Our closet situation has always been a little awkward around here, and when I recently organized our hallway “linen” closet, a few people noticed that I only store a few extra towels there (where are your linens!?). The remainder of the closet consisted of storing medications, paper products, cleaning supplies, toiletries and ironing supplies. So where are the rest of our linens? Well, my first tip is of course to be selective about how many linens are really necessary. From there, I tend to store our linens in their dedicated space/room; bedding in the bedrooms, cloth napkins in the kitchen, towels in the bathrooms. This setup has been working like a charm for years.
So, whether you have no linen closet, or you utilize your dedicated linen closet to store alternative items, Ursula from Home Made by Carmona is stopping in today to share 10 creative ways to store your linens, and you don’t need a specific linen closet for any of them.
Hi there iHeart Organizing readers! I’m SO pleased to be back here today sharing some smart solutions to a problem that has plagued me for so long.
My house doesn’t have any linen closets, or any space I could really convert into a linen closet. When you have a family of five, that means 5 times the bedding, 5 times the bath towels, and 5 times the dinner linens. That isn’t even accounting for the extra for guests, for differences of weather (winter versus summer bedding for example), and the fact that there are probably 2 sets for each person for laundering purposes (so that should really read 10 times). Needless to say, not having a linen closet can become quite the storage nightmare. Over many years, I have discovered all kinds of creative storage solutions, so today I’m sharing with you 10 Creative Ways To Store Linens (when you have no linen closet).
Before we dive in, there are 3 main principles to keep in mind when thinking outside the linen closet.
- Fill unused spaces - Put hallway nooks and open corners to good use as storage.
- Work it into the decor - Storage can be very attractive, especially if you have lovely linens. Store the pretty ones in plain sight, and tuck the less-than-attractive sets behind closed doors and drawers.
- Streamline - You don’t need three sheets per bed, especially if many of the beds are the same size. Keep no more than two towels per family member, and a few extra for guests (amount depends on whether most of your friends have kids, and how many).
Ready for some creative solutions? Here we go!
1. BASKETS
Baskets are beautiful and decorative, and your guests won’t realize that the cute rolls of blankets inside them are actually there because you had no where else to store them. Instead it will seem like a sweet, guest-friendly gesture that you made available should someone feel a chill.
2. BEHIND CLOSED DRAWERS
What if you can’t find a place to put your dinner linens behind closed doors? Never mind, put them behind closed drawers! Take a seldom used kitchen drawer, or dining room hutch drawer, and keep the dinner items close at hand.
3. BOOKCASES AS LINEN STORAGE
Bookshelves aren’t just for books anymore! Add one to an open wall or hallway space to store your sheets, towels, and other miscellaneous items! Smaller than the average freestanding wardrobe, you can still add doors to a bookshelf and keep your linens hidden with more walking room. Or maintain them as an attractive open storage unit and use baskets to organize.
4. TOWEL HOLDERS AS STORAGE
Add towel holders behind doors, behind cabinet doors, and even to walls. Then think beyond the traditional use of just bath towels… Use them to store dish towels, cloth napkins, blankets, and even add hooks to place baskets with miscellaneous stored items. You name it!
5. IN CLOTHING CLOSETS
Why not keep your sheets and blankets in the same room you use them in? Make a little space in the top of your closet shelf, or add a hanging closet organizer, to store that specific bedroom’s linens. Another options, which is what I personally prefer, is to place comforters and blankets in some pretty canvas bins way up high (too high to use for other purposes), then place that bedroom’s frequently used sheets and pillow cases at a lower level within reach.
6. UNDER-BED STORAGE
I love making use of underused spaces. Under the bed is where socks and miscellaneous items go to die, so why not prevent that by keeping bins under there? Then those get-away items have no where to roll.
7. UNUSUAL STORAGE SOLUTIONS
I don’t think of baskets as my only go-to solution for storing linens; I use bowls, jars, bins, and more. It is a nice way to store smaller linens in the appropriate room, such as face rags in a jar in the bathroom, cloth napkins in a bowl in the kitchen, and pillow cases in a bin in the bedroom.
8. BINS: BIG & SMALL
From medium canvas bins, to large plastic bins and beyond, these are a great go-to storage solution. If you have a basement or attic storage space, this is where you can put seasonal bedding, such as large winter comforters.
9. STORAGE OTTOMANS
Double duty furniture is a DREAM! Ah! Definitely purchase a few large storage ottomans or storage chairs to stash away over-sized blankets and other linens. They are lovely at the end of a bed, in a hallway space, or even as extra seating in a living area!
10. DIY DOOR ORGANIZERS
Remember these bad boys I whipped up? I showed them off here on iHeart Organizing last year, and they have been incredible space saving storage. I made a bunch of cabinet door organizers the easy way (learn how here), and they extend the storage of any cabinet or door space. Not to mention, they are stunning as cloth storage and cleaning tool storage.
Baskets are beautiful and decorative, and your guests won’t realize that the cute rolls of blankets inside them are actually there because you had no where else to store them. Instead it will seem like a sweet, guest-friendly gesture that you made available should someone feel a chill.
2. BEHIND CLOSED DRAWERS
What if you can’t find a place to put your dinner linens behind closed doors? Never mind, put them behind closed drawers! Take a seldom used kitchen drawer, or dining room hutch drawer, and keep the dinner items close at hand.
3. BOOKCASES AS LINEN STORAGE
Bookshelves aren’t just for books anymore! Add one to an open wall or hallway space to store your sheets, towels, and other miscellaneous items! Smaller than the average freestanding wardrobe, you can still add doors to a bookshelf and keep your linens hidden with more walking room. Or maintain them as an attractive open storage unit and use baskets to organize.
4. TOWEL HOLDERS AS STORAGE
Add towel holders behind doors, behind cabinet doors, and even to walls. Then think beyond the traditional use of just bath towels… Use them to store dish towels, cloth napkins, blankets, and even add hooks to place baskets with miscellaneous stored items. You name it!
5. IN CLOTHING CLOSETS
Why not keep your sheets and blankets in the same room you use them in? Make a little space in the top of your closet shelf, or add a hanging closet organizer, to store that specific bedroom’s linens. Another options, which is what I personally prefer, is to place comforters and blankets in some pretty canvas bins way up high (too high to use for other purposes), then place that bedroom’s frequently used sheets and pillow cases at a lower level within reach.
6. UNDER-BED STORAGE
I love making use of underused spaces. Under the bed is where socks and miscellaneous items go to die, so why not prevent that by keeping bins under there? Then those get-away items have no where to roll.
7. UNUSUAL STORAGE SOLUTIONS
I don’t think of baskets as my only go-to solution for storing linens; I use bowls, jars, bins, and more. It is a nice way to store smaller linens in the appropriate room, such as face rags in a jar in the bathroom, cloth napkins in a bowl in the kitchen, and pillow cases in a bin in the bedroom.
8. BINS: BIG & SMALL
From medium canvas bins, to large plastic bins and beyond, these are a great go-to storage solution. If you have a basement or attic storage space, this is where you can put seasonal bedding, such as large winter comforters.
9. STORAGE OTTOMANS
Double duty furniture is a DREAM! Ah! Definitely purchase a few large storage ottomans or storage chairs to stash away over-sized blankets and other linens. They are lovely at the end of a bed, in a hallway space, or even as extra seating in a living area!
10. DIY DOOR ORGANIZERS
Remember these bad boys I whipped up? I showed them off here on iHeart Organizing last year, and they have been incredible space saving storage. I made a bunch of cabinet door organizers the easy way (learn how here), and they extend the storage of any cabinet or door space. Not to mention, they are stunning as cloth storage and cleaning tool storage.
___________
I hope some of these tips will help keep your linens neatly tucked away, even if you don’t have a linen closet. Until next time, keep on organizing!
Hi, I’m Ursula and I blog at Home Made by Carmona where there is always a fun DIY project in play. I’ve got expensive taste and no money, I’m a neat freak who’s house didn’t get that memo, and I firmly believe organization has the power to improve our homes, habits, and the members that abide there! I’m so thrilled to be here at IHeart Organizing, the blog that first inspired me to start my own blogging journey.
from IHeart Organizing http://www.iheartorganizing.com/2016/04/uheart-organizing-10-creative-ways-to.html
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