Linen Closet Makeover

A few weeks ago, I decided to make over my linen closet. It was already organized but I needed to make "prettier". I moved into my townhome a few years ago but with Matthew, everything seems to take a while. He is not in school anymore so I don't really have any free time to myself. It is kind of like being an ICU nurse and doing everything else you need to do on top of working 24/7. Anyway, let's get to the closet! 

One of the first things I did when I moved in was to add the wire racks to the closet.  My townhome was a flip so everything was brand new, and I mean everything! New windows, doors, drywall, floors, furnace and just about everything you could think of however that meant that I didn't have any curtain rods, towel bars or anything. I had one wire shelf in there. That is the top shelf and I left that one and worked around it. I purchased wire racks and the hanging bar for the walls so I could add adjustable shelves. Scott installed the bars on the back wall for me and then you just add the adjustable pieces to hold the shelving.  And that is how it remained until now.

I started with the gray paisley cloth bins from Target. I use and prefer gold however I do love gray and gold together. For this project, I decided to go with gray.  Since this closet isn't very wide (around 3 feet if I recall), I used the 11 inch bins so I could use three across.  I needed to maximize storage so I used every square inch of this closet.

I purchased this home sign from Target because I liked it and wasn't sure where to use it until I did this project. I used industrial strength velcro to adhere the sign to the striped bin. That way, it brought in the gold that I used in the rest of the house.

This is the closest thing I have to a "before" picture.  I took a ton of pictures throughout this process however I accidently deleted all of the before pictures!!! I almost died! I had taken pictures of different bins and test photos as I went along and for some reason, I deleted the before pictures when I deleted the test photos! Anyway, the closet was okay, just not pretty. I had the laundry baskets for some twenty years and had kept them because you can't find baskets for normal size linen closets and these were perfect! They are 3/4 bushel baskets and most of the baskets they sell today are 1.5 bushel baskets. Go figure. I searched everywhere for some new baskets!

Here is a picture of the gold home sign.

Here is a picture without the sign. I actually like it both ways.  Let me know whether you like it with the home sign or prefer it without.

So let's go through the linen closet and check out the bins. I know for myself, I am nosy and always want to see what is in a bin or a box. It drives me a little crazy when people don't show you. It's kind of like knowing a secret, lol.  No secrets here!  In the top three bins, I put in toilet paper. I have 8 rolls in each bin for a total of 24 rolls of toilet paper.

The second row of bins are as follows: Bin #1 is for Matt's sheets. I keep the spare set in here. Bin #2 holds hair supplies-these are my electric rollers and Matt's hair cutting tools. Scott cuts Matt's hair so everything is stored in here. See photo.

Bin #3 on the second row holds cotton balls and my manicure and pedicure Better Beauty Cases. I got these cases from HSN and love them.  I bought them a few years ago and also use them in Matt's wheelchair for his supplies.

Here is a close up of the labels.

And here is how they are organized. You can click on the photo to enlarge it.  I do my own manicures and some pedicures. I still enjoy going for a pedicure now and then but I like having everything I need at home. I do all of Matt's manicures and pedicures though.

Next are the plastic bins. I used these years ago and then switched to the Better Beauty Cases for first aid and supplies however I didn't like getting the cases out if you need a band aid. My bathroom has a vanity but no medicine cabinet, just drawers in the vanity so I decided to go back to these plastic bins.  I added some silver glitter paper and put that inside the bins to make them sparkle! I added white labels to the front with black letters. I could have used clear label tape but  I need higher contrast labels now that I am older, even with my new lenses, lol.

I don't keep a lot of stuff. I only keep one of an item and typically one or possibly two back ups.  The plastic bins hold the following contents:
Bin #1 holds: Dental (toothpaste, floss, whitener, mouth guard), Nails (loofah gloves, nail brush and my nail polishing cuticle brush that I use to touch up any manicure mistakes) and Razors (Matt's shaver).
Bin #2 holds: Eye Care (lubricant drops-I use these after cataract surgery.), First Aid (bandaids, etc.) and Wraps (knee mostly).
Bin #3 holds: Deodorant, Q-tips and Soap (bar).

On the next shelf are my towels.  In the striped bin, I store washcloths on the right side and microfiber rags on the left side. I have travertine tile in the bathroom on the shower walls, floor and sink so every day after my shower, I use them to wipe down the shower walls. I try to keep everything close to where it is used, so this is the best place.

I purchased new towels for this project. That is mainly why I decided to do the makeover. It was time for new towels so I decided to just get new baskets and bins as well. I purchased four bath towels, eight hand towels and twelve wash cloths. It's just Matt and I and with limited storage, that meets our needs. 

The baskets were the hardest part of this project to find. I searched all over the internet for white baskets or heck any color baskets that were smaller.  These were the only ones that worked in terms of size. I could find smaller or larger baskets but these were just right. These are called "flexible" baskets and they are from Walmart. They are $4 a basket but I needed them to be sturdy so I doubled them up and actually think they look better. They are a nice crisp white and are perfect! I have used them for at least two months now and they are holding up fine. I was worried the might tear but they are as nice as the day I purchased them. I tried putting other labels (tags) on them but I liked the clean, white look of the baskets so I just added the following labels using label tape: Whites, Colors, Darks and Special Wash.

Another look at the whole closet.

Another look without the "home" sign.

And that's it! Lots of other projects going on but nothing ready to post. I did some small changes beneath the kitchen sink, I added a wall quote in the foyer, got some new furniture for the living room (end tables and coffee tables) and some drapes however I need to wait until next year to get a sofa and some accessories.  I am trying to be patient and content with what I have but it's hard sometimes!

And on a different note, I am excited because I will finally be getting my knees replaced this year. I had my appointment last week and I will get a robotic total knee replacement on my right knee in September. I need Scott to take care of Matt so I had to schedule it when he could get two weeks vacation. He will stay here for a month but works 12 hour days a few days a week so we will see how it goes. Not ideal for sure, but it is what it is. I am hoping to get my left knee done after that but the surgeon only does one knee at a time.  I have been reading about the robotic knee replacements and I am kind of excited. I think it will be great because it will enable me to get back to normal sooner.  Essentially, it allows for more precision, better outcomes and less cutting.  They do a CT scan ahead of time and map out the surgery. Then they make a 4 to 6 inch incision over the kneecap along with some smaller holes for the surgery. The robotics tell the surgeon where to cut leaving the good bone intact.  With traditional knee surgery, my understanding is that normally they cut the ACL and with the robotics, it is left intact.  Robotic technology is very expensive. The cast outlay is around $800k for a facility to purchase it.

 Regarding Matt, I just spoke with the doctor regarding a daytime portable oxygen concentrator.  We got a new oxygen concentrator a few weeks ago that goes up to 10 liters however I only had the portable rolling oxygen tanks if I took him out somewhere and those don't last very long and are difficult to maneuver with his wheelchair. This should make our life easier.