I don't have a laundry room nor a linen closet nor a pantry

amother

OP ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:15 pm

and I don't have where to keep so many things!!!

Where am I supposed to keep the vacuum cleaner?
Bath towels?
Laundry detergents and other laundry related random items like the cliche, ubiquitous tennis dryer balls I'm supposed to have to fluff up my pillows Wink

or the tzitzis thingamijiggies?
Lint roller?
De-pimpler?
Iron and ironing board?
Sewing kit?
Mop?
Tablecloths?

Only one of my bedrooms has a walk-in closet so that became THE closet. It contains the clothes of the kids who sleep in that bedroom plus paper goods stock, toiletries stock, suitcases and knapsacks, extra sets of linen and extra blankets and pillows, portacrib and packnplay when not in use. There's no place to move in there as is, so I can't add any of the above-mentioned items.

Cleaning detergents are in the vanity in the main bathroom. It's a small spot, but without another option available, I squish in the laundry detergents too. Everything else is all over the house in the most random places and it's getting to me!!!

This post is more of a vent than asking for practical advice. Maybe after three pages of people commiserating with me, I'll be more open to hearing ideas but right now I need you to let me vent. Thankyou.

amother

Peru ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:17 pm

I hear you I had this too and it was hard! Can I say what I did when I had this situation?

Ignore this if you don’t want advice.
I got white cabinets with doors and put them wherever they could fit, so one was a pantry, one was a coat closet, one was a linen closet etc..

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:26 pm

amother Peru wrote:

I wouldn't have where to place such lovely white cabinets. Maaaaaaaaybe one bedroom could handle it but I wouldn't be able to put towels into a bedroom and then be beholden to the kids who sleep in that bedroom. Also the vacuum cleaner, the mop, and the ironing board wouldn't fit inside.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:29 pm

familyfirst wrote:

Agree with above poster
Build your own Ike’s closets. You’ll feel so much more in control and grounded if everything has a spot, and best if storage is behind closed doors.

It’s not fancy, but better than having piles of stuff

I don't have piles of stuff. I'm super on top of my house to keep putting things away and making sure everything looks tidy. But it's getting to me! I wish I didnt need to be so on top of things and can just slam stuff into a laundry room and close the door, or dump towels into a linen closet. Right now, the place where the towels are , I can't get another towel because space is super limited. Towels needed to be folded just so or else...

Sewsew_mom ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:31 pm

Sounds tough.
Can you get a new house? 😬😬

Otherwise under beds would be my thoughts. Behind bedroom doors on hooks. Over door fabric compartments. Hard to say when Noone knows your house. Looks for spots and see what can fit there.

Oh. What about a closet outside? Like a shed? Maybe pantry stuff there. Do you live in a place you can use the outdoors?

Last edited by Sewsew_mom on Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:32 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Chocolate ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:32 pm

Every year I read through everyone’s Pesach to do list and I feel grateful.
I don’t have:
A backyard
A front yard
Porches
A shed
A garage
A linen closet
A coat closet
A study
A playroom
a laundry room
Bathrooms 2,3,4 &5
Bedrooms 3,4,5,6 &7
A pantry
A storage room
An office
A den
A living room
A dining room
A basement
A second floor
A third floor
An attic
A foyer
Walk in closets

Etc etc

When you’re ready for tips holler for me

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:43 pm

Sewsew_mom wrote:

I'd love to get a new house or at least extend the current one. Prayers accomplish miracles so maybe that will end up being the solution. But in the meantime, raaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Under bed storage? Hmm. Let's see. Under one bed we have another bed. Under the crib we have laundry drying racks. Under two beds we have drawers for the kids' possessions. Even under the really low beds we have stuff, but again, none of my random all over the house things would fit there.

Behind bedroom doors on hooks we keep bathrobes and clothes to be worn the next day. One bedroom door does have the iron and ironing board so I can only iron during the day when it's not naptime. (Not that I iron much but when I do, like for perler beads, I need that iron and board, right?) Those kids towels are on the bathroom over the door hooks. Closet doors are sliding doors so nothing to keep over those. The only door left is my front door lol.

We have a shed bh it's for the lawnmower and the sukka and bikes. It's not connected to the house so keeping pantry items there is a really far stretch.

None of you are letting me vent!!! When I say there's no space, there is no space. I can't create space where there is none.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:45 pm

amother Chocolate wrote:

Every year I read through everyone’s Pesach to do list and I feel grateful.
I don’t have:
A backyard
A front yard
A garage
A linen closet
A coat closet
A study
A playroom
a laundry room
Bathrooms 2,3,4 &5
Bedrooms 3,4,5,6 &7
A pantry
A storage room
An office
A den
A living room
A basement
A second floor
A third floor
An attic

Etc etc

When you’re ready for tips holler for me

Wow. Now you made me curious. How many people live in your mini residence???

amother

Maroon

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:45 pm

So I also don’t have laundry too, linen closet or coat closet…

I installed a cabinet over the washing machine and keep laundry related items in there. Also hand towels snd kitchen towels.
In one kids bedroom closet I installed a shelf and keep towels there.
Extra linen I have in a set of plastic drawers on the floor of a random kids closet. Extra camp linen and camp towels I keep in a duffel bag in the attic.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:51 pm

amother Maroon wrote:

My dryer is on top of my washing machine and on top of my dryer is the top of the closet so I can't even keep detergent there because the bottle simply doens't fit.

amother

Poinsettia

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:54 pm

I commiserate! We had a teensy basement "2" bedroom apartment with a kicthen/dining room area and a bedroom not big enough for my dresser. The whole place was a wreck the whole time we lived there and I could only access half my closet Hashem should grant you a big house with many closets and places for storage!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:55 pm

amother Poinsettia wrote:

Amen!

amother

cornflower

Sat, Dec 07 2024, 11:58 pm

amother OP wrote:

Same here, that’s just how it is.

amother

Nemesia

Sun, Dec 08 2024, 12:00 am

Please vent!! I had the same in my old apartment. We couldn't even keep dishes in the sink and I had only a set for 4 people!! We kept it in the sole hall closet. That also kept towels, linens, laundry detergent...

In my new place we do have a hall closet which stores everything pretty much.
I have sinks with cabinets underneath. That helps.
Stuff under beds.
I also got an over the door shoe organizer thing that helps with things like spray bottles (409, windex, shout, air freshener) as well as my spare sponges and small random stuff like bug spray and sunblock. I would put them over every door but it makes a banging sound when you put heavy stuff that would wake my kids so I don't.
I have short dressers in closets so hanging shirtd can go above and I store towels, linens etc there.

It is so hard! I am not on top of things and have piles but I also work about 40 hours a week out of the home, have kids with special needs, and not enough cleaning help... Crying

dankbar ↓

Sun, Dec 08 2024, 12:00 am

Over the toilet you can do fancy shelves to keep folded bath towels. Under sink if it doesn't go to floor but has legs or shelf, or change you're current one you can keep rolled towels in wicker bins or just plain on shelf.

Get everyone a bathrobe on hook of door so no need for towels, or every one has one towel, color coded that they reuse.