This Week's Tip Sheet: Tidy Linen Closets

This week, we’re decluttering and organizing linen closets as part of the 52 Weeks to a Simplified and Organized Home Challenge.

Back in the day, our linen closets were a complete disaster.

Mostly because we had too many sets of sheets, towels, blankets, and antique linens.

But also, because we didn’t have a proper system in place for putting things away.

It’s so tempting just to throw things on a shelf, shut the door, and deal with it later, you know?

The thing that changed everything for us was finally taking the time to go through all the linens and decluttering them.

While it was time-consuming, seeing everything out of the linen closet visually helped us see we had way too much stuff.

And in the end, it helped us change the way we shop.

A much-needed lesson, we continue to honor today.

Now, on to this week’s Tip Sheet!

This Week’s Tip Sheet: Linen Closets…

Quote of the Week:

“If you want to improve your life immediately, clean out a closet. Often what we hold onto holds us back.”

~ Cheryl Richardson

This Week’s Big To-Do’s:

Declutter and Organize Linen Closet
Spring Clean the House

This Week’s Tidy Tips: Linen Closets

As you create a new tidying system for your linen closets, start with the basics: declutter, organize, contain, and maintain.
Keep two sets of cotton, linen, silk, or satin sheets for each bed. If you live in a colder climate, make sure you have two additional sets of flannel bedding per bed for winter.
Place sheet sets in a coordinating pillowcase so you can keep the set together.
Each person in your home should have two sets of bath towels.
Use the height of your closets to your advantage. Place blankets and other bulky items on the top shelf where there is the most room.
Make towels and sheet sets easily accessible so you can put them away on laundry day without a lot of fuss.
Coordinate baskets, boxes, and bins to create a more cohesive look in your linen closet.
Add vertical dividers, turntables, and clear drawers to help keep shelves tidy and items handy.
Label containers and shelves so it’s clear to your family or guests where they can find and put items away.
Use the area at the bottom of your closet to help maximize space and store awkwardly shaped appliances, such as deep cleaning machines or steam cleaners, if you have room. Lidded bins are also great for this area if you’re storing things like extra tablecloths, napkins, or cleaning towels.
Hang an organizer on the door of your linen closets to help store additional beauty, cleaning, or laundry products.
Keep linen closet items smelling fresh with linen sprays or add a small box of baking soda to help absorb odors.
Add extra lighting to the inside of the closet so it will be easy to see what you have and what you need.

This Week’s Wellness Tips:

Washing your sheets and towels on a regular basis is an important way to practice and promote healthy hygiene.

Here’s a look at how often you should be washing everyday items:

Sheets and pillowcases – at least once a week (more if you sleep with your pet, have night sweats, etc.)
Pillows with a Protector – once a quarter
Pillows without a Protector – once a month
Mattress Covers – monthly
Duvet Covers – weekly to monthly, depending on use
Comforters with Covers – quarterly to bi-annually, depending on use
Blankets – once or twice a month if lightly used; once a week if heavily used
Bed skirts, canopies, and curtains – bimonthly to annually
Bath Towels – after 3 uses
Hand Towels – after 2 uses
Face and Makeup Towels – after 1 use
Cleaning Towels – after 1 use