Linen Closet Organization
Linen closets see a lot of action throughout the day, as someone is always reaching in for a fresh towel or an extra blanket. If you don’t use proper linen closet organization, however, all that reaching can lead to one jumbled mess.
The following three tips can help you maximize the linen storage in your home.
1. Purge Items No Longer Needed
The best way to begin your linen closet organization is to get rid of any excess linens you’re holding on to. Think about items such as those raggedy beach towels and faded top sheets that are missing their bottom mates. Do you really need them? If you’re stuck trying to figure out how many sheets or towels you should keep in your home, the following general guidelines may be helpful:- Two complete sets of towels for each person who lives in the home
- Two extra sets of towels for guests
- Two sets of sheets and pillowcases for each bed in the home (You can get away with one for the guest bed.)
- One extra blanket for each bed (Your comforter may suffice if you live in a warmer climate.)
For other items, such as dish towels or beach towels, the number of linens you stock will depend on how often you use them. Put your best judgment to work here. If you live near the beach or have a pool, for example, you may want one beach towel for each member of the family, as well as two to four extra, depending on how often guests come to visit.
More often than not, you’ll have more of something than you need. Get rid of that stuff so you can free up some much-needed linen storage space.
2. Get Orderly Organized
Be certain there’s a method behind your linen closet organization, so that you can reduce clutter by making retrieval easier. Store items that aren’t used as often — like spare sheet sets — on higher shelves. Linens that see daily use, like bath and hand towels, should be stowed on the middle shelves so you can simply reach in and grab what you need. Lower shelves can be used for other items, including beach towels, guest towels and dish towels. Save the bottom of your linen closet for seasonal items like comforters and heavy blankets. You can use bins to keep these off the floor.3. Fold Linens Like a Pro
One means of maximizing your linen storage space is by knowing how to properly fold your linens. For example, you can fit more rolled towels in a bin or on a shelf than you can folded towels. To roll towels, fold them in half from top to bottom. Then fold them in half again in the same direction. Next, rotate the towel 90 degrees and roll it up into a neat tube.
For linens, you need to make sure your fitted sheet and flat sheet are folded so that they’re the same size. Fitted sheets are notoriously difficult to fold, which is why you’ll be able to find numerous video tutorials with a simple internet search. Once both sheets are uniform in size, fold their matching pillowcases — except for one — and place those on top of the pile. Now, place all of your folded bedding inside the remaining pillowcase. Fold the excess pillowcase fabric around the rest of bedding until you have a smooth rectangular parcel. This way, linens take up less room, and you can easily identify all components of a matching sheet set.
4. Create More Space
Smaller homes may have less linen storage space than their larger counterparts, so you’ll need to get creative. Adding extra shelves can immediately reduce the clutter in your closet by maximizing your vertical storage space and giving you more tiers.
You can also use shelf dividers to separate towels and bottom sheets, which can topple into one another when they’re stacked. Another great means of getting the most out of limited linen storage space is to keep spare sheet sets or blankets in labeled bins that note which room their contents are meant for.
The nice thing about linen closet organization is that it doesn’t take much time. Once you have your linen storage cleaned out and sorted, maintaining an orderly linen closet should be a cinch.
