My linen closet used to be the most unorganized corner of the house before I finally made up my mind to tackle with it. As someone who is way too cold-sensitive, I need at least three comforters to sleep peacefully at night when winters are at their peak. Add to it the three pillows that I use for back support, and you will probably find yourself thinking that I am crazy. There’s always a huge pile of folded linens lying in a corner of my bed to meet my weird needs, but that’s just how it is.
Linens, comforters and pillows form an essential part of any home and it’s hard to get yourself to declutter the linen closet because everything in it seems way too important to get rid of. There seems to be no such thing as ‘too many extra linens’ because you want your family to be protected against extreme cold or unexpected changes in weather conditions. Maybe your linen closet isn’t full to the gills but that doesn’t mean it needs no declutter.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures.
Having decluttered my linen closet recently, I came to realize that it isn’t as easy as it seems to be. There’s some heavy decision making involved in decluttering your linen closet because you are sorting through the items that were expensive. Besides that, it isn’t easy to get an answer for ‘how many linens are too many?’.
There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all when it comes to decluttering the linen closet because your linen needs will vary from others based on the weather conditions you are living in. But here’s a simple guide that will make it easy for you to declutter your linen closet:
Take Inventory Of What You Have
The first step to decluttering your linen closet is taking note of what items you have. In order to do this, empty out your entire linen closet on your bed and start writing on a piece of paper the number of blankets, sheets, towels and other items you have. Here’s a complete list of items you can take inventory of:
- Linens – Blankets, Comforters, Mattress Pads, King Size Sheets, Queen Size Sheets, Double Bed Sheets, Twin Bed Sheets, Single Bed Sheets, Pillows
- Towels – Hand Towels, Bath Towels, Bath Sheets, Washcloths, Bath Rugs
- Toiletries – Paper handkerchiefs/Facial Tissues, Toilet Paper Rolls, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Conditioner, Mouthwash, Soap
- Cleaning Supplies
Now that you’ve taken note of the number of items you have from each category, it’s time to figure out how many of the items are actually used on a daily basis and how many you want to keep in the closet as extras. For instance, if you have 10 bath towels for your family of 4 out of which only 5 are used on a daily basis, avoid keeping more than 2 extra towels in your linen closet and get rid of the remaining three. Be honest with yourself while taking the inventory and deciding how many of each item you actually need.
Cut Down The Extra Items
Now you must have gotten the basic idea of the number of each item you have in your linen closet and how many of these you must get rid of. Here’s everything you can declutter from your linen closet:
1. Tattered Towels – Tattered towels work great as cleaning rags, but you don’t need a dozen of them. Take the excess tattered towels to a nearby donation centre or to a charity. Also get rid of the towels that are worn out or too old.
2. Old Bedding Sets – You have no reason holding onto the baby crib bedding if your kids have outgrown them. Also get rid of sheets that are a misfit for the beds you have in your home. There’s no point having your linen closet filled with twin bed sheets or single bed sheets if your home has all king size beds. The excess bedding can either be taken to a nearby animal shelter or to a charity organization.
3. Threadbare And Moth-Eaten Blankets – Blankets that have been in existence for many years often end up being moth-food making them unfit for use. Get rid of these moth-eaten, shabby and threadbare blankets and replace them with new ones if needed.
4. Expired Toiletries – You shouldn’t be holding onto any bath essentials or toiletries past their expiry date. If your linen closet has expired bottles of shampoo, lotion, mouthwash or other skincare essentials, toss them right away.
5. Mismatched Bedding – Do you have sheets without matching pillowcases? Or a pillowcase that has lost its twin? Maybe it’s time to get rid of the mismatched bedding because I’m sure you hate putting a bedsheet on your bed with pillowcases that don’t go with it. Mismatched bedding can create visual clutter that makes you home look messier even if it’s clean.
6. Festive Linen – If you had bought a Santa Claus bedsheet 3 years ago but never cared to use it during the Holidays, consider getting rid of it because you are not likely to use it ever. Also declutter the seasonal tablecloths that you don’t use.
7. Excess Cleaning Supplies – Disinfectants that are past their prime shouldn’t be used anymore. Get rid of the broken cleaning brushes and empty bottles of cleaning spray, old toothbrushes and overused microfibre cloths.
Embrace Other Storage Options
If your linen closet is too small to be a home for all your stuff, try investing in under-bed storage solutions for the off-season linen. You can use under-the-bed storage bins or sturdy storage bags for blankets and comforters.
Decluttering the linen closet is one of the least complicated task if you are clear about your needs. Decide on the number of extra comforters, pillows, bedsheets and pillowcases you need over and above the ones you are already using. For a family of three, this number can be one or two. For a family of six, this number can be three or four. It’s on you to decide what works for you and have an organization system in place to make it easy to store the linens. And once you’ve decluttered your linen closet, do your best to prevent it from getting disorganized again.