Organizing Your Linen Closet

Who knew towels, blankets and sheets could create so much clutter?  Organizing your linen closet actually is a must do on your list while getting your house in order again.  By changing the way you store those basic household supplies, you'll be able to make not only your laundry routine easier, but make it easier for your family to do their own linen swapping without your help each week.  Don't forget to check out the rest of the organizing tips series!

Organizing your linen closet is one of the easiest tasks you'll take on when tackling the challenge of making your home orderly this year.  By getting rid of things you don't need, learning proper storage methods and arranging things for optimum ease of use, you'll find your home running more smooth than ever before.

Right now, I don't have a linen closet.  We store extra bedding in the top of my bedroom closet and towels are stored in the bathroom. We are putting in a second bath (yes, we only have 1 bathroom for 6 people) and a main floor laundry room that will have a nice sized linen closet & I'm looking forward to having a single, organized location to store everything!

Organizing the Linen Closet

Get rid of torn or damaged items.  We often hold on to towels and sheets with holes or rips with the attitude that we will eventually replace them.  This is the time to go ahead and repurpose them for shop towels, sewing projects or crafts.  You can also move these to a donation tub if they are still in fairly good shape.  There are many shelters that would be glad to have them to pass out to those homeless who come through in need of a blanket or clean towel. Organizing is so much easier when you don't have things you don't need.  Check out day 2 for more decluttering tips.

Wash items that are stained, musty or need freshened.  As long as you are in and pulling things out to sort, you may as well freshen linens with a quick wash.  This is especially nice if you are close to season change and will be needing those different linens soon.  Sachets using potpourri, essential oils, or fresh herbs for fragrance are great when tucked between linens in your closet.  Dryer sheets can also provide a nice fragrance, but we tend to go for the more natural products in our house.

Use large vacuum seal bags for seasonal items.  You've seen the infomercial, and now is the time to invest in the large vacuum seal bags to store your seasonal items in.  Not only will it help you to keep those bulky comforters, quilts and blankets from taking up so much space, it will keep things fresh, clean and protected from things like moths and other critters that tend to find ways to nest in linen closets.  These are perfect for taking that large down comforter you use in the winter months and collapsing it down to a small and manageable size to fit in the top of the closet.

Put most used items at eye level.  If your linen closet is only for sheets, blankets and similar items then this is easy to do.  Keep your seasonal items on the top or very bottom shelves with your current season items at eye level.  No stopping and bending to find what you need. Simply open the door, grab and go.  However, if your linen closet also contains things like towels, washcloths and similar items you may need to divide those shelves so both are at close to eye level for easy use.

Arrange by sizes. When it comes to storing sheets, blankets and pillow cases knowing the size is key.  You can arrange by purchasing only specific colors for specific sizes, or you can go the easy route and make labels for your shelves that state the size.  Put the correct size items behind the appropriate label and you are good to go.  Some people have gone so far as to buy the small shoebox size plastic storage bins and label them with the sizes, put their bed sets into the tubs and stack the tubs in the linen closet.  Whichever method works for you is fine, as long as you stay consistent so nobody loses track of which set is which size.

Do you store your linens and your towels in the same closet? What's your favorite organizing tip in the series so far?

Looking for more organizing tips?  Check out the entire 31 Days to an Organized Home series!

Are you looking for more tips beside what is being shared in the 31 Days of Homeschooling Tips for Moms? I would love to invite you the community inspired by this series, as we strive to inspire, encourage and empower our readers in everything homeschooling.

Sharing is caring!