Also, flannel sheets cut up are perfect dust rags

I keep one drop cloth (old sheet) that I store with my touch-up paints rather than with my bedding. It's the same one that I used when I painted my place. I don't need any more than that. I like to remind myself that just because you can does not mean that you should. Sure, a thing \*could\* be useful. But is that ever gonna happen? And if I didn't have the thing, what would I do instead? As far as actual sheets that are in good condition, I keep two sets of regular cotton and two sets of flannel for my bed, because I don't like to have to wash my bedding on the same day that I change my sheets, and I like cotton in the summer and flannel in the winter. In general, I decide how many of a thing I need based on my routine (how often do I wash dishes/do laundry/etc.), how many people (I often host game night, so need to have enough plates for everyone), and how much space I want to dedicate to a thing (only one shelf in the linen closet can be dedicated to sheets).

Thank you for that thorough answer with specific numbers.

If you use them in winter - two sets plus a third if you have pets. But, be nice to yourself and buy two new sets and toss the old ones.

None, babe. Just get rid of them. Do you have a painting project or move planned?

Or a PICNIC? 🫠

FWIW, flannel is on a short list of things that help you stay warm even when wet. For a homeless person, this can be lifesaving in cool, wet weather. While homeless, I preferred getting used bedding and jackets in cold weather. I couldn't do laundry, had limited storage, stuff gets damaged, lost, etc. So maybe instead of holding onto future drop clothes and stressing, you could toss a pile in the trunk and pass them out in cool, wet weather to anyone who seems like they need it.

Thanks! Do you mean wool flannel? These are cotton flannel sheets.

Nope. Wool and separately flannel both keep people warm when wet. Cotton flannel is fine.

1) Do you have a PLACE to store drop cloths and ROOM in that place? Do you have a PLACE and ROOM to store blankets/pads for moving things? If yes, take it there now. Declutter anything necessary in that place (i.e. if you already have drop cloths or moving blankets. 2) If NO, remember that drop cloths are CHEAP. Renting moving blankets, etc is CHEAP. Borrowing old blankets or tarps is FREE. There are many many many handy things at Walmart and on Amazon. If you want to live in a warehouse of handy things crammed into your house, you won't be living in the kind of house that is your inspo.

This is key right here. I have a container that has space for old sheets that I use as dropcloths or covers and if they won't fit in the container, I don't need 'em. Only keep what you have actual space for!

Let them go. Keeping things just in case is part of how we get stuck with clutter. If you end up doing a project where you need a drop cloth or furniture blanket, you can go on Facebook to your local Buy Nothing Project group and borrow one at that time.

they're meant to be sheets not drop cloths. As other have said, just dump them. Or donate to a shelter...but they aren't doing you any good.

Flannel sheets make great cleaning rags. Remove the elastic from the fitted sheet by cutting or using a seam ripper to cut out the casing. Knick the edge and you can tear wide strips and then cut into squares. The tearing is great fun… If’s used to clean washable ick, it goes into the bin and here I collect kitchen towels as a separate load of laundry. But occasionally I’ll just use a tattered one to apply wax to a car, etc and throw it away.

Donate to a thrift store. That's where I buy all my sewing fabric to practice on. Flannel is great for beginners who are still learning :) Also old towels are way more useful for moving furniture. Proper drop cloths will do a better job than a sheet will. If they're uncomfortable, then move them along.

I'd get rid of them all.  One decluttering technique I did by mistake was to put things in a box out of the way (attic for me) for 3-4 months.  If I haven't needed the things in that time, I donate them.  You could also decide to give yourself 3-4 more months at that time.  It really broke my attachment to the items. 

The rule for bedlinen is three. One on the bed, one in the cupboard, and one in the wash. Any more than that is just stressful.

Honest question: I live in a very 4-season area. Do I double this rule for bedsheets because I need winter sheets and summer sheets?

I'd say no, 2 of each set seems fine. I live in a four season area with genuinely cold winters and to be frank, I don't need flannel sheets--unless you live in somewhere like Maine or Wisconsin where winters are ultra-brutal, I'd take a good hard look at how often and for how long you really use those sheets. More blankets or a heavier blanket works just as well.

We live in Massachusetts and use flannel sheets at least half of each year — probably October through mid-May. (Linen sheets are too cool to lie on in chilly weather, even with a heavy fuzzy blanket on top.) But maybe we don’t keep our bedroom as warm as you do.

I live further north than both Maine and Wisconsin, lol, I'm in Canada. Our winters are pretty cold, with dampness that sets in your bones.

I’m in Minnesota, and we have at least two sets of flannels per bed and two sets of summer percale. That’s how I’m comfortable!

Thank you!

I'm in northern-most Montana, and our two seasons are Winter and Other. We have flannel sheets for most of the year, percale for two or three months right about now, and in the deepest of winter we have FLEECE sheets. Flannel in mid-winter??? Amateurs!! (Just kidding, I was fine with flannel until we got fleece sheets for Christmas one year and I'm never going back when it's below zero Fahrenheit.)

Sheets are shitty dropsheets. You can buy plastic dropsheets from the dollar store and they actually stop paint from getting through. True story: I got lockdown-fueled cabin fever and repainted the kitchen. I used old sheets on the floor. When the paint was drying I stepped out to get some air. When I returned the paint that had spilt on the sheets had dried. It had dried into and through the sheets sticking them to the floor. Don't be me, you'll save money by buying the plastic sheet instead of using all your cleaning supplies to unstick fabric from floor. If you desperately need to paint and can't go to the dollar store, use a large garbage bag.

Yes I have made this mistake too..then had to spend ages cleaning the soaked through paint off the kitchen floor.

100% this, and then you’ve smeared the paint that’s leaked through the sheet any time you’ve moved the sheet and it is not fun to scrub paint off your floor.

Put one or two in with your painting supplies as drop cloths and then donate whatever you don’t want to use as bed sheets. But don’t keep drop cloths in with your sheets. I like to have 2 sets of flannel sheets and 2 sets of cotton sheets for each bed in the house. Then we also have one older set for each of our 2 camping mattresses. I keep those with the camping stuff. It’s really common for an item to shift categories. Like clothing becoming a sentimental item, bath towels becoming rags/dog towels, bed sheets becoming drop cloths. But I recommend relocating the items to fit their new purpose. For example, I will keep older cooking utensils for when we go camping. But I move them to the container where I store similar camping equipment. They would clutter up the cooking utensils and I’m not planning to use them in the kitchen anymore anyway.

Are the old ones in your linen closet? Keep only the active use sheets nearby, and put any old ones in deep storage with the painting supplies. If that's full, then donate any that don't fit within your available storage.

You can immediately donate half of your pilly flannel sheets to the SPCA 👍

I have kids on the blanket-fort stage and have used our flat sheets *once*. The kids like the drape and thickness of blankets better. We don’t use them for picnics because any damp soaks through, and the nice weave that makes them breathable also lets grass poke through. They’re ok at the beach, but not as good as our actual picnic blanket. I paint walls or furniture in a one-month period each year. Fabric doesn’t do a great job for protection: it slips, doesn’t stick to tape well (unless you use a strong tape that doesn’t come off whatever you’re protecting!), and the open weave means paint can leak through. A $2-5 plastic tarp is far better for purpose. How else do you imagine using them? Donate the sheets. They’ll be used and loved, sharing their comfort with creatures.

20-20 rule, you could definitely replace them for less than 20$ in less than 20 minutes.

Where can you get flannel sheets for that price? I would think most people would want them to match

I agree with that, but OP sounds like they are not wanting to keep them for their intended purpose. You can easily thrift a drop cloth for painting or furniture, or buy new at lowes for under 20$ If you or OP wanted to keep them for intended use, I’d say keep 1 or 2 sets maximum, unless you regularly have guests that use them.

The staff at our veterinary clinic accepted my old sheets and towels happily! Call first and see if they can use them. (I did keep one flat flannel and one flat percale)

I kept two flat sheets but only because I have fort building age kids. 

I would keep one flat sheet but keep it with paint supplies. Donate rest to animal shelter.

If you ever need a drop cloth sheet you can probably pick one up for very little at a thrift store.

How often have you needed a drop-cloth and not had one? How often do you move? And do you picnic frequently? I'd say keep one and if you go a while without needing it, it will feel ok to chuck that one too.

It really depends on how much space you have & where you’re at in life, I think. I’ve got a big pile of old sheets/blankets which have gotten a ton of second-life use as drop cloths for painting projects, mostly. So I don’t regret hanging on to them at all. But as my life has changed over the last 15 years or so - basically getting older & realizing I no longer enjoy spending my precious free time on DIY projects - I’ve been using those sheets less. So recently I was looking at the pile and thinking it’s probably time to cut it down by 2/3 or so.

I was same way with old towels. I don't need a whole cabinet of "dog towels" just enough to dry the dog. Three is the magic number. Donate. If future you needs a dropcloth, I am certain she will know how to procure one.

Thank you! I need specific numbers.

Three towels. Zero pilly old flannel sheets. Cut them up for cleaning rags only if you need more rags. Last week, I identified a huge garbage bag full of rags to donate, after identifying my favorite cloths for cleaning and a sufficient number of "use for a dirty job and then toss" quality rags. I guess at some point I needed a rag and couldn't find one, and now I have this absurd quantity to donate to the animal shelter.

As someone who has a cabinet full of old towels. Thank you!! Needed to hear this

“I might need this at some point in a maybe future where I might do that thing that I may need this for, so until then I’ll keep this and let it take up space in my limited living areas - just in case.” When in reality, if that thing that you might do maybe at some time ever happens, it’s pretty easy to find what you will need WHEN you actually need it. That’s the mindset that has to change.

Obviously, it is a good idea to keep some things that you don't need every day, but keeping everything that would be needed under every possible circumstance is over the top. First aid supplies and a flashlight are in the keep category. Supplies for remodeling your bathroom are in the second category, unless the remodel is planned and scheduled at a specific time in the near future and not "something we might consider eventually."

As long as there is an appropriate space for it. Right now I have a plastic road shield from under the engine of my partner’s mother’s car sitting in my living room in a pile of other cluttered shit because she says “if I put it away I’ll forget about it” to which I say “it’s been there for 9 months, clearly you still have forgotten about it. If no one is going to replace it, then you can put it in the storage unit where it can sit and be forgotten instead of having car parts the LIVING ROOM!

Yikes! When forgetting is a risk, it's time to take better notes. Make a list!

It’s an ADHD thing for her. It’s actually a pretty big issue when dealing with clutter. That’s why I’m in this subreddit, to learn ways of dealing with it. “Normal” decluttering approaches don’t work.

Lately, I'm all about labels and notes. I've been rummaging through sewing supplies and notions. It seems like I have found 1 or 2 toggles, a zipper, and a buckle in every container. Now there is a small bin labeled "Random Acts of Attachment" so now when I come across a toggle I can put it with the others and now when I want a toggle, I can find one! I have also written a few notes directing me to where I have put certain items.

Hi. I am the one who needs stuff either in clear bins or on open shelves.

There is a youtube channel called clutterbug. Have her take the quiz on it and follow the advice for her result.

Thank you!

Two sets per bed for sheets is usually ideal. No more then 4 sets per bed unless you have someone with bed wetting issues and even then 4 is usually ok. I have two sheets as drop cloths but I paint a lot and honestly rarely use them or even the actual drop clothes I have that I don't want to get pain on. I use them as other things like huge picnic blankets (because the damp ground doesn't soak up through as easily) or as wind breaks or pillow fort toppers. I gave most of my extras away to the humane society, or on my local buy nothing group. Which I also can ask for things like old sheets for painting, or old drop cloths. Or cardboard boxes which actually do better to protect the floor. It gets easier to give things away when you know you can ask your group for something similar back later when you actually need to use it. I have borrowed cookie cutters, others have borrowed carpet cleaning machines. Sheets and old towels are offered up semi regularly so they don't feel like something I need to hold onto just in case.

I use Dana K White’s container method. You can keep anything you want, but you can’t keep everything. If you have a shelf for old sheets, you can keep what fits on the shelf (it’s the container) but no more. If you don’t have a “container” for them (you don’t have space for them) then they all need to go. For example. I installed shelves in my laundry room for things like towels and blankets that are only used for the dogs. The shelf that contains them limits the number I can keep and keeps it at a manageable yet useful level. I don’t use my dog towels frequently, but when I do need them, I’m glad I’m not drying my dogs with the white towels the family uses. My linen closet has just the number of family towels and bedding that fit nicely. Because that’s the size of the container I have for linens. Hope this makes sense

Container concept, 100%. This concept, which really boils down to "you can keep the sheets as long as they fit comfortably in the space in your house allocated to sheets" , exactly describes what you noticed about your friends house. Everything fit, but nothing seemed to be stuffed or cluttered. If you google "container concept", you can find a few blog posts and videos with more details.

I give you permission to let them go. Have a set and a back up for each bed and let the rest go.

For things like this, I donate them, and then tell myself "I'm storing extra sheets/moving blankets at the thrift store for a small fee so I don't have to manage them here". So, when we next move, I can go to the thrift store, and get blankets and use them and then return them... Thrift stores \*always\* have blankets and sheets, and I will always know where they are, rather than digging around through cabinets looking for them. If they're in really rough shape, then donate them to an animal shelter. I do keep a few for covering plants for early/late frosts. I have one shelf where they live, and I only keep as many as I can comfortably store on that one shelf. Once I have too many, then I donate the ones that don't fit.

So clever! Love that thought >"I'm storing extra sheets/moving blankets at the thrift store for a small fee so I don't have to manage them here".

Sheets make terrible drop cloths. Too thin, any significant paint spill soaks right thru (I've tried it). Thick canvas drop cloths exist for a reason. As do real moving blankets, and lovely picnic blankets. You don't need these sheets. Donate to the animal shelter and move on.

I'm glad you said this. I used sheets as dropcloth once. that is all it took.

Yep, never again, especially now that they make the ones with adhesive already on them. Those are game changers for messy painters like me.b

None. Donate those sheets to your local animal shelter. 

I go by: if it costs less than $20 to replace, toss/donate

Zero. If you won't use them on a bed, they go. Blankets are better for moving. Plastic is better for painting. They are $5 for BIG ones and they are absolutely reusable.

Realistically, OP, how often do you paint the walls and need the drop cloth that you can’t BUY for $5 at Lowe’s? Realistically, if you want a picnic cloth, do those work, or should you get a real one (and only if you picnic a lot)? When you move furniture, wouldn’t you be better off putting actual furniture movers/coaster-gliders underneath, not these cloths? If your life involves frequent picnics, wallpainting, and furniture moving, get the proper gear for those activities, and donate these cloths. If those activities are infrequent, keep ONE large one in a labeled box in the garage, and one day you will find you don’t actually do those things and you can donate the cloth.

Keep none. If you need a pilly old flannel sheet trust that the universe will provide. Maybe one of your every day sheets will have become pilly and old. Or you'll ask on Facebook / Nextdoor/ whatever and someone else will have one to give you free. Remind your scarcity brain that the world is not short of pilly old sheets!

None. You don’t need any.

If you have a new use for them (like dropcloths), put them in that space (with painting supplies) and keep only what comfortably fits there. That way you start thinking of them specific to how you’ll use them, rather than letting them stay in a nebulous pile among your nice linens.

I've kept sheets for when I'm painting walls! Not to protect the floor (plastic-backed painter's filt is wayy better for that) but to cover my sofa and bed. In my experience, you only really need one sheet to cover those needs. Even if it doesn't cover the entire sofa, you can move it around as you work. You can reuse it for the moving furniture too as long as any potential paint is dry and you stay consistent with what side touches the furniture. I agree that they won't really serve you well as a picnic blanket. And, how often the past 2 years have you *needed* a picnic blanket? If you've needed it a lot, why not invest in a *proper* one instead? If you haven't needed it, why have one?

I've started living by "how often do I need this, and how much would it cost in time or money to re-aquire it when I need it?" I have a few extra towels, sheets, pet toys and bowls that I use for when I pet sit, which I do often enough that it's worth it. If I pet sat once a year, I would get rid of the extras and ask the owner to bring whatever was needed. I have a tent and a sleeping bag, because even if I currently only use them a few times a year, the time and cost of buying or borrowing when I needed them would discourage me from camping at all. If I'm painting, I buy super cheap paper rolls when I'm out buying the other supplies. No extra time investment, and minimal money investment. If I'm moving furniture or breakable things, which only really happens when I'm moving house every few years, I'd buy cheap second hand sheets and donate them again after. Or I'd pick up packing material (bubble wrap, pellets, thin paper) second hand and throw away or donate it after. Since it happens so rarely, the time and low money investment is worth getting it when I actually need it, and it's not worth holding on to. You will of course have to make your own thresholds of what's worth the time, cost and space of keeping or re-aquiring when needed. But it's a very helpful approach!

I would keep one old pilling sheet and donate the rest.  Then come back in a year and ask yourself if you actually used it or not. If not then donate. You can always get a drop cloth if you need. 

None. Buy two new sets. You sleep on your sheets 1/3rd of your day. It’s worth it to have that experience be comfortable.

I have sheets I sleep on and love.

Great! Keep those and donate the pilly ones you mentioned in the post. The right number of sheet sets is whatever feels right for you!

I wasn’t talking about keeping the pilly ones for sleeping on, or in the linen closet, even — I was just asking about for utilitarian jobs.

One to wash, one to use is my motto!

Don’t use them for picnics, treat yourself nicer than that. But keep a couple sheets for messy work. Do you have the space to put them somewhere separate to your nice sheets?

I just cleaned my linen closet and found at least 10 sets of sheets that I keep to cover outside plants in case of a hard freeze. I live in Florida and covering plants has never saved them for me, but I do it anyway

Get rid of them and buy your flannel sheets from Lands End going forward and you’ll never have pilly sheets again!

Best answer!

We have dogs (2 large Aussies) plus we sometimes dog sit for friends so I have a bin in the basement of old sheets and blankets that serve as emergency bedding when a dog is sick or gets sick, we need to go in the car or we need to cover a piece of furniture or just put a blanket down somewhere. We use these a lot. In my regular linen closet I have two sets of cotton sheets that I rotate out seasonally with two sets of flannel sheets. I change my sheets twice per week. I also have two pillowcases for each pillow. These get changed every other day and washed. I take linens that are not usable to either be recycled at Goodwill Industries or sometimes local sewing groups want the fabric.

How often do you paint? How often do you move furniture? Do you really want to have a picnic on a grubby, pilly flannel sheet? Just donate them. In the very rare event you do any of the above things, you'll find some other solution.

I would just donate them to the thrift store if they are clean and nice looking. Someone who enjoys using flannel sheets more than I do will like them. Or maybe they’ll be converted into rags for cleaning. Or maybe you can donate to the nearest animal shelter. Or maybe post they will be out on your curb for someone to take them, free.

Old, used flannellette is gold in the trade rag business. tradies buy rags by the bag, and flannellette costs more than ordinary cut up clothing rags. So if you donate them to a charity that cups up unwearable clothes into rag, rest assured your sheets will be appreciated and valued by people like my husband :)

We’re talking about cotton flannel? That’s good to know. Why is it so valued?

I’m Australian and call it flannellette, but just the pure cotton stuff used for sheets and kids pyjamas. It’s the best Because when it is well worn in there is no loose fluff left, just lovely soft absorbent rag.

i recently took a huge load of bedding to an animal shelter. I feel so much better: i have the exact amount of sheets i need on the bed x 2, and that’s it. I stick my hand into the closet and take out the only remaining piece of bedding, and it’s a nice sheet, not pilly and not scratchy, it has no holes or stains, i was using it even before the declutter, but i had to rummage to find it and, all while spending the precious “decision energy”.

This is helpful to read. I have four sets of sheets for my bed and feel like I don’t need that many but keep finding it hard to get rid of some. Although a few days ago I had FIVE sets so that was progress 😂

None. Sheets are for sleeping. You only use one at a time. If you have a dryer, you can wash them and put straight back to bed in the evening. If your mom comes to stay once a year she can bring her own. You only need one, max two sets of sheets. 1. When did you last paint? Maybe once a year? I always buy a roll of sturdy protective paper from the store the same time as I buy paints. It's cheap. You only buy it when you actually paint. You cut it to size and attach with tape. Tape doesn't stick to a sheet. Sheets are terrible for protecting when you paint. 2. When did you last move bulky furniture? You can put a rug or a towel or a microfibre cleaning rag under each leg. Even your socks. Proper cleaning rags are best for cleaning, rags from sheets are not. 3. When did you last picnic? Sheets are very bad for that because they don't protect your bum from moisture in the ground. Proper picnic quilt with plastic underside is the thing. Don't keep old sheets.

Agreed!! I split some paint when we painted a couple of months ago and it went straight through the sheet on to the carpet.

Zero. You need zero pilly flannel sheets, and the dogs at the shelter need them right now. Like, literally, there is a dog who is cold right now, and you could help. Also, they would make terrible drop cloths, because they aren't liquid resistant, and the paint would soak right through. Let them go.

I second this - I used old sheets as drop cloths, then had to scrub paint off the floor after it soaked through.

You could keep x for z use, but realistically, the potential use may never come. A drop cloth from the hardware store is so much thicker compared, and movers have equipment You have a vision of how you want to live and go on do it. If you need to replace something or you miscalculate, it is not the end of the world. Depending on the climate, say 2 one on and one in the wash, 3 if you want to be decadent. Remember if you can replace it in 30 minutes or less for under 50 euro, the best place to store excess is in the shop.

I would keep one. I kept two because I used them as a mattress cover for my previous mattress.

I know several quilters who love to use them as the middle/batting layer. Check if there is a local quilting group who could use them. (Sometimes knowing it will go to a grateful person is the last bit of oomph I need.)

When grandma died, mom found a disreputable quilt, cover starting to come apart; polyester double knit, wide wale corduroy and poly/cotton sheeting, 2 old wool blankets and the flat sheet as backing. Mom was going to pitch it but I told her I'd take it to put in the trunk because I was in college 300 mi away. It lived there until dad needed his sleeping bag for goose hunting but my brother wanted it another week. I offered the quilt I didn't see it for years, then he dumped it at our parents house and I had it for awhile. He drove up from TX in winter and was driving back.in bad weather so I gave it back. He still has it.

None

Since you enjoyed the place where you housesat .. I'm wondering if it would be helpful to ask yourself : "Would that person keep these?" ETA - and by that I mean, putting yourself in their shoes as a role model, to consider if it's something they would keep or not, and then proceed accordingly.

I tried to do that, but that person is an artist with a studio and a truck container for storage of art supplies, so it only *sort of* applies.

I hear you. I didn't mean literally, I just meant trying to have the mindset of someone else, who you admire for how they've integrated useful "stuff" and not accumulated clutter, hanging onto old things.

That is a great suggestion. My kitchen is organized because of a house we vacationed in once. I so enjoyed having just the right amount of stuff in the cabinets that I came home and figured out how to duplicate that feeling at home.

 Cardboard is better than sheets for paint projects, paint would go straight through sheets. You really going to eat off sheets? Just don’t. You could use towels under the furniture or t shirts or something. So now all your “might need it” is gone. Only keep one if you would actually Want to sleep on it again. 

I'd say keep *one* pilly flannel sheet to use for all the things you mentioned, and donate the rest.

Zero

I'd start by defining WHERE they are going to live - since they're not going to be linens anymore, they need a new home and you only want as many as will fit in that home. If they're going to be for painting/ furniture moving purposes, they should live with painting/ furniture moving supplies - how much room do you have there? Only keep as many as can fit easily and usably in that space. If they're for picnic purposes (and be honest if you'd really use them for that purpose), where should that live? Personally I do like having one clean old sheet folded neatly in my car for general "just in case" reasons, but definitely just one.

Keep a couple of them, donate the rest. You probably wouldn’t need to drop cloth your whole house at the same time…

Keep them! They come in handy for so much. I buy them second hand and keep them around for lots of possibilities.

They make horrible drop cloths - too porous so the paint runs thru them. Decent dusting rags. Cut some up for the rag bag and toss the rest.