I love linens and linen closets but most of us just don't have the space to store the mountains of mismatched towels, sheets and pillowcases we all seem to collect and hold on to over the years.
So here is my first official little tutorial, I hope this can get you started on the journey that is an organized home.
Organizing is a pretty logical process; you figure out what you have, what you use, what you don't and then you find a place it all (in a variety of containers) the problem, however; is we all have a lot of things we might need someday..right? Unfortunately most of us do not have as much space as we need (or as much as we think we need) and an unorganized linen closet is ineffective and frankly not so pretty to look at. So here are the steps to getting even the tiniest linen closet in order.
To Begin:1. Empty the closet and group like items (towels, queen bedding, king bedding, blankets, etc)
2. Keep what you use and what you might use every 3 months or so. Limit yourself to two sets of bedding for each bed (2 total as in one on the bed and one in the closet)
3. Store things you can't part with (space bags are fabulous and fit under beds). Be ruthless here--ask yourself: would I really go through the trouble of digging this out of storage...ever?
4. Donate the rest. Get rid of shabby towels, sheets and itchy things..treat yourself and your family well.
When putting things back in the closet:1. Sort items into categories (towels on one shelf, sheets on another etc..)
2. Use labels on the shelf (if you have wood shelves) or tie narrow ribbon with a tag on plastic shelves (like the ones in the pic). I like to group sheet sets together inside their matching pillowcase, but you can also group twin fitted sheets, queen flat sheets..you get the idea.
3. Put newly washed towels and sheets on the bottom and work from the top, this way everything gets even wear.
4. Have a shelf (or two) dedicated to guests, keep towels, sheet and extra pillows on that shelf and that shelf alone. (hopefully this will give you perspective on how much you have and how much you need) Most of us don't have more than 2 people staying with us at one time. Take it a step further and add a small basket with soap, new toothbrushes, lotion and small bottles of shampoo and conditioner, not only will it be organized but it will look great and you wont be rushing to get things ready when guests arrive.
If the stuff you "need" still doesn't fit:1. Fold towels into thirds and roll. Store them in a big basket in your bathroom. I like this solution even if I do have the space because it looks great. (my little secret, on the bottom of the basket I like to keep extra toilet paper stashed, you can't see them and they give the towels a little boost so you can see them better..I do not recommend this in a guest bathroom since you want people to be able to access extra TP)
2. Store linens in the rooms they are used. If you're desperate you can even store the spare sheets in between the mattresses. Old towels can be kept in the garage, in the laundry room or under a kitchen sink for unexpected messes.
Now lastly, if you have a little extra space after serious editing, get matching baskets to store soap, shampoo, toothpaste and like items. Stock up when you see a sale and build a little reserve, no one wins when you run out of toothpaste....
Happy Organizing!
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