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It's almost the time of year to start bringing out the heavier drapes and linens...my favorite! Today, I'm sharing some of the tricks I use to store away my out of season linens...so they're a breeze to pull out in the spring and put back into place. 

I'm a little over-the-top about my drapes and tablecloths. I mean...we all have our quirks, right? While most of the drapes in our home stay in place year round, I try to change out the two sets in my front windows. These particular sets of drapes show from the exterior of our home and also do double duty in terms of efficiency for our heating and cooling systems. In the cooler months, I hang something heavier in these two spots...it helps keep out the cold. In Texas, that means we barely have to turn the heat on all season. I also like the look of a heavier fabric with my holiday decor, too. I'm sharing below how to store linens...so they're ready to go the next time you'll need them. 

How to Store Linens

My mother was always pretty meticulous about drapes when I was growing up. She had layers of sheers and fabrics and tie backs and doo dads and heehaws...it was a lot to keep up with, y'all. But her windows were always well dressed. While I don't go to that extreme (I'm a simple drapery panel girl), I try to take good care of the drapes I do have. With an indoor dog, and kids, and life in general, they need a good refresh every once in a while.

Refreshing Linens

• I start by removing the drapes (or tablecloths or whatever linens I'm working with) from their space. 
• I like to give them a good wash to clean the season's muck off of them. I only purchase drapes that are washable. I'm an overly germ-conscious person (much to everyone around me's chagrin). Having washable fabrics is a must for me...that and the sanitize feature on my washing machine. 
• I use 20 Mule Team® Borax to give linens a boost in the wash. It softens water and enhances detergent performance. Where we are in Texas, we have really hard water. Borax is a lifesaver. 

• I toss in half a cup of Borax with my drapes and they're good to go. 
• After washing my drapes and tablecloths, I hang them to dry. I have these fabulous outdoor drying lines that retract and I dry most of my stuff outside since it's better for the fabrics. 
• After they're dry, I iron the linens (which saves me from having to do that when I pull them out to use again).

Storing Linens

Supplies:

• empty cardboard roll (I use the tube from my vinyl rolls...paper towel rolls can be a bit flimsy for this, unless you double them up)
• plastic hangers
• dry cleaning bags (grab these here, if you don't have any on hand)

• Cut a slit in your tube so you can place it on the hanger. I learned this hanger trick a few years ago from fellow blogger, Diane, at In My Own Style. It prevents hanger creases forming in your linens while they hang in their off seasons.

• Hang the draperies and other linens on the hangers. Then cover with the plastic bags to protect them from dust. 
• While it's not as important to label the drapes (since I have a different color or pattern for each room), I do appreciate having the table cloths labeled...since most of mine are white or cream. It helps me distinguish them from one another. I hang them up in my hall closet until spring. 

If you would like to grab a copy of these printable vintage-style labels, they're available for free below. You can use a marker to just write on them, or use them as a background graphic in your favorite word processing program to use them for typed-out text.

Download These Labels

These work best when printed onto letter-sized cardstock for durability.

• Download these here via Droplr.
• Download here via Dropbox.
• Download here via Google Drive.

The drapes and linens will all be ready to go in the next season!

More Cleaning Ideas

• Deep cleaning your home? Be sure to grab my free printable zone-by-zone cleaning cards. They make sure you never forget a thing.
• My DIY Stovetop Cleaner is a good one that involves dishwashing liquid and works like a charm. You probably have all the ingredients on hand.
• And this Homemade Patio Cleaner works wonders on cement porches and patios. It doesn't even require a power sprayer.
• One Good Thing by Jillee has 10 Home Maintenance Tasks to Never Forget!
• And Jessica, at Mom 4 Real, shares 3 Steps to Disinfecting a Sponge.