Ways to Maximize Space in Your Linen Closet

12 Dec Ways to Maximize Space in Your Linen Closet

What’s in your linen closet? If you’re like many people, you aren’t totally sure. That’s because the linen closet is often more than just a place to keep sheets and towels — it’s also a catchall for other items you don’t know where to store. For instance, when it’s in or near your bathroom, the linen closet may be where you keep extra toiletries or the hot rollers you use once or twice a year. Maybe it’s in the upstairs hallway and has somehow become the repository for your gift wrapping supplies. No matter where your linen closet is located, there’s a good chance that it needs to be reorganized. Without a lot of effort, you can discover what treasures you’ve tucked away in there and rework your storage plan to maximize the space.

Take Inventory

Whether you have a closet in your home built specifically for holding linens or whether you’ve designated an area of your bathroom, mudroom, or laundry room for the storage of sheets and towels, more than likely, you’re hanging on to items you no longer use or need. Take everything out of your linen closet and decide which things you should keep. If you’re still hanging on to the Thomas the Tank Engine sheets that your 17-year-old used as a kid, now is a great time to donate them to your favorite charity, along with any towels, table linens, etc. that you haven’t touched in ages. Throw out the threadbare towels and sheets with holes, or cut them up and use them as cleaning rags. Keep only the linens you use. Organization experts recommend keeping three sets of sheets and towels for each regularly occupied bedroom, two sets of sheets and towels per guest room, plus extra pillows and a blanket for every room.

Make a Plan

Often, linen closets are small and contain only a few shelves. If you simply cram sheets and towels onto the shelves, eventually, things become a jumbled mess; therefore, decide how you want to organize your linens before you begin putting them back in the closet. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Add adjustable shelves. If you don’t already have them, adjustable shelving makes closet organization much easier. You can leave more room for bulky items, like quilts and pillows, and create smaller areas for table linens or washcloths.
• Try shelf dividers. They come in especially handy when your linen closet is multi-purpose. For instance, you can partition an area for laundry supplies, another for your iron, and others for your sheets and towels.
• Use baskets, bins, or cubbies. With the right collection of containers, you can organize your linens in numerous ways. Perhaps you’d like to separate your sheets by size so all the twin sheets go in one bin, all the queen sheets go in another, and so on. Or maybe you’d prefer to designate a basket for each room in the house and put all the linens for the guest room in one bin, the kitchen linens in another, etc. Whatever arrangement you choose, containers will help you use your space more efficiently.
• Put bulky items on the bottom. If you have extra quilts, blankets, or seasonal items, store those in the bottom of the closet. It’s best to have sheets, pillowcases, and towels on the middle shelves, so you can reach them easily. You can save the top shelves for smaller items you use less often, such as holiday napkins or extra pillows.
• Use clear containers for non-linen items. When you have to store toiletries, tissue paper, or other items in your linen closet, consider using clear containers. That way, you don’t have to go through every basket or bin to find what you want.

Call Closets by Design

If you truly want to maximize the space in your linen closet, call the experts at Closets by Design. We can transform it into a masterpiece of organization. Whether your linen closet is large or small, we’ll measure it to the inch and prepare a custom design for you. You can choose from hundreds of features, such as adjustable shelves, shelf dividers, wire baskets, and drawers. And if you want a totally new linen closet, we can create one for you. All we need is a little space, such as an unused corner of your laundry room or a blank wall in your bathroom. Schedule your free in-home consultation today, and see why we’re an industry leader in total customer satisfaction.