How to Keep Linen Closets Organized and Maintained

metalIs anyone else feeling this major need to purge and organize in record time? It’s so hard to believe the start of school is just a few short weeks away. While the littles are probably excited about new clothes, new friends and new adventures, I know a lot of us are thinking about those last minute goals on the priorities list that still need to be completed.

I don’t know about you guys but the beginning of a new school year always feels like a fresh start. We’ve spent a good portion of the summer creating fun family memories, laughing with friends over dinner and snuggling up during movie nights. I know full well once the school year gets underway, our schedules are going to change entirely.

Setting yourself and your family up for success by organizing frequently used spaces in advance of the school year is a fantastic gift to give each other. These spaces can be everything from the bathroom cabinets to the pantry to the linen closet.

I recently took the day to reorganize both of our linen closets and it feel so good. Way back in 2014 the linen closets looked like this…

and this…

I know, right? Hello, hot mess express! It took an entire day to go through those closets and to implement a new container system but it was totally worth it. I bought all of the canvas boxes from Dollar General for around $5 each. We use them multiple times a week and they’ve held up well. I made the tags from card stock which you can purchase at most big box stores.

After almost 2 years, I’m excited to say the closets currently look like this…

and this….

We do our very best to keep these spaces in check but even with an organizing system in place you still have to find a way to maintain it. Part of maintaining a linen closet system like this means continually making sure you’re not bringing more items home than will fit in the containers. If your baskets or containers are spilling over you probably need to go through them again and eliminate all of the extras.

Even if you decide not to use baskets, utilizing bedding bundles will help to keep your sheet sets together. This means tucking the fitted sheet, flat sheet, pillowcases and even shams into a single bundle. I usually put each piece of the set into one of the pillowcases and then into each container so that each canvas box holds a bedding bundle.

Another tip that helps to keep things tidy is to divide and separate towels and bedding by placing them on different shelves.

Label your baskets and containers even if the contents seem obvious. This will allow your family members or even guests to find things easier as well as put items away. I wish I could tell you how many times I hear, “Where does the toilet paper go?” (insert confused emoji. i know. what the what – IN THE BASKET!)

Leave room for bulky items. Most likely, everything won’t fit in a basket or container so leaving room for bulky items like winter blankets, extra pillows, beach towels and emergency candles.

We purchased these at Lowes and they were around $15 each. They’re deep which is great for keeping multiple items together. They’re metal so just make sure you put a piece of felt or cloth under the bins so they don’t scratch your floors.

Now is a great time to go back through medicines and first aid kits to check for expiration dates. Obviously, you’ll need to make sure chemicals and medicines that are harmful to pets, children or elderly parents have been locked safely away from their reach. We bought these containers at Target and used Pic Monkey to make the labels. They’ve held up well for 2 years now. It’s easy to pull out the drawers and tell which medicines, if any, we need to pick up while we’re in town. The plastic baskets were purchased at the Dollar Tree and hold everything from pet supplies to outdoor/sunscreen supplies. It’s just another way we’re able to quickly glance to see what we have or need.

Taking the time to organize closets, drawers and cabinets can be overwhelming at first but it is absolutely worth the effort. When you have an attitude of “a place for everything and everything in its place” it will be easier to for you to find what you need, to put items away, you’ll stop buying things you already own, and your home in general will feel more cozy and less cluttered.

I hope you all have a happy and rest filled weekend. After being on the road and working through all of last week, I’m looking forward to some down time. We have a great week coming up for you guys next week so I’ll see you back here on Monday. Until then, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo