Welcome to day 3 of our spring clean. I hope the past two blog posts on fridge cleaning and pantry cleaning have been motivational and/or inspirational for you all. I'm excited for day 3 – linens. And fun fact: I don't have a dedicated linen closet in my home yet.
Although we've lived here 3 years now, it's still very much a work in progress as we move room to room renovating and updating and bathrooms will probably be the final space of the house to get a total makeover. So for now, I keep all the linens (very messily stored at the moment) in our guest room closet. Because organizing THAT space is a task for a whole month I wanted to still cover linens but not on how to organize them. Rather, having us all take a look at how to clean them, when to replace them, and what linens may be overlooked in your home.
Cataloging Your Overlooked Linens
In my mind, this process is a nice thing to do year over year, but the reality is it rarely happens – for me at least. For the sake of this cleaning day, linens should encompass more than just your bath towels and sheets – they should extend to every natural fiber item you own.
A linen handy list for you:
- curtains/drapes/cloth shades
- throw pillow covers / shams
- throw blankets/ bed blankets
- quilts
- duvets (both covers and inserts)
- sheets / pillowcases
- bath towels – including hand and wash cloths
- beach towels
- small rugs – runners, entryway mats, washable area rugs
- kitchen towels and drying mats
- rags and cleaning cloths
- shower curtains
- bath mats
- chair and couch cushions
And that's not including anything for children and or pets that I likely have missed – from cloth diapers to bibs.
And while that's quite the daunting list, all of the items above collect dust and dirt throughout the year. The hold onto to pet dander, skin cells (gross, sorry!) dust, mites, pollen and other invisible particles floating in your air. So taking the opportunity to clean them at least once a year is a big deal – especially if you or anyone in your family has allergies or sensitivities.
Different Ways to Clean Your Linens
It may be beneficial to take a week, not just a day, to tackle the linens in your home.
Monday – towel day
Tuesday – sheets / pillows / throws
etc.
But however you choose to get your linens clean, the cleaning process is also going to make a difference.
I've talked countless times about my love for naturally formulated, cleaner detergents and have used The Laundress products now for years with no complaints. Actually their products alone have made laundry my favorite chore to do around my house.
They have a beautiful collection of products that can help you maintain the integrity of your linens while also getting them so clean and smelling fresh for spring.
Some of my favorite products include:
- Stain Solution – for that hard water ring on your white shower curtain you just can't get off. Or that faint coffee stain on your duvet.
- No 723 Detergent – to make your sheets soft and clean and smelling like a meadow of roses at midnight
- All Purpose Bleach Alternative – for those white towels that may be no longer completely white. Also, is not actually bleach so it's gentle on the fabric and your skin.
Handy Linen Cleaning Products
When To Throw in the Towel on Your Linens
Sorry, sorry terrible pun.
But actually, sometimes I think we miiiiight just hold on to linens for too long. That towel that feels more like sandpaper than cotton? That wash cloth with the mascara stains that just won't wash away? Maybe it's time to send those items to the rag bucket – seriously just cut them into smaller squares and use them for cleaning! – and purchase a few new items.
Now, if you're not in the position to splurge on a set of very nice towels or sheets, or curtains there is a certain freedom in knowing you can walk into Target and buy a very fluffy, very white bath sheet for $12.
I actually did that a few months ago after some of our towels had seen better days. I didn't want to commit to a Parachute towel yet (totally ok if you do!) and the Target ones have been serving us well.
Do a little audit of your linens before or after you clean them. Are there any that need to be replaced? Any that just won't clean like they used to? Not serving you well?
If so, find another use for them and place a Target order with a few replacements.