How to Organize Your Linen Closet
Organizing the Linen Closet
Do you have too many sheets, blankets, and towels? Do you open your linen closet and see everything a mess, sheets and towels tossed everywhere? Or are all your sheets and towels neatly organized? This week’s Organize Your Life challenge is to organize your linen closet.
This year we are going room-by-room to every space in your home decluttering and organizing. If you missed any of the previous posts, be sure to catch up on the Organize Your Life in 52 Weeks page. This week we will be focusing on how to organize your linen closet.
5 Steps to Organize Your Linen Closet
Start by Sorting Everything in your Linen Closet
Take everything you have pushed, shoved and thrown into your linen closet or linen storage area out. Don’t be surprised by how many items you find. For some reason, it’s always so easy to “stuff” sheets and towels into the linen closet.
Next, start with a basic sort like separating sheets from bath towels (you could be more specific by sorting full-size bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths). You can also match all your sheet sets (fitted sheet, cover sheet, and pillow cases).
Do you have some items you only use in your children’s bathroom? I would separate these items from the master bathroom items.
What about your sheets? Do you have different sizes for different beds or bedrooms? I have sheets for the girls and sheets for my son.
Remove Items that are Worn Out/Should No Longer be Used
Over time sheets and towels will start to wear thin or rip and tear. Remove all the worn out, torn, and ripped sheets and towels you will no longer use. I know we don’t like to say it, but if these items are ripped and torn, you will probably have to throw them away unless you are very crafty and can come up with another purpose for them (but don’t keep them if you don’t have a specific purpose for them).
Donate Items You Don’t Need
Next, donate any sheets that are sized different from any bed you currently own or you don’t have matching pieces (i.e. you only have a fitted sheet or cover sheet). For example, if you have 3 sets of double bed sheets, but do not own a double bed, then donate these sheets (unless you frequently use them for something else).
Do you have too many extra sheet sets or towels? If you have more than 2 or 3 sheet sets per bed, you may need to consider donating some of your extra items. Basically, you need one set of sheets for the bed to use now and one extra set.
With towels, do you have baby sized towels, but your youngest child is now 8 years old. It’s time to donate that towel. Beach towels from the Florida beach vacation that you have not used in 3 years? Time to donate.
Don’t save or keep anything you are not using right now on a regular basis (don’t save it for I might use this if….). These unused items you are saving create clutter and disorganization in your home. Be efficient and save only items you use and need.
Organize Your Linen Closet
At this point, you should only have your essential linens. Neatly stack and return all the sheets and towels you are keeping to your linen closet.
You could make sections for king size sheets, queen size sheets (if you have any), twin sheets etc…. Keep all matching sheet pieces together (fitted sheet, cover sheet and pillowcases).
Stack all the towels, hand towels and washcloths together by size and by color.
Repurpose Useful Items
Before you throw out all the old sheets, towels and wash clothes, have you considered that you could repurpose these old and worn sheets and towels as rags for your home projects. If you are not crafty and do not have plans for a home project in the immediate future, do not keep extra clutter in your home. For example, if you are planning to paint in a few weeks, these old worn out sheets and towels might be handy.
Take a step back and look at your linen closet. Maybe you want to add some small baskets to hold your washcloths or other organizing items to keep you organized over time. Go ahead make your linen closet pretty.
Getting your linen closet decluttered and organized doesn’t have to be overwhelming, but you might find you are surprised by how much you pull out of your linen closet (I was surprised by how many sheet sets and mismatched sheets I had saved and shoved into to my storage).
Start your organizing process by sorting everything in your linen closet. Next, separate torn and worn out items. Donate items you no longer use or don’t have a purpose for. Organize the remaining items you are keeping and place them neatly in your closet. Last, decide if any of the items left can be repurposed.
Now, that you have your linen closet neat and organized, keep it neat and organized every time you add new linens or need to take linens out.
Your turn…
How do you organize your linen closet? What ways have you repurposed some of your old and worn out linens?
I recently cleaned out my linen closet and gave away some of my old sheets and things to family members who needed some extras. That is my favorite way to organize- just getting rid of it!! 🙂 Thanks for adding your link to the #HomeMattersParty !
Hi Rachel, I find getting rid of things (trash or donating useful items) is the best way to organize and declutter, too. Most of the time the clutter is a mess and I wasn’t using that item anyway – which is why I just need to get rid of it.