With the arrival of spring comes warmer, longer days and the annual tradition of sprucing up our homes. To ease into the practice, we like to begin with the space where bed and bath essentials are housed: the linen closet. Whether it’s in the form of an armoire or a designated area in your bathroom, a well-organized linen closet makes reaching for some of the most commonly used items in our homes effortless. What’s more, it takes the guesswork out of preparing for guests and knowing when to replace sheets and towels that are past their prime. Read on for four simple steps to give your linen closet some TLC for a fresh start in the new season.
1. Declutter
The first step to achieving an orderly linen closet is to remove all the contents. There’s a good chance you’ll find miscellaneous items that don’t belong in there or household articles that need to be discarded. Sort through each piece and decide which to keep, donate, or toss. Take note of linens that need to be updated and substitute them with fresh sheets and new, high-quality bath towels that will last for years to come. What should you always have on hand? A good rule of thumb is to have two sets of sheets per bed, two towel sets for each person in your household, and one set of each for guests.
2. Organize
Now that you’re left with your must-have linens, it’s time to wipe down and vacuum your storage space and plan the layout that works best for your needs. The key to a successful closet edit is to have a place for everything and labeling the shelves, drawers, or bins accordingly. Grouping items by category, room, or family member will help to keep your closet streamlined. To take the style-meets-function approach, stay with one color or similar styles for your storage solutions.
3. Fold
Before placing your linens in their assigned areas, it’s important to determine the best method of folding your towels—beach, bath, hand, washcloth, and makeup—based on the size of your closet. Once you’ve chosen how to fold them, keep it consistent for aesthetic and stacking purposes (more to come on that).
Whether your bath towel of choice is Supima cotton or Turkish, we prefer the classic hotel-style technique that gives a clean and luxurious look. To achieve the look, begin by spreading your bath towel out on a clean, even surface with one shorter end parallel to you. Bring that shorter end to meet the other to fold the towel in half. Next, in the same way, fold the towel in half again. Then, take the left side of the towel and fold it toward the middle. Lastly, fold the left side again over the remaining flat part of the towel.
4. Store
Properly storing your linens can make the difference between preserving their color and fabric and having to replace them more often. Stack towels of the same size and color one on top of the other, with the folded edge facing out. Not only will it be pleasing to the eye, but it will make finding what you need that much more efficient.
When it comes to storing your sheets, placing complete sheet sets inside a matching pillowcase will ensure that pieces don’t get lost and provide convenience on laundry day.
Finally, store your most frequently used linens at eye level and easily within reach. And to maximize your space, consider using the inside of your closet door by hanging a rack or baskets on it.