5 Steps to a Perfectly Organized Linen Closet

What do you see when you open your linen closet? Do you wish your tumbled bunches of sheets and towels were neat folded stacks? Ideally you should know at a glance both the inventory of your closet and where each item is located. A typical linen closet contains sheets, table linens and towels for use in more than one room in your home. Because we use our linen closets in this way it is easy for them to become messy and unorganized. Organizing your linen closet can be easy. Following these simple steps to get your home organization project up and running.

1. Empty everything out of your linen closet and adjust your shelving. A clear and empty closet lets you start with a clean slate. Adjustable shelves should be placed at 10 to 12 inches increments from each other. 18 to 20 inches should be left from the top shelf to your ceiling. In the event that your shelves can’t be adjusted, and investing in an adjustable system is not an option, look into adding home organization accessories such as under shelf baskets, bins, or wire shelving to create smaller shelf spacing. Planning out your closet with smaller spaces between the shelves forces you to keep your stacks shorter and more organized. Large spaces between shelves lead to big stacks of linens where you no longer know what you are storing. It is hard to organize these tall stacks.

2. Prepare your closet for a clean start. Now that the closet is empty use this opportunity to wash the shelving. How long has it been since you’ve painted your closet? If it has been a long time, or never, put down a fresh neutral coat of paint. Take steps to keep your closet smelling fresh and looking nice into the future. Moths and some pests can be kept away by adding cedar blocks to the linen closet. Including scented satchels will leave your linens smelling nice, no matter how long they are in the closet.

3. Organize what you have and purge. A home organization tips suggest you keep three sets of sheets per bed. If you have three sets you can have one set of sheets on your bed, one set in the laundry, and one set in your linen closet. Two sets of sheets per guest bed are sufficient. You can donate extras in good condition. Throw away sheets that are worn and ripped. The same is true for towels. Keep three sets of towels and washcloths for each person living in the house. Another green idea is to use old linens that have been cut up as rags.

4. Organize like linens together. If you have more than one bathroom, for instance, divide your towels in groups based on what bathroom you will need them in. Flat and fitted sheets can be kept together by storing them in their matching pillow case. Once you have your sheet sets together keep sets that will go to the same bedroom together as well. This level of home organization makes it not difficult to find a set of sheets when you need to change a child’s bed in the middle of the night! Keep a shelf open for your fabric napkins, table runners and tablecloths to be kept together. If you have a hanging pole in your closet your tablecloths can be folded in half and draped over a hanger.

5. The top shelf is for bulky and out of season things. Put any extra pillows or out of season blankets and quilts on the very top shelf of your closet. This shelf not only provides extra room for bulky items, but it also keeps them out of the way until you need them. Use original zipper bag packaging to eliminate dust and dirt on quilts and blankets.

These five steps you can increase your home organization in one weekend! Enjoy making the dream of having a neatly arranged linen closet a reality.