We’ve lived in this rental for 2 1/2 years and I am finally getting around to organizing the Linen Closet. It’s not that it was in bad shape but Organizing a Small Linen Closet can be a challenge. The closet is a little less than 23″ wide and 9′ tall and it needed to be able to hold all the guest and kid’s linens. If you need to get your linen closet organized I have some ideas to help you get it in shape.
Here’s the before. It’s not too terrible if I’m in charge but if the kids put things away it can get out of hand fast. Baskets are the key to keeping things neat and tidy and since it’s January storage items are a good buy right now. Also keep like things together so everything is easy to find. And finally, get rid of the excess before you get started organizing the space.
Let’s start on the top shelf with the games. Since the bedrooms and closets in this house are all pretty small this was really the only place we could store games. I had already donated games we no longer played right before Christmas. That’s the perfect time to evaluate usage of games and toys. Donate the ones your family no longer enjoys. I contained the smaller games in the large basket and the big games at the side of the basket. It’s easy for the kids to get the games out and put them back in the basket, plus they stay contained because they’re contained.
Since we spend a lot of time at swim lessons, the pool, and the ocean we use a lot of pool towels. Roll towels to save on space and fit more in the basket. I was able to triple the number of towels in this space by rolling instead of folding.
The bath towels fit perfectly in these baskets. We have one that holds the kid’s towels and one that holds guest towels. I like to keep the guest and kid’s towels separate and this seems to be working.
Keep your sheets all together by placing the set inside it’s pillowcases. The whole set is together when it’s time to change the bedding. The boys have twin beds and my daughter has a double. When we have visitors, they take over her bed so she has extra sheets to be able to change more often.
The next shelf holds extra blankets and the bottom shelf holds extra pillows.
I bought these chalkboard tags, 6 for $1. I’ve also made them by painting chalkboard paint on chipboard pieces. Label the tags with a chalk marker then attach them to the baskets with twine.
Here’s the after. The baskets add so much to the closet by keeping everything contained even if the kids put things away. It’s been this way for 3 weeks and so far so good.
Because of all the sales this time of year I was able to purchase all 6 baskets and the tags for under $40. Happy Organizing!!!
I’m so happy to have teamed up with some incredible blogging friends to be able to bring you even more cleaning and organizing ideas. Get your whole home cleaned and organized and keep it that way. Don’t forget to Pin the ones you want to save for later! I would love you to stick around and check out more great ideas right here!
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I love using baskets in the linen closet, bathroom, kitchen…okay, I have them everywhere! I like your idea of using chalkboard tags so they can be changed as things get reorganized. I just happen to be going to Michaels today so I will be on a quest to find these!
Marie, The Interior Frugalista recently posted..Suspended Clothes Drying Rod
Leann,
Thanks so much for sharing your organized linen closet. I am actually working on mine right now. And I needed these tips.
Love your blog!
Happy New Year!
Meegan recently posted..Winter White Home Ideas
This is very similar to what I did years ago with my family. We actually had a good sized linen closet, but the organizing happened when I found 7 dirty (out of 8) bath towels for 4 people in the bathroom. The next day, each person owned two color-coded bath towels and one washcloth. There were 2 hand towels, one for the bathroom, one in the closet. There were two sets of sheets for each bed, one on the bed, one in the closet, plus one flannel set for cold winter nights. These were kept in the plastic zip bags. Each was labeled by size as we had three size beds: single, double, queen. Feather comforters were stored in there in summer, and the cotton thermals were the summer blanket. We did keep the games at the bottom though so the children could get them by themselves. I’m not sure why you’d have your at the top. My philosophy with most things was one in use, one spare. Never needed more. Your closet looks lovely!
January is my month to clean and organize! I love the use of inexpensive baskets – I use them all over the house. Good tips!
Gina recently posted..Bloggy plans and fresh spaces
Your linen closet looks great. I love the chalkboard tags. Thanks for the tips!
Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge recently posted..Kitchen Organization Tips
Uh wow! This looks amazing! I definitely need to do this to my linen closet asap! So pretty! Pinning for later.
Ashley @ Simply Designing recently posted..Beautiful White Winter Wreath
Oh my gosh I am so jealous of your tidy closet! It looks awesome!
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Baskets really make such a difference and I love the chalkboard labels!
Oh I am obsessed with chalkboard and love the labels. Great job on the linen closet Leanne!
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