Michele Gastl
Plunge In
If you're as worried about guests seeing your clean laundry as
you are the dirty, it's probably time to reorganize your linen
closet. It's easy to accumulate a large collection of worn-out
and mismatched linens that crowd shelves in towering heaps, so
jammed together that when you tug at one towel or reach for that
mauve twin sheet, everything comes tumbling down.
But you don't have to resign yourself to balancing a swaying pile of laundry with one arm while stemming an avalanche with the other. Whipping a linen closet into shape is easy and a good way to feel you have at least one thing under control.
Sort and Organize
Sort all your towels and sheets to determine which are worth
keeping and which should go to charity, your cleaning-supply closet
(as rags), or your kid's toy chest (for making tents and
Halloween costumes).
Try to limit yourself to three sets of sheets per bed and as few as three sets of bath sheets or towels, hand towels, and washcloths per person (more if you change towels daily, fewer if the men in your household have never picked up a washcloth). This gives you one set in use, one in the hamper, and one in the closet ready for action. You'll need only one or two sets for guests (one on the bed and one in the hamper or closet).
Resist the temptation to hoard extra sets for emergencies. "Anytime you get a new set, retire an old one," says Stephanie Winston, author of Getting Out From Under: Redefining Your Priorities in an Overwhelming World (Perseus, $13, amazon.com).
From Real Simple: Surprise Storage for the Bedroom
Make a Plan
Now it's time to make sense of everything you've decided to
keep.
First, divide linens into groups: bedding for each bedroom; towels for each bathroom; tablecloths and runners, dinner and cocktail napkins. Then separate summer from winter items, and daily linens from those for special occasions. The everyday and the current season should be stored at eye level, and the special-occasion and out-of-season linens farther from reach, at the top or bottom of the closet.
Placement isn't the only issue. For order, you can group linens in one of three ways: by bedroom and bathroom, by size, or by type.
"Sorting and searching will be even easier if you assign one color to each room," says Winston. "That way, when you look at a towel or sheet, you immediately know whose it is." Another good idea is to slip folded sheets into the matching pillowcases.
Always put the newly laundered on top of a stack, and remove the set to be used next from the bottom. In this way, sets become equally worn.
Allocate bulkier, less used items to the top shelf. They can be stored in the zippered bags in which they were purchased to keep them free of dust. Or pack them in old pillowcases. Before you store things away, label the cases with a permanent marker so you'll know what's inside.
The backs of shelves are ideal for guest-room linens, out-of-season beach towels, and other items you use less frequently.
Map the Closet
If you're short of space, think compact. "Buy duvet
covers, which can be folded small, rather than a variety of
decorative comforters," says Judy Zackin, design director at
Wamsutta Bedding.
If you have the space, you can devote a shelf to table linens, using a pullout tray for place mats or tablecloths (folded with tissue, to avoid wrinkles) in pretty boxes with lids and labels. And don't forget the closet door: It's a great place to hang robes or shallow baskets for soaps and toilet paper.
Next Steps: Label, Air Out, Add Space
More from Real Simple:
12 Secrets of the Closet Pros
Surprise Storage for the Living Room
Six Products for Organizing the Laundry Room
