Why is it that linen closets become the drop spot for items to be tucked away and forgotten forever? I'll be the first to admit, little of what I have in my linen closet is actually linens. There are cleaning supplies, light bulbs, board games, small dumbbells, and a few linens.
After everything that was no longer used or belonged elsewhere was removed from this closet, there was room to space. (Later the vacuum and other cleaning supplies were added to this closet, making more space in the extra bedroom.)
A linen closet is often a convenient spot to store items that will be used in the living areas of the home. Here are some ideas to make the best use of that space.
- Store sheets in the bedroom where they will be used to free up this prime space.
- Remove from the home any linens that haven't been used in over a year. If you've gone through a complete change of season without using them, chances are someone else could use them.
- Store holiday linens in long term storage with the rest of your holiday decorations. When you decorate for the holidays, that will be your reminder to use those linens.
- Determine what categories of items belong in the closet. These should be items that are used close to this area of the home.
- Remove items from the closet that belong elsewhere.
- Assign a specific category to each shelf.
- Use containers to corral small items of the same category & label the containers.
The linen closet in most homes is a convenient storage space. Make the most of it!