August 22, 2022

The Pajama Drawer

 Ok, this is going to sound utterly ridiculous...but here it goes.

This weekend was a slow, quiet weekend.  The weather, while not rainy for the most part, just had that sense of a storm coming any minute now.  So, I spent a fair amount of time indoors, scrolling Instagram (no judgment; I had already completed all my "chores").

And then I fell down the rabbit hole that is The Folding Lady's Instagram feed.  If you haven't spent any time watching someone fold various items, you probably have no idea just how soothing - and instructive - it can be.  I'm ashamed (no, I'm not) at just how much time I spent on this pursuit.

Another rabbit hole that I sometimes frequent is the GoCleanCo's Instagram feed, in the event you need a rabbit hole or two to fall into.  Actually, there are a LOT of rabbit holes on Instagram - these two are my latest Insta-obsessions.

Some of you that have been around here for a while, may remember that after I read Marie Kondo's book, I completely re-vamped the way I had been folding (most) of the clothes in this house.  Shockingly enough, I still fold the majority of the clothes in this manner - it seems to work for us.

The only areas that this method didn't seem to work was my jeans drawer (yes, always and forever to my jeans living in a drawer rather than a hanger - The Husband's jeans do go on a hanger however) and my pajama drawer.

In the jeans drawer, they are folded in such a way so that I can quickly identify if that is a preferred pair, a work in the yard pair, or if they are a "I don't like them because they stretch out after an hour of wearing them" pair.  Upon reflection, it seems I need to clean out that drawer since there are several that are deemed unsatisfactory 99% of the time.

The pajama drawer though?  A nightmare.  I can't tell you how many times, I've pulled out all the pajamas, re-folded them and put them back in.  The pajamas for some reason (I guess it's the material) wouldn't "stand up" in the drawer (also probably because I need some kind of bin/organizer in there) but, it never failed that this drawer would end up in a jumbled mess.

And then I fell down The Folding Lady rabbit hole.  And noticed, that she folded her kids pajamas as a set.  Whereas I had been folding each item separately - a lightbulb went off in my head and I immediately went to the problematic drawer, pulled everything out, weeded out what could be donated or trashed and re-folded everything as a set.  They still won't "stand up" (I'll probably add some drawer dividers in the near future) but it's not the hot mess it was before.  And now, when I pull out a fresh pair of pajamas, I am not rummaging around for the whole ensemble.  Sometimes, it's only after the fact when you realize, um yeah - this IS a better way...despite doing it a different way for your entire life.

What about you - were you smart enough, to sigh and say "Of COURSE, you should always fold your pajamas as a set!" or are you like I was...clueless?

24 comments:

  1. Pretty clever! I don't actually have many pj sets, but I just stack what I wear to bed on the shelf in the closet, tops in one pile and bottoms in another. Not the most tidy way to do it, but it works for me. And this works for you, so cool!

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    1. If you have a system that works for you then that is a good system!

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  2. I have two nightgowns: the one I'm wearing at night and the one in my drawer. That's it and it seems to be enough.

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    1. Only two nightgowns; interesting. I am not a fan of nightgowns since they get tangled up in my legs; but how do you get away with only two? I have summer pjs, spring/fall pjs and winter pjs.

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  3. I had to unfollow GoCleanCo. At first I followed them religiously and even tried to implement some of their methods but then I started feeling like my house was excessively dirty and that I would never be able to clean it properly. It brought me a lot of anxiety so I eventually had to unfollow. I'm glad you found a pajama drawer method that works for you!

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    1. I've had to ignore/mute stories because that got to be too much. But occasionally, I'll dip into the account to see if there is anything of interest and because, I might be looking for a remedy to clean something that I'm struggling with. No, you should not follow any account that makes you anxious. Good for you for realizing that it did.

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  4. My pajamas are cast-off white v-neck teeshirts and boxer shorts my husband never wore. Year round, this is my pajama uniform. I do have fleecy pants and a robe to wear when it gets cold, and I probably should tidy up that under-bed drawer. Maybe I'll do it today!

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    1. That used to be my pj uniform too...until my son got a little older. And now, even though he's not living here, I just like having cute pj's. As I mentioned to DJan, I've even got seasonal pajamas!

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  5. That is a GENIUS idea, and I never would have thought of it.

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    1. I know! I mean, technically, I did pair the tops and bottoms before but they would still get separated; this way they should stay together.

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  6. These sound like good rabbit holes to fall down!
    I have always done my kids PJs as a set! I didn't think of doing it otherwise. That said, at this point they often mix and match. My son mostly wears shorts - no shirt - over the summer. Or he'll pull the shirt from one pair and put it with the bottoms of another (short vs. long-sleeved etc). I persist with my system, but it does require kids to stick with a set!

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    1. I'm not sure I explained it properly; before I would fold the bottoms; fold the top and put the top on top of the bottoms. What I'm doing now, is I fold the bottoms, lay them on the top and fold the top over them. Thus, no more picking and choosing (as in your kids' case) or rummaging through looking for the matching piece (as was my case).

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  7. I'm still stuck on folding pajamas. I have a dedicated drawer, but there is some shoving, or dropping items in said drawer. I've never had trouble finding what I'm looking for. Maybe I need more pajamas.

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    1. Well, if I had as much laundry to wrangle as you, I wouldn't be folding my pjs either!

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  8. That is a great idea. Sadly, I don't usually wear a 'set' of PJ's. I'm more of a T-shirt and undies sleeper. 😳 But, I do love organizing my drawers and I've implemented most of Marie Kondo's methods. They work!

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  9. My pajamas aren't a set. I have flannel bottoms. I have tank tops or t-shirts that I wear with them, but they're all separates. Still the idea of an organized jammies drawer has an appeal.

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    1. Any organized drawer has appeal - especially so after having it be in chaos.

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  10. GoCleanGo is from Calgary! I started following them early in the pandemic, and I love when a hometown girl makes good :)
    I Marie Kondo my clothes too, in terms of rolling them, but it's never worked in my pajama drawer and GIGI, THIS IS GENIUS!!!

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    1. I knew she was Canadian but never realized she lives in your area! How fun. And yes, I agree this method for the pajama drawer is genius.

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  11. Pj pants and a tshirt. Nothing matches. It's very sexy. Let-me-tell-ya. :) I will say though that if they don't fit exactly right (I got lots of squishy curves) I donate them. Life's too short to not have comfy pjs.

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  12. whenever some one starts with an apology this is going to be ridiculous I sit up as this will be a good one!

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    1. Stinko! Blogger is being difficult again this is your pal Urspo.

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  13. Because my friend has also fallen down this rabbit hole, I am familiar with The Folding Lady. There's something about opening a drawer of neatly folded clothes that just makes the day feel better. This is something I completely understand.

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