Ways to Organise Your Linen Closet

Improving your linen closet organisation is a quick tidying task. In just an afternoon or a few short hours, you’ll have a picture-perfect linen closet that you can appreciate every time you reach for a change of sheets or a fresh set of towels.

Of course, there are a few secrets to achieving the magazine-ready linen closet. And in this Spacer guide of linen closet ideas, we’ll walk you through every detail of creating a truly organised storage space.

Once you’ve upgraded your linen closet, you might find yourself opening the door of your cabinet just to take a peek at all your gorgeously tidy linens!

First, divide up your linens

One thing that can make organisation difficult is trying to crowd too many linens into one cabinet. Maybe you’re storing towels, sheets, off-season quilt covers, and table runners into a cabinet that ends up looking messy and disorganised.

The first thing you want to do, then, is separate your linens into two piles: frequently used and seldom used. Frequently used items like everyday towels and sheets, will be stored in your bedroom, laundry room, or bathroom linen closet.

Everything else, from extra guest towels to holiday decorative tablecloths to off-season blankets, is better stored in another space. It’s a good idea to store guest towels in your guest room for easy access or in a hallway closet where you can find them quickly for last-minute guests.

Other items that won’t be used for a few months can be boxed up and stored long-term. If you don’t have the space for them at home, you can even consider placing these linens and other seldom used items in monthly storage with Spacer. Whether you’re interested in a self storage unit in Perth or you’d like to rent out a bedroom for storage in your suburb of Melbourne, you can find plenty of listings in your budget.

Once you place your special occasion linens in another place for safe keeping, you can start to build an organisation system in your everyday linen closet. Because you’ll be working with only the essentials, the next steps will be a breeze.

Consider upgrading your linen closet furniture

Your organisation skills are only going to take you so far if you’re trying to fit all of your linens alongside hairdryers and extra shampoo bottles in the tiny space under your sink. Instead, you might consider buying a new linen cabinet for your bathroom, bedroom or laundry room.

You’re looking for something tall with shelving that can be customised to different heights. Built-in drawers may also be helpful if you’re planning on storing smaller items like washcloths or cleaning rags.

Now, let’s say that you don’t have space for a linen cabinet, but you do have a few shelves in your closet or laundry room that you’d like to use for linen storage. In that case, you’ll want to buy tools for organising linen closet shelves, like baskets and storage boxes. Make sure to stick with cotton or fabric boxes to keep your linens fresh and airy until you’re ready to use them.

And if you’ll also be storing other items, like cleaning supplies, toilet paper rolls, bulkier coverlets or children’s bathtub toys, keep them separate by giving them their own boxes.

Decide on a layout that works for your family

A couple in a one-bedroom flat is going to have a much different linen closet layout than a family with three kids and a frequently used guest bedroom. After all, we’re talking about a difference of maybe two or three sets of bed sheets and a couple of towels for the couple versus enough sheets to cover four or five beds plus enough towels for up to seven people.

That said, there are a few tips that can help you plan out your linen closet for optimum tidiness, regardless of how much space you need:

• Store the most used items at eye level. Keeping your most frequently used linens in the most accessible space in your linen closet will prevent you from having to shuffle items around and spend time refolding. The experts suggest that towels be laundered after about three uses, making them your linen closet’s most frequently swapped out item. Bedsheets are a close second, with most people opting to wash them once a week or once every two weeks. But again, your most frequently used item might be unique – some families, for example, change out their tablecloth after every meal.
• Store sets together instead of sizes together. It can be tempting to store flat sheets with flat sheets and pillow cases with pillow cases. And while that might be a more efficient use of space, you’ll find yourself constantly having to rearrange and refold items as you look in your linen closet for the matching set. Unless all of your bedsheets and towels are exactly the same, make sure to store them by set for less maintenance.
• Find a folding method that works for you. You can roll, you can fold into rectangles, you can try out the Marie Kondo method. In fact, try them all until you find a style that’s best for you. Once you’ve found your preferred folding method, and tried it out for a week or so, stick with it.
• Make sure everyone in the family is on the same page. One of the quickest ways for your linen closet to go off the rails is when multiple family members are rummaging around for new bed sheets or towels. Of course, everyone at home should know the layout of the linen closet and how to fold items properly, but you can also make things easier with labels. Especially when kids become old enough to make their own beds, the labels will help them keep the linen closet organised.

Finding the right organisation style for your linen cabinet may take some trial and error. But with these clever linen closet ideas, organisation will become second nature.

Some freshening secrets for a great-smelling linen closet

In our recent article, Storing Outerwear: Is there a Correct Way?, we covered some DIY solutions to keep your fabrics pest-free and smelling wonderful. Here are a few key elements to keep in your linen closet:

• Cedar balls smell wonderful and ward off moths and other nesting insects
• A box of bi-carb of soda can help eliminate odours. Simply open it slightly and set it on the shelf beside your linens
• Sprigs of fresh or dried herbs, such as lavender, rosemary or thyme can give your linen closet a perpetual fresh fragrance.

A long-term plan for linen closet organisation

With the right linen closet furniture, organisation system, and extra touch for freshness, you’ll have a linen cabinet to be proud of. Make sure that you keep your linens organised long-term with these final tips:

• Declutter as you go. If you notice that you no longer use a certain bed sheet set or your old coverlet won’t fit on your larger mattress, don’t be afraid to clear out the clutter. Donate your items or add them to long-term storage in case you want to use them in the future.
• Every once in a while, pull everything out, clean your linen closet or linen closet organiser, refold and replace. This will aerate your linens and keep your linen closet looking spectacular.

And it’s as simple as that! If you have more tips or questions about linen closet organisation, reach out to the Spacer team with your linen closet ideas!