If you are using the blankets, why do you need to store them instead of simply using them.

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.

I agree with blazedog. We use one king-sized down comforter and I add an extra twin-sized one for me because I like a heavier weight than my dh. I'd invest in a good comforter instead of building a cabinet to store extra blankets.

I keep extra blankets in the linen closet,but I have a quilt rack at the end of the bed that I hang quilts or blankets on should they be needed.
However I seldome need them as I have a thick duvet on the bed and it's usually warm enough even in our Canadian winters.

Eliza ann

How about a chest of some sort at the foot of the bed to hold your extra blankets? I was given my grandmothers old cedar chest and it looks great there and doesn't take up much space. I've also seen people use a chair with blankets stacked neatly on it.

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.

If you are using the blankets, why do you need to store them instead of simply using them.

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.

The suggestion to store one or more in the top of a closet sounds like something I may be able to use (since I'm in the process of decluttering and hopefully those closets will all be near empty, right?).

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

In the top compartment of our (built-in, reach-in) closet.

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