Tips for an Organized Linen Closet

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My home’s upstairs hallway linen closet used to be a mess! I used to dread using it! It was so bad that I could hardly put things away, or when I did, I had to stuff everything in. It looked terrible! This is what the closet used to look like:

One day I finally decided to tackle the closet, and was surprised at how little time it took to get it organized! It took me less than an hour! These are the steps I used to quickly organize my home’s linen closet:

1. Weed Out What’s Not Needed. One of the best ways to get a linen closet organized is by getting rid of what isn’t needed. My linen closet was stuffed with beach towels. My daughters’ birthday falls before summer vacation, so they always get at least a beach towel or two for their birthday. We don’t need 20 beach towels! So I donated some of the beach towels we don’t need anymore — I don’t think my daughters would want to use beach Disney princess towels anymore anyway!

2. Use Organizing Bins One way I organized my home’s hall linen closet is by placing our stash of paper towels and tissues in a cloth organizing bin. By placing all those loose odds and ends in one bin, our closet looks much more organized! Plus, our paper products are easier to find now!
3. Utilize Vacuum Seal Storage BagsIf you have some things that are seasonal or that you don’t use as often, consider storing them in vacuum seal storage bags. The bags are really easy to use — just fill them with your items, stick the hose of your vacuum in the bag’s opening, and vacuum out the air. You’ll be left with a small, flat package that will take up at least half the space your items took up before! I used a jumbo vacuum seal storage bag for extra towels that I’m not ready to part with yet.

If you look closely in the below photo, you can see the vacuum seal storage bag and black fabric bin that I used to organize my linen closet. The rolls of toilet paper you see on the upper shelf in the closet in the photo have been since been moved to the cloth bin!

 

4. Use Center Shelves for Items You Use Most. For my home’s upstairs hallway linen closet, I used the center shelves for the towels and linens that my family uses the most. I stored seasonal items like holiday pillows on the very top shelf, and things that we don’t use much — like a vaporizer for colds — on the floor underneath the shelves. That way, the things that we use the most are most easily accessible.

5. Utilize Door Space. Don’t forget to use the door space for organization! I have a simple cloth bag that I hang on the inside of the doorknob. In the bag I store extra toothbrushes, toothpaste and other dental items. The bag makes it super easy for my kids to find what they need! A simple Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer would also be great for using the door space to organize things like, soaps, wash cloths, or hand towels.

6. Label. I only have one basket in my closet currently, but should I add more, I will definitely need basket labels! Labels make it easier to determine what’s in each basket — especially if your can’t easily see inside the basket (e.g., if its a tall cloth basket.) I think these Clothespin Mini Chalkboard Blackboard Labels are super cute and would work well with cloth baskets!

Now I have to organize some of the other closets in my home. Stay tuned!