Tips for Organizing Your Linen Closet

Holidays mean company. Company means closets that are rarely opened, may be getting opened. Overnight guests may be checking your linen closet for extra sheets or pillowcases. Is your linen closet ready for Holiday visitors? If not, here are some ideas to get you going on this task.

Take everything out.

Everything. Take all the towels, linens, and sheets, etc. out of the linen closet and put them on a floor or bed in another room.

Clean and paper

Clean and wash the shelves. Put down new lining paper.

Sort

Go through all the items that you took out of the linen closet. Get rid of the odds and ends that do not belong in the linen closet at all. Decide if these items belong somewhere else in your home, or should be donated, or if they are just plain ready to be tossed out.

Separate the linens and towels you are keeping. Now is a good time to wash stale sheets and pillowcases, and fluff up blankets. Take inventory of what you have and of what you need, especially if you have holiday guests arriving at your door this season.

Organize

When you are putting items back into the linen closet, decide which things will go on which shelves. It is a good idea to keep sheets and towels on the middle shelves where they will be easily reached. Less frequently used items can go on top shelves or bottom shelves.

Label the shelves so everyone in the family will know where to put things.

Put things back onto the shelves so that they can be seen. Avoid putting unused items behind other items. This will only end up with a cluttered shelf soon again. With every item you are putting back in, ask yourself if this is the best place for that item, and if you really do need that item at all.

Place blankets that are big and heavy in a bedding bag. This will make it easier to store the blanket in a lower shelf of the linen closet. You could also store the blankets on a top shelf in the bedroom closet.

Pair Up

Keep bed sheet sets together. Tuck the fitted sheet and pillowcases into a folded flat sheet. Face the folded edge of the flat sheet outward. It will look neater and will be easier to grab that way.

Use shelf dividers to separate the different sizes of sheet and pillowcase sets. You can put labels on the edge of the shelf to show which set is where.

Close the Door

Pat yourself on the back for getting this task done! Close the door, and go get a cup of coffee. Come back and open the linen closet door and smile at how wonderful everything looks.