. I
called all sorts of mavens in the linen
department—shopkeepers, as well as professional organizers
who spend their lives trying to rehabilitate the likes of me.
Here’s what I learned, so you can play along at home.
Oh, before we start, consider this: I was told to set aside a few
hours so I could duly do the job. The fact that I could tackle the
whole thing in one afternoon, I was promised, would motivate me
beyond my wildest dreams. Unlike a garage or basement that takes
days, or weeks, the linen closet is the little darling of those of
us who need our gratification in easy gulps.