Ten Linen Closet Organization Approaches for a Clutter-Free Closet

Start with the layout decision, then the finish, then the pieces that get touched every day. Tired of digging through piles of towels and sheets to find what you need? It's time to revamp your linen closet! I recently whipped mine into shape and am sharing the 10 linen closet organization approaches that helped me say goodbye to chaos and hello to an organized space where everything's (finally) easy to find. (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})

Before we start organizing, it's time to do a little purge. Take everything out of your linen closet, sort through it, and get rid of anything you don't need. Do you really need three sets of sheets for your guest bed that's rarely used? What about those flannel sheets that you decided were too hot for you? Donate any linens you're willing to part with, and let's move on to whipping your closet into shape…

One. Liven It Up with Paint or Wallpaper

While you've got everything out of your closet, it's the perfect time to freshen it up with a coat of paint if needed. Why bother? I'm more motivated to keep spaces neatly organized when they look nice and I'm guessing some of you are the same. The walls of our linen closet were a drab tan color, so I painted the side walls white and covered the back wall with {this blue and white striped peel & stick wallpaper}:

The paper is nice and thick so you can't see any of the dark wall color underneath it and since there's no pattern matching with a stripe like this, I was able to get the whole closet done with a single roll.

It actually took me less time to put up the peel and stick wallpaper than it did to paint the side walls, since those required two coats. Look at my post on how to hang peel and stick wallpaper if you've never tried it before!

Two. Wrap Your Sheets With Labeled Bands

One of the keys to linen closet organization is being able to tell what everything is at a glance. For sheets, one of the easiest approaches is to wrap each set with a labeled band. I used {these labeled sheet bands} on mine, and it's been a real shift:

Not only does it make it easy to find the right set when you need it, but it keeps your sheets stacked neatly too.

Shelf dividers can also be useful for keeping linens in neat stacks. The shelf dividers that The household has used in the past include {these acrylic shelf dividers} that slide onto wood shelves and {these wire shelf dividers} that I used in my post on closet organization approaches:

Three. Reliable the Art of Folding

Folding your towels and linens uniformly not only makes your linen closet look neatly organized, but also saves you space. I fold our towels in half lengthwise, then fold them in half widthwise, and then fold them in thirds to fit our 12″ deep shelves.

For pillowcases, I fold them in thirds lengthwise and then thirds widthwise and store them in one of {these woven 9″ x 12″ baskets}:

I use the same baskets to store our folded hand towels:

and our washcloths:

Need new bath towels? Look at my post on the best bath towels for every budget!

Four. Use Stackable Clear Drawers To See What's Inside

Stackable clear drawers make the most of your vertical space by storing first aid supplies, thermometers, and other small items that you keep in your linen closet. I have two of {these 4.5″ H stackable drawers} that are the perfect fit for four of {these small hinged storage boxes} (4.92″ W size) holding bandaids, cough drops, and other first aid supplies:

They are stacked on a pair of {these 6.75″ H stackable drawers} that hold tissue packs in one and larger first aid supplies in the other:

Five. Label Baskets and Bins

Since you're the one organizing your closet, you'll know where everything is but adding labels makes it easy for the rest of your family to find things too (and hopefully put them back in the right place too). {These white bin clips} are almost identical to The Container Store's clips but at a much lower price. The clip can be adjusted to fit pretty much any basket or bin:

You might have also noticed that I have printable labels on these small hinged storage boxes:

I made those using {this labeler} that comes with a roll of these pre-cut labels to print on.

Six. Store Extra Pillows and Blankets Up Top

The top shelf of your linen closet is the perfect spot for storing extra pillows and blankets that you don't need as often as the rest of your linens. I used {these same storage bags} that I used in my girls bedroom closet to keep our extra pillows dust free:

If you have any linens or pillows that you only use on rare occasions, consider using vacuum-sealed storage bags like {these} that will easily triple how much you can store in your available space.

Seven. Keep a Stool Inside So Everything's Within Reach

The top shelves of our linen closet are hard for me to reach, so instead of having to hunt around our house for a step stool every time I needed one, I bought {this small foldable step stool} to keep inside our linen closet. It takes up hardly any space to store:

and makes grabbing things off of our top shelves quick and easy:

Eight. Place Loose TP Rolls in a Bottom Shelf Basket

If you store extra toilet paper in your linen closet like we do, take it out of the packaging and put loose rolls in a bin or basket (mine are in {this basket – size large}):

Rolls of TP are quicker to grab when you need them, and getting rid of all the packaging at once means fewer trips to the recycle bin.

Nine. Store Cleaning Supplies in a Caddy

We store most of our cleaning products in our laundry room, but we keep a caddy of our most often used bathroom cleaning supplies in our linen closet where it's easy to grab and go:

We have {this cleaning caddy} from Grove but if you don't use Grove, you can find {this similar caddy} at Target

Ten. Use Tiered Organizers So Everything's Practical to Spot

We keep most of our extra cosmetics and toiletries in {this behind-the-door cabinet} in our girls bathroom, but we used to store them in our linen closet. If that's where you store yours, tiered organizers like {this one} are solid because they allow you to see everything at a glance:

Your linen closet will stay neater longer since no one will be rummaging through your toiletries to find what they're looking for.

And with that, my linen closet organization approaches are a wrap (and my own linen closet has been whipped into organized shape!):

It would help if you found an idea or two to help you do a little spring cleaning of your own linen closet! If you want to organize some other spaces in your home too, be sure to look at my post on home organization approaches. It has helpful organizing approaches for your kitchen, living room, bathroom, and more.

And with that, this post is a wrap! I'll see you back on the blog next week!

XO,