Declutter It!

How to Organize a Linen Closet

by Julie on November 14th, 2007

Before Picture of Linen Closet

The main purpose of a linen closet is to store the items that come in contact with our skin on a daily basis. You want your linens to be free of mold and mildew and to smell as nice as they did when they came out of the wash.

You also want to be able to open your linen closet door, see what item you need instantly, grab it and go.

If your linen closet is over-flowing with old sheets and towels you never use or bulky blankets that fall out every time you open the door, then neither of those purposes mentioned above is possible.

Follow these 10 steps and you can create a functional, healthy and attractive linen closet:

1. Decide what you want to store in the linen closet. Remember, no two linen closets are alike. You may want to store only towels, sheets and blankets, while your neighbor needs the space for extra household supplies, table linens and diapers.

What you are able to store in your linen closet also depends on how large it is. If you have a very small closet, then you may only be able to store a few items. Decide what needs to be stored in the closet based on what is most important to you.

2. Empty the contents of the closet into one of four boxes. Take everything out of the closet and put it in the Donate/Sell, Throw Away, Keep or Belongs in Another Room box. The Keep box is for the items that will go back into the closet.

As a rule of thumb, it is best to keep three sets of bed linens per bed and three sets of towels per person. This rule works because one set is being used, one is in the hamper and one is in the linen closet. There really is no need to keep more than three sets, and this will keep your linen closet from being over-loaded with unnecessary items.

To make it even simpler, you can assign each family member their own color of towels and linens.

More steps and pictures below the cut!

3. Set aside all boxes except the Keep box. Sort the items that you have placed in the Keep box into categories on the floor around you. For example: towels, bed linens, blankets, extra household supplies, diapers and comforters.

4. Wipe down shelves with wet sponge and dry with a towel. If storing antique linens, line shelves with acid-free paper. You may wish to line the shelves with shelf paper to help protect your linens from getting snagged and torn.

5. Put bulky comforters, blankets and pillows on the top shelf or bottom of closet, since these items are changed out less frequently. You can store them in the plastic zippered pouch they came in, or buy one to keep them free of dust and allergens.

6. Fold and put away the towels. Fold the towels in half lengthwise and then into thirds and store same size towels together. This helps them to stack nicely without toppling over.

7. Fold the flat sheet, fitted sheet and pillow case and store the matching sets together. This makes it easier to find what you need, and keeps you from having to dig through the other linens to find a sheet set. You can also store the sheets inside the pillow case.

Stack several groups of sheets on top of each other if you need to. If you have seasonal sheets, store the out-of-season sets at the back of the shelf.

8. Store extra household supplies in baskets or plastic containers. This allows you to pull out the basket, grab what you need and place the container back where it belongs. Some extra supplies you might store in a linen closet include toilet paper, soaps, diapers, and toothpaste.

If space is limited, install a door rack on the inside of the closet door to store these extra supplies. This will free up the shelves for linens.

9. Label the Shelves.You may wish to label the shelves so that everyone knows where all the linens go.

10. Keep your linen closet organized with weekly maintenance. Now that you have the linen closet you have always wanted, do what’s necessary to keep it that way. Every organized space in your home will need maintenance. Go through the linen closet weekly, as you are putting the laundry away, to make sure everything is still in its place.

It’s a good idea to take inventory of your linens every three months and see if anything needs to be discarded or replaced. This is also a good time to take those comforters and blankets out of the closet for a few minutes and give them a chance to breathe.

Enjoy your new linen closet!

After Picture of Linen Closet

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POSTED IN: Bathroom, Bedroom, Closet & Clothes, Organizing Basics