I can't figure out where to store these. We have a spare bedroom but that is far away from where they are used. We often use these every night in the winter.

I'm willing to build cabinets but not a lot of wall space. After our remodeling is finished, (if we're lucky in two years because we are going very slow), we will have a small laundry room but it is a bit far away from the master bedroom.

Also, outside the bathroom, I possibly have room to build a linen cabinet (which I don't have inside the bathroom except over the toilet). Also, in the bedroom, I could have some cabinets built to put over the end tables attaching to the wall.

Our garage is detached and rather small or else I might consider there. Would like to hear if how others store their blankets. (or maybe we should figure out how to get by with fewer blankets but I like to have some heavy and some light, etc.)

--Alice

The dog blanket should be in the same place as you keep the other dog supplies -- shampoo etc.

Regarding bedding, the best move I ever made was to just buy a pretty down comforter -- I shake it and my bed is made and down is perfect for almost every season except possibly the summer -- and even then I wind up using it alot because the air conditioning at night is very cool :) I have a pretty patchwork quilt folded on the end of the bed -- you could fold the blankets at the end of the bed as part of the decorative scheme as well as providing functional extra warmth if you needed it.

On the other hand, if your main blanket isn't warm enough most of the time, why not invest in one warmer blanket/downcomforter and get rid of the extra blankets.

I have a pretty throw on the back of the sofa for when it gets chilly if I'm reading or watching TV.

The guest quilt is squashed inside of the sofa bed -- why give up valuable space when I can just store it where it will be used.

Eliza ann

I also just use a comforter on my bed, I love how you don't really have to "make the bed" you just fluff it over the bed and it's done.

the answer to this seems obvious to me. Because you use them sometimes, but not all the time.

and where do you put them in the MEANTIME, BETWEEN uses--that's the OP's problem. Frankly, it's mine, too.

I have a down comforter--it is WAY too hot for me except for about six nights in a year. I have steam heat, so most of the winter, my room is as warm as it is in the summer. So I can't use just one blanket for all year. And even if I did, what would I do with my SUMMER blankets?

Plus, I don't like the way a down comforter feels (and especially not a polyester comforter)--I like my knit cotton thermal blanket, that has weight to it, and falls down into the space next to my body instead of making a tent.

So I stuff my down comforter up on the very top shelf of my husband's clothes closet. Not much else would actually fit up there, bcs it's SO high, and you can't access it well. But it keeps the floppy comforter corralled pretty good. I could get rid of the comforter, but we do use it on those few cold nights before the heating system kicks in.

So the OP's is not a useless question.

I do agree that perhaps breaking them up might make the solution easier to find, especially in your small house.

Perhaps right now they're all labeled "blankets" and stored together (and grouped together in your mind).

Would your solution be clearer for you if you renamed them "dog stuff" and "living room stuff" (for example, if you use the small ones to wrap around you if the living room is chilly)?

Then, in each spot, you'd only have to find room for one or two.

You already know to pare down as much as you can. But 5 isn't excessive. Especially not if it covers guests, dogs, etc.

And have you considered under the bed? Perhaps you already have other stuff under there, but if not, blankets are particularly suited to storage in that spot, because they can be folded into almost any shape to fit whatever container you buy (just don't get an extra-long one, because those are VERY unwieldy).

I too have a quilt rack, but it gets too full very fast.

My personal blanket task is to get up the nerve (and the time, to evaluate and decide) to get rid of some of the smaller blankets I have up above in my clothes closet. And a couple of pillows. That'll free up space for some of the blankets that we use every now and then.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I think I'm going to store some of what we have in the attic in special storage bags and will purchase 2 lighter smaller version of blankets that will still meet our needs but will be easier to store.

I'm thinking about having an old cedar chest refinished and put at the bottom of the bed and hopefully I can save this to store three, two small and one large. They should fit. I will find a home for the others either in another room or in the attic. I'm just working on one room at a time, right now and this I think will meet our needs in the master bedroom.

Thanks again for helping me brainstorm.

--Alice

The down comforter is too hot (we use it maybe a couple nights every couple of years) but it is very nice and good quality and quite expensive so there is no question of decluttering it. (When my sis marries I may give it to her though).

We own 3 winter blankets (2 we use, 1 spare) and 6 light-weight blankets-throws and use them all to cover the bed, the couches or ourselves (late spring and fall).

Maria

Best solution, I think (I am planning once we move and have a new storage situation), will be to store blankets and bedding *under our bed*, in the drawers that are under our bed platform. DH made ours, but I've seen things you can buy that just fit under the platform/boxspring. It makes our bed a little higher, but I actually like the look of that - it seems a little old-fashioned to me.