Owners! What goes in that closet?

Mostly staples. Garbage bags, paper goods, spices, fishing gear, golf gear, booze. The stuff you take down every time and would not spoil if you left it there. :cool:

My Peacock Alley linens (not that I want to deprive my guests, but the rental companies require that you use their linen pool)
Thick, thick bath towels
Beach towels
Expensive down pillows
Embroidered linen hand towels
My nice napkins
Expensive candles
Sterling napkin rings
Off-season d?cor (fall/winter items or spring/summer items)
Wustof knives (in the $100 per knife category)
My George Foreman (don?t trust anyone else to clean it properly)
Refrigerator with staples like ketchup, mayonnaise so we don?t have to buy these items every time we?re there
Other staples like salt, pepper, aluminum foil, Cokes, beer, wine, alcohol, non-perishables, etc.
The expensive pool toys (like the Frontgate $125 floats)
Swimsuits, beach clothes, shoes so if we wanted to drive down and not pack, we could
Pre-cut plywood, ladders, and screws for boarding up
Paint and caulk for unboarding
Tools for repairing items damaged by our guests
Light bulbs
Lawn equipment and RoundUp for doing landscape maintenance
An extra set of pool equipment since every summer at least one guest breaks the ones we leave by the pool (I guess they let the kids play with it)
Our beach chairs
Etc., etc.

My Peacock Alley linens (not that I want to deprive my guests, but the rental companies require that you use their linen pool)
Thick, thick bath towels
Beach towels
Expensive down pillows
Embroidered linen hand towels
My nice napkins
Expensive candles
Sterling napkin rings
Off-season d?cor (fall/winter items or spring/summer items)
Wustof knives (in the $100 per knife category)
My George Foreman (don?t trust anyone else to clean it properly)
Refrigerator with staples like ketchup, mayonnaise so we don?t have to buy these items every time we?re there
Other staples like salt, pepper, aluminum foil, Cokes, beer, wine, alcohol, non-perishables, etc.
The expensive pool toys (like the Frontgate $125 floats)
Swimsuits, beach clothes, shoes so if we wanted to drive down and not pack, we could
Pre-cut plywood, ladders, and screws for boarding up
Paint and caulk for unboarding
Tools for repairing items damaged by our guests
Light bulbs
Lawn equipment and RoundUp for doing landscape maintenance
An extra set of pool equipment since every summer at least one guest breaks the ones we leave by the pool (I guess they let the kids play with it)
Our beach chairs
Etc., etc.

:shock: Sounds like an owners CARRIAGE house. :lol:

For nearly two decades my husband and I have been hauling the kids down to the beach. We've come across our fair share of locked closets with the label: "OWNERS CLOSET - PRIVATE."

Now that we've crossed the great divide into ownership ourselves, what the heck are in those closets? I've never been privy to what lurks behind the closed door. The curiosity is almost killing me. We're getting a brand new hefty mortgage this Friday...and keys.....

What do you keep in your OWNERS CLOSET?

That's too funny, Mermaid! :laughing1 :floor: I remember wondering the exact same thing before we got our place a few years ago! Now the answer is all clear....we basically keep anything we don't feel like dragging back and forth, i.e., our bicycles, beach chairs, umbrellas (we keep another set of each in another "open" closet for our guests). Also, shampoos, soaps, toiletries, cleaning products, etc. so we don't have to shop each time we come down.

Have fun in your new place....and filling that closet! :lol:

I know ours is filled with half-full shampoo and conditioner bottles, old coffee, old chips, anything food-wise that you can look at and wonder when you left it in there... Usually you can't figure it out so you just put it back and it's there for another season.

My dad hides Malibu Rum in there (he doesn't like people to know he drinks it!) and we keep a hairdyer...because we always forget one. It's always a mystery when you open it up. It's like Christmas! 😀

I know ours is filled with half-full shampoo and conditioner bottles, old coffee, old chips, anything food-wise that you can look at and wonder when you left it in there... Usually you can't figure it out so you just put it back and it's there for another season.

My dad hides Malibu Rum in there (he doesn't like people to know he drinks it!) and we keep a hairdyer...because we always forget one. It's always a mystery when you open it up. It's like Christmas! 😀

Too funny! That's why I label everything with the date I opened it because it's hard to remember when you haven't been there for a while. I mean, even ketchup goes bad!

That's so smart! We always hear someone reach for something in the closet then spit it out! Classic. :shock:

I'm beginning to think it's a good thing those closet doors are locked! :lolabove:

I always thought that's where the 2nd-home skeletons were. :lol:

The extra linens and bath towels. The cleaners need them when they are doing a change-over between renters. If they are not locked up, the renters wind up using them all and then the cleaners are stuck having to either launder them on the spot or scrounge them up from another property.

And of course, as everyone has mentioned above, your own personal stuff you don't want others to use.

We leave beach towels, some extra clothes for when we're there so we can just take carry-on bags when we fly there, our personal items (extra contact lenses, glasses, etc.), some extra trash bags, laundry detergent, some food in jars, tools for small maintenance jobs, some extra beach stuff to replace if some is missing for guests, and other "essentials" that we don't want to buy every time we're there.

We use the same linens, sheets, kitchen stuff as the renters use. This way, we get the same experience as the renters and so far that's been a very fine experience! And if there's a problem with the quality of the sheets or towels, we'll tell the rental agency that they need to be updated (for example, you only know if the sheets aren't fitting the beds right and come off at night if you sleep on them).

I usually just pick the lock and help myself. ;-)

:shock: Sounds like an owners CARRIAGE house. :lol:

That is what I was thinking...the closet is bigger than the house I live in now.:shock:

That closet list was amazing! So much for simplifying...guess whatever floats your boat!

I have left MAKEUP and VELCRO HAIR ROLLERS in mine....what am I thinking? I hardly wear makeup here in Dallas and almost NEVER wear it in FL. Think I'll be cleaning my closet out in OCTOBER!

Mostly staples. Garbage bags, paper goods, spices, fishing gear, golf gear, booze. The stuff you take down every time and would not spoil if you left it there. :cool:

And a big, green fishing cart. :bang:

And cheezeitz of course....

and we keep a hairdyer...because we always forget one. :

That just reminded me....when I was shopping at our local Linens & Things, I ran across one of those "mount-on-the wall" hair dryers. It's a Conair..and only $25.00! Several of our guests have commented how much they appreciated it! 😀

I always keep a hairdryer out for my guests and also a lighted makeup mirror with magnification. Actually I need to put a hairdryer in every bathroom like they do at most of the houses at Rosemary that we rented while building.

Hey, don't give me a hard time about my stuff! :lol: I know I'm obsessive about my linens (I like the comforts of home) and knives! :oops: Once you use a Wustof knife, anything else is like using a takeout plastic knife. I hide those away because they shouldn't be put in the dishwasher, and I can't depend on my guests knowing that.

I do leave all the rest of my nice cookware, dishes, flatware, etc. out for my guests to enjoy. I bought some cheap stuff, but I just couldn't deal with it. And I knew that my guests wouldn't either. So I gave it all to Goodwill and bought Williams-Sonoma stuff for my guests to use. Once you get used to their cookie sheets, you can't bake cookies on anything else!

Linens, a box full of assorted tools and hardware, cleaning supplies, TP & paper towels, assorted spices...and a bottle of Malibu coconut rum. ;-)

Ok, I'll admit it. We leave some tequila and gin in our closet as well. ANd make-up but I never use it when on vacation -- I even forget to put in earrings most of the time. We do shower though, so not to worry...

I'm afraid if we start using the top, top line sheets at home or keep some in the owners closet at the cottages we'll never be able to tolerate the regular sheets. So, that's another reason we stay away from it. We do use very nice 100% cotton quilts and duvets on the beds at the cottages, though, and those are great (and easily washed by us, cleaning service, or guests).

Our stuff isn't Williams Sonoma -- that sounds wonderful -- but it's good stuff. Guests really like good quality plates, lots of specialty glassware, and cookware. We had some unbreakable corning ware dishes a few years ago, but some guests suggested we should get something nicer so we did.

We leave hairdryers but they're not the wall-kind. We just keep them under the cabinets in the bathroom. Magnifying mirrors would certainly be useful.

I keep extras of all toiletries and my beach clothes in there, also some items that we like to have out that have special meaning to our family. I also keep a set of watercolor paints and sketch paper and my special plates, etc. Generally, I don't keep anything in the house that couldn't be replaced or lost without angst. But it is so nice to get on the plane with just a purse and the dog. We also keep things like sunblock, moisturizer, a first-aide kit, etc. in there. These are things that would tend to disappear over the course of a busy summer. Same with hairdryers. People pack them and they disappear, so we stopped providing them. I don't think people really mean to filch such items, but they get mixed up with other stuff and packing occurs quickly prior to a 10:00 a.m. checkout.

Basically, there is nothing in an owner's closet that would make picking the lock worth a renter's time and effort. We have never had that happen, to our knowledge.

Basically, there is nothing in an owner's closet that would make picking the lock worth a renter's time and effort. We have never had that happen, to our knowledge.

One of our neighbors in GA who also owns on 30-A had his owner's closet robbed by the cleaning service. What I have can't exactly be pawned - I mean, how could anyone frequenting a pawn shop know the value of Peacock Alley? So I don't worry about it. I just want my stuff there and undamaged when I want to use it.

Basically, there is nothing in an owner's closet that would make picking the lock worth a renter's time and effort. We have never had that happen, to our knowledge.

Sigh...sadly, it happens. Happened to us this spring. Some woman rented our house (illegally) for about a dozen 17-year olds, who proceeded to trash the house with a food fight, (resulting in a dozen holes in the wall, mustard stains everywhere, spaghetti stuck to the ceiling, just for starters.) They jimmied into our owner's lockout, drinking all the liquor, and smashing our bikes to smithereens. They took our rubbermaid storage units and filled them to the brim with leftover burgers and brats, which we found in the backyard, left out in the sun and rain for 2 weeks...mhmm, good times. :roll:

Luckily all was fixed, and we got new bikes out of it. And I'm certain there's one woman who will never sign over her credit card for her son's friends again! So moral of the story--yes, it can happen. I just wouldn't leave anything in there that's irreplaceable.

The worst damage I ever did to anyone's condo was to walk into the closed sliding glass door. :floor:

That was just a LITTLE embarassing.

The only thing broken was my dignity.

Sigh...sadly, it happens. Happened to us this spring. So moral of the story--yes, it can happen. I just wouldn't leave anything in there that's irreplaceable.

Ohmygosh...how awful! I can only imagine how terrible it must have been to walk into that mess after they left! Can't believe anyone would be so inconsiderate (and dumb!) to rent a house for a group of unsupervised 17 year olds. She's lucky none of them were injured (or worse!) :pissed:

Suffice it to say there were 3 single-spaced pages of itemized damages incurred in that incident. We were horrified for what the neighbors must have gone through. ( (I wonder if my neighbor Camp Creek Kid heard all the commotion.)

The worst thing was the "meat" debacle...there was no dumping those full RUbbermaid bins...my poor husband just had to roll up his sleeves and pull out all the rotten food by hand. Plus, you won't believe the stuff that 17-year olds drink these days. A dumpster full of empty bottles of sweet high-octane alcoholic garbage with names like Watermelon Zap, Ice Rush Stinger, Mad Dog, what have you.

Oh, and another thing to beware: they turned our water heater up to 160 degrees...burning out the heating unit and potentially burning down the house. Horrified doesn't even come close to what we felt that weekend. :bang: