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Get It Done: Clean Out the Linen Closet
Organized bliss for your bedroom sheets and bathroom towels is just a few hours away
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
The linen closet has become an elusive space. In fact, having one is a luxury in itself. It was once a home staple, usually placed in an upstairs hallway, but these days you may have to create your own "linen closet." This could be a small closet or cabinet in a bathroom, an armoire in a bedroom, a hijacked guest room closet or some shelves in the laundry room. Where you place it may determine what you store there; what all of these spaces have in common is that it's highly likely they could use a good clean-out. Let's get started.
by Gast Architects
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Inspiration. This comes from a dream where all we need handy are clean white towels and fancy soaps.
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Approximate time: 1 to 5 hours
It depends on how big your bathroom is and how much stuff you have. You may be doing many loads of laundry and have time to put your feet up during the cycles.
Materials needed:
• Wastebasket
• Room to spread out the closet's contents
• Donation box
• A few baskets or boxes for organizing the items you'll be keeping
• Cleaning wipes
Tip: Take a before shot so that you can feel extra satisfied when this is all over.
It depends on how big your bathroom is and how much stuff you have. You may be doing many loads of laundry and have time to put your feet up during the cycles.
Materials needed:
• Wastebasket
• Room to spread out the closet's contents
• Donation box
• A few baskets or boxes for organizing the items you'll be keeping
• Cleaning wipes
Tip: Take a before shot so that you can feel extra satisfied when this is all over.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Pick a linen closet. Whether your linen closet is a traditional linen closet, a shelf or two in your bedroom armoire or a series of cabinets in the laundry room, it's time to get cracking. Take everything out. I recommend putting it all on your bed.
By the way, if it's toiletries and smaller bathroom items you need help with, we've already covered that; refer to our ideabook on organizing the bathroom.
By the way, if it's toiletries and smaller bathroom items you need help with, we've already covered that; refer to our ideabook on organizing the bathroom.
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| Clean. Remove every item and wipe down the shelves and drawers with cleaning wipes. |
Divide and conquer. Put everything you have not washed in the past few weeks in a pile. Chances are there are some very old, unnecessary linens in there. They are on the bottoms of piles, and you have not used them in years.
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How to organize your sheets:
• Determine which sheets go with which beds.
• Decide if you need more than two sets per bed. You probably don't.
• Keep the two nicest sets for each bed. Throw any of these you haven't washed in the past few weeks into the wash for freshening up.
• Sort through the remaining sets. If some are looking rough, save them for cleaning rags.
• If some are looking good but you just don't need them anymore, throw them in the donate pile. It is nice to wash them first but not a must.
• Determine which sheets go with which beds.
• Decide if you need more than two sets per bed. You probably don't.
• Keep the two nicest sets for each bed. Throw any of these you haven't washed in the past few weeks into the wash for freshening up.
• Sort through the remaining sets. If some are looking rough, save them for cleaning rags.
• If some are looking good but you just don't need them anymore, throw them in the donate pile. It is nice to wash them first but not a must.
by The Land of Nod
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Maintain your organized state. One of my favorite organizing tips (I'm pretty sure it was from Martha) is how to keep sheet sets organized. Fold the set of sheets, then place them all within a pillowcase from said set. This is a lot easier than remembering how to fold the fitted sheet the way Martha does.
by Pier 1 Imports
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Keep sheets grouped together via beds and sizes. You can simply add labels to your shelves, like "Guest Room" or "Full/Queen," or give each size its own basket on the shelf. I like to throw a sachet, cedar block or dryer sheet on each shelf to keep things nice and fresh.
You may add correlating blankets with the sheet sets, give them their own shelf together or keep them stored in each bedroom.
You may add correlating blankets with the sheet sets, give them their own shelf together or keep them stored in each bedroom.
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Towels. Chances are, you've found some yucky old towels hidden in the depths of the linen closet. Get them out of there.
• Separate the best ones out.
• Earmark some of them for the car wash and rag pile. You may keep one for hair dyeing, if needed.
• Fold all the good towels and pile them by size.
• Place them on shelves or in baskets.
• Separate the best ones out.
• Earmark some of them for the car wash and rag pile. You may keep one for hair dyeing, if needed.
• Fold all the good towels and pile them by size.
• Place them on shelves or in baskets.
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Find a place for extra toilet paper. Do you store toilet paper in your linen closet? I have room for it only on the floor of mine, so I keep it stored in a cute canvas bin similar to this one.
More ideas for where to store toilet paper
More ideas for where to store toilet paper
Future plans. If you have a deep closet in which things tend to be shoved to the back and forgotten forever, consider investing in some rollout drawers like these. Keep the fronts labeled so you'll remember what's lurking in the back of the drawers.
Make up your bed with a set of sheets right as they come out of the dryer and grab a nap, because you're done!
More:
Browse more housekeeping ideas
Make up your bed with a set of sheets right as they come out of the dryer and grab a nap, because you're done!
More:
Browse more housekeeping ideas
Ideabook published on Oct. 4, 2012.
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I liked the idea of putting sheet sets together inside one pillowcase at first but then discovered it actually takes up a lot of extra space and they are not always even to stack nicely.
There is one trick I learned that really makes folding sheets easy - you peg the top and bottom together on the line - making sure hems are facing inwards of course - and when dry you fold from the bottom folded side as you remove the pegs and instantly the sheet is folded which also minimises ironing as it doesn't get creased in the basket. I actually fold or hang everything as I take it off the line and it really reduces ironing time, if not totally eliminating it.
I had to laugh thinking of an earlier comment about Martha's lavender and lemon water for ironing sheets - I could just see our cockies falling off the shelves laughing at that - it would probably attract them!!!!
I do like the blanket bag idea, I find softer storage easier to access, and was only looking at a catelogue yesterday for a shop that sells them so was thinking of checking them out maybe test one or two to see if it deters the pests.
I have also been looking at some plastic drawer units - generally 3 or 4 drawers within a frame that I can put on a shelf to store all the small things, like doilies and serviettes to keep them tidier and reduce the amount of shelf space they take up.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Weird, is trying to iron them any other way!!!
Am I the only person who doesn't have dozens of identical towels to store? Over the years, I'd buy sets of towels in different colors I liked; so I'd have 2 bath, 2 hand towels & 2 face cloths each to change off. At one point, the style I really liked changed, so newer towels aren't the exact same size. I think it's funny that decorators recommend picking neutrals for the more expensive things you don't want to have to change frequently .. like tile & fixtures in a bathroom, and adding your theme colors via things that are inexpensive to replace .. like towels; yet many of these photos show stacks of identical plain white towels filling the closets!
I definitely like to mix up the colours of my towel sets so when I have guests they can each have a colour to know which towel is their's. Same colour towels might look pretty in the bathroom but with 4 or 5 guests it can become a nightmare.
I'm sure I'd recognize me, but if I'm lucky, no one else will (LOL)!