I don’t know about you, but my linen closet is the most difficult place to keep clean and presentable.

So it’s not just me?

Well, in my desperation to navigate this particular minefield, I’ve managed to create this list of five ways to store linens. They all help me to keep my linens fresh and organized, and they’ll do the same for you.

If you’re in the same boat as me, try some of these tips. I guarantee your linen closet will never be the same.

1. Line Your Shelves

Before you start organizing, take some precautions to protect your pristine white linens from yellowing.

The last thing you want to see when you’re getting the guest bed ready is a big stain right in the center.

Wooden shelves, as well as cardboard and some plastics, can cause yellowing in white fabrics. That’s bad news for your rarely used bedsheets.

Prevent the problem before it arises by lining your shelves!

Use acid-free tissue paper for the ultimate protection. The leftovers can be cut to size and laid between your folded linens to promote better airflow. This will keep everything fresh and save you the trouble of having to whiten yellowed linens later.

2. Separate Linens With Smaller Storage

Stacks of bedsheets and towels can clog your linen closet, falling into each other and mixing easily.

If you want some variety in your organization, try incorporating smaller kinds of storage into your linen closet.

Cloth boxes, wire baskets, and straw baskets will tuck nicely onto your shelves and keep your linen stacks separated. They are also fantastic for storing smaller items like toiletries and washcloths.

Never lose anything in the depths of the linen closet again!

For bigger items that just don’t fit right, like pillows, utilize those plastic bedding bags to keep them contained. Space-saving bags serve the same purpose and will, as the name suggests, save you some space.

Go the extra mile and coordinate your storage options so your closet looks magazine-worthy. And, though it’s not necessary, labeling your bins will make everything much easier to find.

3. Keep That Just-Washed Scent

Now we’re going to talk about how to keep your linens fresh.

Nothing is worse than that musty aroma that builds up when things have been packed up for too long. Unfortunately, it happens all too easily in a place like a linen closet.

First and foremost, avoid packing your linens too tightly on shelves. You need a decent amount of airflow to keep everything fresh. The more air they get, the better.

Place cedar throughout the closet in the form of blocks, balls, or sachets to discourage moths from settling in.

Or, if you prefer a more floral scent, use those sachets to hold dried lavender instead.

It’s difficult to keep that fresh-out-of-the-dryer smell on linens that you only use every so often. But you make it last longer by placing dryer sheets between the folds.

Finally, take precautions to absorb any bad odors that show up. Take a box of baking soda and poke some holes in the top. Put the box in the bottom of your linen closet and let it work its magic.

Just make sure you replace it every three months.

4. Store Linens in Categories

Organizing your linens by type not only looks good, but also makes everything easy to find. No more rifling through mismatched sets to find what you need.

Simple enough, keep sheets with sheets and towels with towels.

To organize your bedding sets, fold the sheets and put them inside a coordinating pillowcase. Making beds is so much faster when you don’t spend forever matching up the pieces.

Make sure the linens you use the most are placed front and center so they are easy to grab.

And if it makes sense, regularly rotate the linens in your closet. Change out what bedding sets and towels you’re using. Don’t keep anything cooped up in the back of the closet for too long.

Anything used for special occasions might actually benefit from being taken out more than once a year.

5. Limit the Linens You Keep

There’s a good chance you’re holding onto things you no longer need and clogging up your already limited storage space. (See those balled-up towels in the back of your closet? That’s what we’re talking about).

Take some time to go through your linens. Be honest about what you actually use. If you know for a fact that you don’t use a particular item, it’s probably time to get rid of it.

Any regular, non-seasonal linen that hasn’t seen daylight in six months isn’t worth the space it takes up.

If you need to free up space, remove your holiday linens and things that are only used on special occasions. These things can be stored in a separate spot, like under the bed or in an unused drawer.

Bonus: Fold Your Linens Just Right

Folding is crucial to keeping your linens organized. If things aren’t folded properly, they’ll look messy and can easily come unraveled.

So, take a few minutes to learn how to fold those pesky fitted sheets.

Use proper towel-folding technique so they fit your shelves.

And if you’re really short on space, consider rolling your towels spa-style for a different but equally lovely way to store them.

When you put everything away, be mindful of how you’re placing them. For a nice, clean look, store everything with the raw edges facing the back of your closet.

In Conclusion

See?

It’s not as hard as you thought, is it?

If you keep up with your linen storage, you will never have to deal with yellowing, musty smells, or an avalanche of fabric ever again.

So grab some bins, pick some lavender, and have fun getting organized!
 
 
 
About the author

Caitlin Sinclair is the Business Manager at Elements 616. With over five years of property management experience, she begins and ends each day loving what she does. She finds joy in helping current and future residents and makes Elements 616 a place everyone loves to call home.