4 Easy Steps to an Organized Linen Closet
Much like a junk drawer, a linen closet tends to be a breeding ground for disorganization. They quickly become cluttered as yet another purchase from Home Goods is stuffed way in the back.
Try these 4 easy steps to an organized linen closet.
There's really nothing quite like a beautifully made bed or a stack of fresh-from-the-dryer towels. Click To Tweet
Purge: A theme that repeats through all organization projects. The first thing you have to do is edit your linen collection. Part with those mismatched sets of sheets. If you haven’t used something for 6 months, it’s time to donate.
Go All White: Nothing will make your linen closet look more organized than monochromatic sheets, towels, pillowcases, and blankets.
Get the Wrinkles Out: Aside from editing your linen collection down, nothing will make it look better than neatly folding all your linens. Folding sheet sets, table clothes, and towels will allow you to fit more in the space and also make it look so much nicer.
Label the Shelves: Labeling the shelves of your linen closet (or the baskets you store you’re bedding and towels in) is a quick and easy organizing trick. Keep things simple.
There’s really nothing quite like a beautifully made bed or a stack of fresh-from-the-dryer towels. There are some important items that you should keep in your linen closet to ensure that you have everything you need. Creating an organized and clutter-free home for your linens is a quick organizing project. Try these 4 Easy Steps to an Organized Linen Closet and reap the returns.
Would you like more ideas? Check these blog posts:
Quick Closet Organizing for Spring
Winning the Losing Battle with Your Linen Closet by The Closet Works Inc.
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
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All fabulous tips. I love the advice to go all white and constant edit. Baskets to corral all the things are helpful too.
Thanks Karen. When I switched to white towels I fell in love with the clean look.
So true…love the white concept! I went all white this past year as well…and I use baking soda in the wash to keep them as white as possible! It’s refreshing and pleasing to the eye! Great blog great tips!
Thanks for the baking soda tip. I’ll try that. I also love my all white towels.
Yes, I label the shelves too. It is really so simple and helpful:) When moving my daughter into her apartment last summer, I suggested she go all white. It is just the easiest way, not only because it looks nice in the closet, but also because white is easiest to clean. Under normal circumstances, we can pull out that bleach if the situation warrants it:) Organizing a linen closet is a nice little “stay-at-home” project, especially for those of us living in the Northeast where temperatures are stubbornly lower than normal.
It’s colder here too. I’m still waiting for Spring. I agree that organizing your linen closet is a great project for all at home now.
I never thought of white being practical because it stains so easily, but at least you can bleach it, which you can’t do with colored sheets or towels. Definitely something to think about!
Yes. I like that I can bleach my white sheets and towels and also wash them in hot water.
When I had to clear out my mom’s home after she passed, I found one linen closet held eight trash bags of linens. It lined the narrow 10-foot hallway. It was so crazy. Linen closets can quickly get cluttered. Over the years, I got rid of older linens and stuff that were just not necessary anymore. Now, it is much more manageable. We only have one quilt and one blanket for each bed. That’s it.
I guess people keep old linen’s thinking they are usable for something. I always suggest that they donate sheets and towels to the animal shelter.
My linen closet is small, so no labels are needed. However, I’ve labeled many shelves in my clients’ linen closets. They find it helpful, especially when multiple people access the space. That’s an interesting suggestion about making all your sheets one color (like white.) I never thought of doing that. We have color schemes so that we can easily mix and match, but there are multiple colors. One of the other things that always fascinates me about organizing linen closets is that when I start one of these projects, most clients think that they will keep most of the contents. But by the time we finish, they are surprised by how much editing and releasing they did. Often items get hidden in the back, so people lose track of what they own. Organizing a linen closet is very satisfying. It’s a small, defined amount of space with a specific purpose.
It’s interested that your clients do more editing than they think. I also see that sometimes. I now have two guest rooms (adult kid’s rooms) with the same side bed. I purchased white sheets so I could use them on both beds interchangeably.
Yes the white gives me more options…im not sold on the white towels though! LOL they are harder to keep clean
I also like the look of all white linens and towels in the linen closet. It’s so fresh looking and you can’t beat that. I keep everything separated by room and bathroom. You’re so right about labeling. It helps anyone who is looking to retrieve something from the closet.
I love the video. It’s a great addition!
Thank Ronnie.
Great tips, Janet, and I’m a big fan of labeling the shelves. Linen closets are my favorite “starter” tasks with clients because they have little sentimental heft and a great opportunity to improvement quickly.
But I’m going to have to go against the grain and note that I’m personally horrified at the idea of all-white sheets or towels. I’m not hugely motivated by visuals in my life, but one of the few visual delights that I actively notice every day is the uplifting, bright cheer of my colorful towels and sheets. To me, white bedding signifies an antiseptic hospital setting. So, I’ll leave all of you to the crisp whiteness, and take all the pinks and purples for myself! As an organizer, I can acknowledge the conceptual aesthetic of uniformity, but as a person, I want anything touching me to be vibrant.
Oh, and my essential linen closet tip? Everything (sheets, towels, etc.) must be folded with the “rolled” (smooth) side out; no visible edges! 😉
I never thought about that Julie, but you are right. There is usually not much that is sentimental in the linen closet. A good place to start. I don’t mind that you disagree with white linens. While you like at them as antiseptic I look at them as a luxury, like being at a nice hotel. Enjoy your colored sheets!
Ah yes Julie we all have our “quirks” LOL…