How to Make More Room in Your Closet by Changing the Way You Clean Your House

In my house closet space is at a premium. Normally, the closets are packed with towels, washcloths, sewing kit, hair cutting supplies, sheets, and everything else needed for the bedrooms and bathrooms. Because so much gets put into my closets I find myself spending a lot of time cleaning and organizing them. I gained an extra shelf in two of my upstairs closets just by adjusting my cleaning habits and reorganizing my cleaning supplies.

The Problem: Overstuffed Closets and Too Many Cleaners

Every so often my husband comes up with a great idea. I was cleaning out one of my two closets again and he asked me, "Why can't we be like normal people and put our towels in the bathroom under the sink?" I thought this was a crazy idea because growing up we always kept our towels and washcloths in the linen closet in the hallway. The bathroom cleaning supplies and extra health care items were always kept under the sink so that's where I automatically put them.

We have 3 ½ bathrooms in our house. I keep toilet bowl cleaner, bathroom spray cleaner, and Clorox wipes under each cabinet. I also keep Windex and roll of paper towels under our master bath cabinet. Under the kitchen cabinet I have more wipes, Windex, spray cleaner, Lysol, Febreeze, and furniture polish. I also have a drawer in the kitchen and a space in one of the closets for rags.

The Solution: Reduce the Amount of Cleaning Supplies and Carry Them with You

I took a page from the professional housekeeper's handbook. Instead of keeping all my supplies in every room I pared them down to just one of everything. I purchased a fabric shower caddy that was expandable and had pockets on the outside. I put one of everything I need to clean the entire the house into the pockets.

I included the wipes, toilet bowl cleaner, Windex, flat paper towels, Lysol, furniture polish, spray cleaner, and rags.

Save Time by Carrying Your Cleaning Supplies with You

I didn't realize how much time I was wasting by trying to clean a bathroom with just the supplies that I had in that room. If I was upstairs I would have to try to find the last place I left Windex bottle and paper towels. When I was cleaning I would spend several minutes trying to locate all my supplies. The caddy has eliminated that problem completely.

I discovered another unexpected benefit to carrying a cleaning supply caddy. If I find something out of place I can put it in the caddy so that it can be put away when I get to that room. This saves me time because I'm always finding my hairclips and small toys in the bathrooms and now I don't have to run them to their proper places right away.

Get More Closet Space by Carrying Your Cleaning Supplies with You

Now that my cabinets under my bathroom sinks are clear of cleaning supplies, I can put towels and washcloths right in the bathroom. This freed up two shelves in my closets.

I keep my caddy of cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink and I now have more room in my kitchen drawer where I was storing the rags.

Save Money by Carrying Your Cleaning Supplies with You

I no longer have to buy four toilet bowl cleaners, wipes, and sprays. I can purchase one at a time and I always know when I'm getting low on something. Yes, I need the same amount of cleaner but I'm not tying up my money by storing extra supplies in each bathroom.

Never be Caught Drip-Drying in the Hallway Again

My husband came out of the shower, dripping wet, and grumbling about not having a towel. I always check to see if there is towel in bathroom before I get into the shower but I also check for toilet paper before going to the bathroom. Apparently my wonderful husband does not check for towels before jumping into the shower which means he either scampers into the hall to get a towel from the closet or calls for me to get him one.

We have not had this problem since I moved the towels and washcloths into the bathroom. He doesn't have to worry about drip drying in the hallway ever again. I'm saving money by not buying so many cleaners. I have two extra shelves in my closet and I'm saving time when I clean. Keeping towels under the bathroom sinks was the best idea I've heard in a long time.

One last time-saving tip: Keep your phone in your caddy also.