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Tidy Tips? How are your drawers or shelves or anything?

(141 Posts)
trisher Sat 06-Sep-14 12:56:24

I am about as untidy a person as you can get. Watching a detective drama recently I heard someone describe a victim's t-shirts as "rolled not folded" in a drawer. Well that was the start! I have now re-organised all my drawers and I love it. It's easier to take things out and I can fit more in. So I started to wonder how many other ways of keeping things tidy am I missing out on? Come on you neat Grans I need your help!

rosequartz Mon 15-Sep-14 12:28:20

Deedaa DH has done the opposite! Gone back to white ones (is it a sign of age?)

This morning (as well as piles of washing, where does it come from?): airing cupboard tidied, towels rolled, beds re-made after visitors, spare clean bedding under appropriate beds! Way-hay, GN is so inspiring!

Deedaa Sun 14-Sep-14 21:25:54

We've been doing some decorating which has used up a lot of DH's old underpants. He's gone off white one and decided he wants dark colours!

rosequartz Sun 14-Sep-14 17:24:20

Coolgran65 I am so thick!! Of course.

I put clean knickers in the bag as well but didn't like to say. Perhaps they will sort them out and send the bras to Africa. They were still fine but just the wrong size (apparently, after taking advice from a person who knows about these things).

Coolgran65 Sun 14-Sep-14 15:55:48

Oooops, that should have been a glass of wine smile

Coolgran65 Sun 14-Sep-14 15:55:22

rosequartz -- you made me laugh with your story of trying to roll your towels and put them in the airing cupboard.

Roll the towels and place in a layer across the airing cupboard shelf. Then place the second layer of rolled towels on top. etc. etc.

Store them side-to-side...... not uppy-downy.
Big towels to one side, hand towels to the other side.
Use them from the top layer.
wine

trisher Sun 14-Sep-14 15:12:27

Sorry rosequartz I can't help. My airing cupboard went when I had a combi boiler installed. My towels are in a large box in the bathroom and stay put easily. Larger ones on the bottom perhaps???? You really need a Neat Gran!

Gagagran Sun 14-Sep-14 14:58:22

Oxfam collect spare bras, to send to Africa, where they are highly prized I am told.

annodomini Sun 14-Sep-14 14:45:50

I did the same, rq, with a load of old but well-washed knickers. There's a limit to the number of floor cloths I need.

rosequartz Sun 14-Sep-14 14:17:00

I have just thrown out a load of bras which were in a larger size smile but where to throw them? I put them in a bag in the 'textile' bin at the recycling place, presume they will get money from the rag man.
I didn't want to put them in with the household waste to go into landfill..

rosequartz Sun 14-Sep-14 14:13:37

So how do I get these flipping rolled towels to stay in place while I put the next row in?

is it me?
the airing cupboard looks worse now than before I started unfolding and rolling. confused

annodomini Sun 14-Sep-14 14:11:14

My problem is not just the number of bras I have accumulated, but the variety of sizes. I keep the smaller sizes 'just in case'.

Sonsybesom Sun 14-Sep-14 13:51:23

This is fascinating! I wash every stitch I wear every day, towels, face cloths, dish cloths, floor cloths, after one use only. Bedding every week, nighties every two days, DH thinks this is ridiculous. However I have an untidy clothes cupboard, no wardrobe. The living room is tidy, but don't look under the sofa, bathroom clean, and fussy about food prep, but otherwise a slob. Cupboards untidy. Lose things. Don't put things away. What a muddle!

trisher Sun 14-Sep-14 13:37:12

Well the labeling leads has taken over as my favourite tip. I currently have several boxes and drawers full of leads and wires. Unfortunately many of them have been left behind or passed on to me by my 3 DSs and I don't even know what they fit. But I love the IDEA!!!
I'm wondering if instead of trying to buddy up we should form 2 teams
GNU- Grans Neat United and GSU Grans Slob United. We could have quizes and competitions.

Deedaa Sun 14-Sep-14 13:21:17

I got inspired and sorted through my bras - how have I accumulated 12? Or it might be 13 - I started to lose count. At least they're all folded neatly, until the next time I can't find the right one!

Icyalittle Sun 14-Sep-14 09:18:33

This is a brilliant thread. I spent a happy hour sorting, rolling and stacking and now keep opening doors and drawers with a happy grin. But how did I manage to accumulate 27 pairs of knickers?
Next up is to cull my electronics cupboard (I am a bit of a techie). I already label every charger and lead. Leads get a label at each end i.e. Olympus to computer / charger to Olympus etc. I hang frequent-use ones on cuphooks under a shelf in my 'office'. Saves loads of hunting around in a tangled mess when I need one.

Ana Sat 13-Sep-14 23:00:32

Only just, jenn. Sometimes I don't even manage 'clean'...grin

jenn Sat 13-Sep-14 22:58:29

I always thought I would' grow into' this house-keeping lark but as I'm now 63 I have to accept it is beyond me!!!
Living alone with 2 dogs and a horse, my car is a travelling kennel filled with hay and other unidentifiable bits, my saddle lives on the bannister and there is always a trail of mud and shavings where ever I go. Clean is manageable but tidy and organised I can only dream about.
Think this puts me in the slob group.

etheltbags1 Sat 13-Sep-14 21:42:28

Ok Rose, I know you didn't mean I was a slob lol.
Just never been interested in clothes unless it is an item that is really eccentric like when I wore goth things with my daughter a few years ago. I still do like black. I like long trailing skirts and long jumpers with leggings but I still just grab whats in the front of the wardrobe. Would'nt even have one of those just I inherited a lovely antique one

rosequartz Sat 13-Sep-14 21:35:24

When I said 'yes ethel' I meant join the club.

rosequartz Sat 13-Sep-14 21:34:39

Yes ethel, but don't wear damp t-shirts!!

I decided today was the day to start being organised, so I took all the towels out of the airing cupboard and started rolling them and putting them back. (they had been folded in piles.)

The first three were OK, then the fourth on top fell off. I put a folded row next to them to keep them steady and started rolling the third row, then removed the folded ones so that I could start putting rolled ones in.
They all fell over, so I stuffed towels back into the airing cupboard any old how and shut the door.

Is it me?

annodomini Sat 13-Sep-14 21:27:30

Thanks, ethel, for making me feel quite organised!

Ana Sat 13-Sep-14 21:23:57

Yes, ethel. Welcome to the club! grin

etheltbags1 Sat 13-Sep-14 21:22:10

I haven't been on for a few days and Im horrified that you all are so organised and have so many clothes. I have an airing cupboard with spare towels all dumped out of the way. My clothes consist of a few t shirts, couple of pairs jeans and a few black 'work 'trousers and a few jumpers. One of you said all her jumpers were placed in order of colour. Does anyone have more than one jumper in each colour. I was going for a meal today in a pub with family and I had nothing clean, I don't have things for 'best' or 'going out', I just wear whatever's clean. Im just not interested in clothes. I ended up wearing the damp t shirt out of the wash and a pair of work trousers.
I admit to putting jumpers in an old suitcase in the summer and my one dress in it for the winter but apart from that I just have no interest in clothes, my DD is the same, she was interested to see her partner has a sewing box as he is a very smart dresser and he sews his buttons on when he irons. Like me she doesn't iron unless its for work or likely to be seen. My shoes lie under dressing table or on bottom of wardrobe until needed but as I wear mainly Docs in winter they stay in the living room to keep warm. Am I a slob

Coolgran65 Fri 12-Sep-14 20:38:08

Ah.... the man shed/garage.
Our garage has the answer for everyone. Any family member who needs a tool, a screw. blah blah comes to us.
There is a large plastic garden table to one side, with tv (flat screen of course), halogen heater, two chairs plus folding chairs for 'visitors'. A great place for watching the football and having a wee smoke. He can be working away repairing something while footie is on tv, ash trays abundant... golf gear in the corner, lawn bowls gear in another corner, clothes airer in the middle of it all.
It is very organised, not a spare inch on a wall, in a cupboard, on the floor.

But no room for the cars.

Grandmama Fri 12-Sep-14 18:38:46

Oh my goodness! Maybe the disorganised grans haven't got round to posting yet . . . .

I have regular 'purges', for a time everything is tidy then come one morning I can't decide what to wear so I try on various items, choose something, go outside and decide I need something warmer/cooler, get changed then there's no time to put away the discarded clothes and of course, later in the morning the window cleaner comes . . . .