Week Six - Organizing the Linen Closet

 Week six already - by the time we get through getting our homes in order, spring will be just around the corner!  This week we are focusing on our linen closets - we actually have two in our house.  We have one upstairs by the bedrooms at the end of the hall which we use only for towels, toilet paper and one shelf dedicated to our "store" for bathrooms items that I pick up on sale, with coupons, etc.

The key to getting any kind of storage closet to a very functional level, is taking EVERYTHING out of the closet, and starting fresh.  Think about each item and whether or not it is used.  Gather three containers to sort out your items - KEEP, TOSS, and DONATE. With linen closets, a great place to donate all those old sheets, towels and blankets is to your local Humane Society.  They are always in need of your old and overused items.  Of course, consider donating like new items to a homeless shelter or any other worthy cause.  Try to think of the main function you would like your closet to serve.   We have this one very tiny closet near the bathrooms, so it made sense for it to hold our towels.   I took everything else out of there! I used to use this closet for just about any kind of linen.  I had it crammed full of sheets, blankets, comforters, table cloths, curtains - it was crazy!! A few years ago I decided it wasn't helping any of us.  No one knew where to find anything.  

Designating your linen closet to serve one or two main functions is a good idea. 

I found that when I bought new toiletries on sale or just stocking up - they would often get lost under the bathroom sink in the midst of the girls hair accessories and other items that are stored under there.  Now the girls (and the hubs) know just where to look if they run out of soap, shampoo, toothpaste or other basic necessities.  Plus keeping a small extra supply really helps cut down on those trips to Target!  If you are anything like me, you can never walk in there for the one thing you need - you always walk out with ten other items that weren't on the list! 

 Have a container for the washcloths! Those piles always topple over, or get mixed up with the towels when the girls are putting clean towels away.  It really helps to keep them separated.

 I use the floor for storing all the extra TP :) as well as the seldom used toilet plunger.  Keep those ugly things hidden away and not in plain sight behind the toilet! 

 In the very top of the closet I keep all the beach towels.  In the summer, I will often put them on a lower shelf so that little ones can reach them easier.

 I have an extra closet in our laundry room in the basement which is where I store all of our sheets and blankets. We used to use this closet as a game closet, but after the great linen closet clean out a few years ago - I realized it was much better served as an extra closet for blankets and sheets.   I recently went through this closet as well and purged probably three HUGE garbage bags full of old linens.  Do you really need ten sets of twin sized sheets? Have you used that comforter from 15 years ago at ALL in the last decade? I finally just decided to part with it all and it is soooo freeing!

Do you ever notice how the closet that stores the sheets can get a really funky smell?  Maybe it's just us - but I can't stand that old musty linen smell.  I washed every single item in the closet, and found that the smell came back a few months later.  I had to do a sniff test on each and every item - then I discovered the culprits! I got rid of the smelly ones - washed everything again, and can safely say that the closet always smells clean and fresh now!

Now I even have space in the floor of the closet to store all of our sewing baskets.

All of my table linens - placements, napkins and tablecloths, are stored in this hutch that is right in my dining room.  So convenient to store them right where they are used, plus no more digging through an overstuffed linen closet searching for them! 

Happy Organizing! 

Follow me on Instagram here and post your pictures using the hashtag #organizeeverything - You can follow along and catch up on all the organizing in the links below.  It's not too late to get started! 

MAIN LIVING AREAS - WEEK ONE 

Creating and Organizing A Mudroom 

Organizing Main Living Areas

Storing Christmas Decorations

How to Keep Your House Clean Everyday

 THE KITCHEN - WEEK TWO 

Organizing The Kitchen
Three Steps to Organize Your Pantry

 THE BEDROOM AND CLOSET - WEEK THREE

Organizing the Bedroom and Closet

A Simple Sock Organization

THE BATHROOM - WEEK FOUR

Organizing the Bathroom

KIDS ROOMS - WEEK FIVE

Cleaning and Organizing Kid's Rooms
Toy Organization 

Organizing American Girl Dolls
Craft Desk Organization