If your linen closet causes you anxiety each time you open the door, you’re in good company as many people feel the same way. Years or decades of accumulated towels, bedding and sheets stack up to the point you may not even know what you have. Even if you tried to keep it somewhat organized, you’ve probably stuffed items in there that are now forgotten, or you have leaning towers of mismatched linens. We can help ease some of that distress by offering many ways to organize your linen closet! Just like spring cleaning, it’s a chore for sure. But once done, you’ll feel so good about how it looks and how easy it is to locate needed items.
It may be helpful to find some linen closet ideas on Pinterest, or Ikea’s website, or you can do a quick internet search for images of the best linen closet transformations. Whether your linen closet is in the bathroom, hallway or master bedroom, there are plenty of inspirational images on social media. When you find a few that inspire you, it may add that extra boost of motivation to get started!
Step 1: Empty the Linen Closet
Take a linen closet before and after photo, you’ll be amazed at the improvement! Then, the only way to truly see all that you have stashed away is to pull it all out and assess the items. If you have a nearby bed that you can put it all on that is ideal. Or you can put a flat sheet on the floor to lay all the bed sheets, towels and small items on. Another idea is to set up a couple of folding tables, which can double as a flat surface to re-fold the bathroom towels and bedding.
Now that the closet is empty, this is the perfect time to give it a thorough cleaning. Wipe down the shelves and walls with damp rags and give it a good vacuum or mopping if you have tile or hardwood floors. Is this the perfect time to paint the closet? Yes! Years of use may have scuffed the shelves, or left stains from cleaning agents. Although it may take the better part of a day to paint the entire closet, it won’t need to be done again for many years. This is your chance to really spruce things up!
Once you have everything out of the linen closet, start organizing piles or stacks of bed sheets, bath towels, shampoo, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc. You can then organize further if desired; down to either family-member name, or bed size. This helps you ensure that items that belong to a certain room, such as Amy’s Room, will either have their own shelf or linen closet bin. You may like to get a notepad and start documenting what you have. If you want to be super-organized, you can even post this note inside the door so that family members are able to locate items they need as well.
Step 2: Assess What to Keep and What to Donate
As you’re assessing, you can also inspect the linens and make decisions about whether they’re still in good condition or need to be donated or repurposed. For instance, if a bath towel has been well-used and is now ready for the rag pile; you can cut it into large pieces that can be used for messy spills, paint, or shop rags. A flat sheet that has seen better days works great as a car cover, outdoor movie screen, furniture cover or drop cloth. There are many charities that appreciate receiving linen donations of gently-used items that you no longer want.
Step 3: Decide How You Want to Organize Your Linen Closet:
There are a few great ways to organize the linen closet, depending on how it gets used. If the entire family is choosing items from it, you may want to label a shelf designated to each family member, and one that is for everyone’s use. An example would be Mom & Dad, Amy, Alex, Miscellaneous. Mom and Dad may have a King size bed, Amy has a Full and Alex has two Twin Beds. Having their own shelf means that the linens that fit their bed should always be only on their shelf. This could alleviate that mad scramble to find matching pieces to a set. And then you (Mom) get to put everything back in order after your son tore the closet apart looking for his Twin sheets. Maybe this new system even entices your kids to change their bed more often, we can hope!
Another option is to organize by item. You could assign one shelf just for bed sheets, one for towels, one for shampoos, conditioners, and lotions. And another shelf could be for paper items: toilet paper, paper towels, paper napkins, cotton swabs and feminine products. Laundry detergents, stain or spot cleaners, mesh laundry bags and miscellaneous cleaning products can take up another shelf.
Once decided, a nice touch is to label the shelf so that each person knows where their items are. Or you can label by bedsheet and duvet cover size, bath towel or bath sheets. Next is training the family members to replace their items in their own designated space! Once they get the hang of it, and then see how easy it is to locate what they need, they’ll likely keep up the practice. After you organize your linen closet; you’ll feel more motivated to keep it that way.
Step 4: Best Ways to Store Items in the Linen Closet
There are plenty of options for convenient storage to keep your items tidy. There are linen closet bins, baskets, boxes, and organizers. A carrier-organizer comes in handy if your washer and dryer are down the hall and there is no storage there.
Linen closet basket ideas are varied. Clear bins with lids can keep small loose items from getting lost or knocked off the shelves. Baskets with liners can keep linens fresh and clean or can hold rolls of toilet paper. You can even place a scented sachet or uncapped essential oil in the basket if you like a fresh scent.
If your linen closet has wire-shelves and you don’t like the deep grooves it leaves in your sheets or towels, or that small items fall through the cracks there are options. One is to line the shelf with translucent shelf liners. You can even line the translucent liner with decorative or vintage contact paper for a pop of color. Another is to place a thin sturdy board over the wire rack, and it can handle the weight of multiple sheets or towel sets.
Step 5: How to Store Your Bed Sheets
Did you know that one of the most ingenious ways to store your sheet sets after laundering is to store the fitted sheet, flat sheet and 1 pillowcase INSIDE the remaining pillowcase? You can even insert the matching Duvet Cover too. This way when it’s bed-changing day any family member can quickly grab their entire new set of bedding, without needing to hunt for their pieces. What a time-saver!
BedVoyage Bamboo Sheet Sets come in a matching-fabric linen storage bag, so you can store the entire set in the bag. It will stay fresh until its next use, and you can immediately know the size as it’s clearly noted on the bag. As the bedmaker, you know that one frustrating situation is getting a sheet set out, starting to make the bed only to realize you pulled the wrong size. Now you’re stuck refolding the set and starting over again, this is no fun and a timewaster.
Many people struggle with folding a fitted sheet, they often end up as a wadded ball in the closet. But you can quickly learn how to fold the fitted to look just as good as a flat sheet in this video.
Step 6: How to Store Your Towels
Folded or rolled? It depends on how you showcase them in your bathroom. Some people like to roll their towels to look like a spa towel, then place them on the edge of the bathtub, shelf or stool. Others like to hang them on a bar or hook. A simple way to store them is to store them in the same shape that you like to display them. For instance: if you have a hand towel ring next to the sink, you can fold them in thirds lengthwise, then in half again. This way when it’s time to get a fresh one, simply slip the towel over the ring. It’s already folded ready for the task.
Folding your towels the same way for each size serves 3 purposes. It’s visually appealing when you open the linen closet, it keeps them in their ‘space’ (mismatched folding can take up more space) and it keeps them from toppling over.
Step 7: How to Utilize Extra Storage Space
There’s almost always a little extra room somewhere in the storage closet that can be utilized. If you have a few inches between the door and the shelves, there are great linen closet door ideas. You can hook a hanging storage bag over the door to keep any small miscellaneous items in. Or install clips that hold your broom, mop or duster in place. There could be a few inches of usable room in the back of the shelves, or on the sides. Here you can install cubbies for laundry-line clips, or washer balls. Maybe you like to reuse your plastic bags and want to install a bag-saver?
When your iron lives in the linen closet, designate a space that it can safely cool down without getting knocked over. The ironing board is another item that can hang from clips on the door, so it’s neatly tucked away when not in use.
It could be an easier task if you enlist a family member to help. They can document while you call out items, and help you make quick decisions on what goes and what stays! With all these tips on how to organize your linen closet, you could soon have a beautiful looking closet that houses all your bedding, linen, and laundry needs. And no more anxiety when you open the door, just a sigh of relief when you quickly find just what you need!
