Top Tips for Creating a Guest-Ready Linen Closet

Linen closets, whether in your bathroom or in the hall, often become a catchall for towels, sheets, blankets and myriad toiletries. The space can quickly become disorganized—so much so that when you open the door and reach for a blanket on a high shelf, duvets, quilts and towels come tumbling down on your head. Sigh.

This is a distressing prospect if you’re hosting guests this holiday season—the last thing you want them to do is root through your disorganized linen closet when looking for an extra towel or some toilet paper.But with some simple organization strategies and a few helpful tips, you can  make your linen closet guest-ready.

Here’s how or organize your linen closet

Sort and Organize Towels and Sheets

The path to an organized linen closet starts with sorting. Clear out your closet and make piles for the linens you’ll keep, the ones that will become rags and stored with cleaning supplies, and the ones that should be donated. Consider reaching out to a local animal shelter to donate blankets and towels you no longer use.

To get and stay organized, you might want to try a custom closet solution, rather than just refolding and stuffing sheet sets and quilts back onto each shelf.

When you choose a custom closet solution, a professional Designer will take a look at your space and your stuff, and develop a plan to help you use it more efficiently. This means adding the right mix of shelves, wire baskets and roll-outs so everything is within easy reach.

Store Like Items Together

Everyone has a personal preference for storage, which is one reason custom closets are so great. But in your linen closet, one way to keep the space looking organized is by keeping like items together.

Store sheet sets in a pillowcase to keep everything together. The same goes for towels—keep decorative towels in one spot and everyday towels in another, ideally at eye level. Bulky comforters, duvets, quilts, blankets, extra pillows, seasonal linens and less-used items should be kept out of the way at the top or bottom of the closet.

Choose a Folding Method and Stick to It

One easy way to keep piles of towels and sheets from toppling over is to fold everything the same way. It doesn’t necessarily matter how you fold them (though we’re partial to folding them in thirds), just that you do it consistently. When you fold all of your bath towels, hand towels and washcloths the same way, they’ll look neater and more uniform on the shelf.

Label Everything

Unfolding an entire sheet set just to find it’s a twin set, not a queen set, is one quick way to turn your linen closet from neat and tidy to a disorganized mess. Avoid this by labeling sheet sets by size. You should also label blankets, comforters, toiletries and other odds and ends that you store in your linen closet. Make it as easy as possible for your guests (and your family) to find what they need quickly.

Welcome Guests with Items Just for Them

Make your guests feel more at home when they visit by including a bin or basket with items they might’ve forgotten. After all, there’s nothing worse than realizing you forgot contact solution or toothpaste after your hosts have gone to bed.

You should include travel size shampoo, conditioner and soap you’ve collected from hotels in this basket. You might also want to add hairspray, sunscreen and even a new toothbrush—just in case. Label it for your guests so they know they can help themselves.

Keep Linens Smelling Fresh

Just like clothing, linens that aren’t laundered very often can start to smell a little less than fresh. To stave off mustiness, store an open box of baking soda in the closet. You can complement that with a sachet of lavender, vanilla, pine or your favorite scent so your linen closet smells good every time you or your guests open it.

Organizing your linen closet will eliminate a little more clutter from your life and help you avoid that cringe-worthy moment the next time your guests need to grab an extra washcloth.

If you’re interested in a custom linen closet solution, reach out to us for an in-home consultation.