8 small linen closet storage ideas to transform this key space | Homes & Gardens

Wondering how to organize a small linen closet? We've got you covered

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From bedlinen to towels, spare toiletries to the house first aid kit, the linen closet is a core storage piece that holds many of your home's essentials that keep it running smoothly.

It is therefore vital that it works efficiently for you and holds what you need, no mater its size, shape or location, professional home organizers say.

Below, we look at small linen closet storage ideas with expert advice and what to buy to organize a linen closet to keep things in order.

From organizing a bathroom and your toiletry essentials, to storing towels and linens to keep them soft, here are all the ways to maximize storage in every space of your small linen closet.

First things first, it's always good to have a declutter before you start to reorganize any part of your home, and your linen closet is no exception, especially if it's tight on space and you need every inch. We get it though, sometimes it's hard to get motivated to declutter before you start, but it will be worth it, we promise!

Andrea Montali, owner of ShelfGenie says, 'A good first step in organizing your linen closet is to assess your current situation and get rid of anything you no longer need. Raggedy towels or sheets that belong to a bed you don’t even have anymore may be taking up extra space.'

We all keep things we don't need – half-empty bottles of lotion, a mismatching pillowcase, Andrea adds, 'If you haven’t used an item in a year, it is a good indicator that you don’t need to keep it. Donate, recycle, or toss unwanted items.'

According to Barbara Brock, founder and CEO of Barbara Brock Inc, if everything has a place, then keeping it organized and clean is simpler.

She says, 'The best way to manage your space is to group like items together – in other words – categorize. Categorizing shows you what you have (or don’t have) and what is important to you. By grouping things together, you can see what kind of storage you need and it’s easier to see what product to buy to house your items. The bonus is, it’s easier to keep the bathroom clean if you and everyone in the household know where to put an item.'

Andrea agrees, 'Sort your linens into categories like bedding, towels, table linens, etc, and designate a specific section of the closet for that category, or consider pull-out shelves.'

All prices correct at time of publication.

Sliding drawer

This two tier pull-out drawer tray is ideal for a small linen closet, it could hold napkins, toiletries or make-up and each one has a drawer divider across the middle. It will double your space and fit neatly on a shelf, you could even double up and have a row of them.

When space is tight, it's key to investigate storage ideas for tiny homes – and those small tricks like folding up bedding and towels will keep them in order and allow you to see what you're after quickly.

Barbara Brock, home organizer, says, 'Folding a towel in thirds looks better on a towel rack than folding it in half. Therefore, if a towel is folded in thirds when stored on a shelf, unfolding, and placing it on a towel bar (we've got our eyes on Target's classic metal towel bar) is quicker.'

If folding isn't your thing, another option is to roll items up. Andrea explains, 'Rolling linens is a good way to prevent toppling, maximize space and reduce wrinkles. When stacking linens, place the heavier items at the bottom to avoid toppling. But do avoid excessive stacking, as this can cause piles to topple and create a jumbled mess of items.'

A mixture of the two can work well, rolling is good for smaller pieces too as these items can be placed into gaps which is ideal if space is tight.

If the thought of folding towels neatly fills you with dread, but you love the finished result, then check out Amazon's BoxLegend version 3 folding board, it's ideal for clothes and towels.

Whatever size shelving you have be it deep or shallow, how you use the space is key.

Juliana Meidl, founder and owner of Serenity At Home advises, 'When organizing any space maximizing shelf space is incredibly important. If the shelves are deep then utilizing deep bins will best maximize storage. We love the clear deep iDesign Linus bins that can be found at The Container Store. Keeping products in these bins prevents all those old products from getting pushed to the back of the shelves and getting lost.'

If you do have piles of items keeping them straight is important. Andrea adds, 'Adding vertical dividers to your shelves or drawers is a great way to keep your closet organized and your stacks upright.' We love Wayfair's Keeran acrylic shelf dividers, they are one of those super useful things you'll wonder how you lived without them!

Baskets are so versatile and if you're up for an aesthetically pleasing linen cupboard then they're for you. The beauty of them is that they can store all manner of things – from toilet rolls to cleaning products, duvet covers, and pillowcases.

Home organizer Juliana says, 'We also often use baskets on the floor or the shelves which can be great places to store extra toilet paper or bedding.'

We chose our favorite three basket styles for your linen cupboard below.

Highly rated

A set of 5 metal and fabric baskets in various sizes. Available in natural, antique blush, antique denim and rustic aqua. Use on your linen shelves for a variety of products, the small can be for toiletries and make-up, the larger for bedding and pillows.

Designer style

See through baskets are always a godsend because you can easily identify the contents, and when you quickly need a hand towel or cleaning product from the linen cupboard. This design really suits a modern scheme and is almost too stylish to hide away!

Versatile shape

This pair of seagrass baskets will be ideal for sheets and pillowcases in your linen cupboard. They can fit at the bottom and are stackable. You could even double up and have 2 of each size. Made from 100% seagrass the natural texture is charming and the lid will keep the contents dust free.

Varying up your linen storage will help you with all the elements that you might want to store. Juliana has a fabulous tip for those who want to store those useful but unsightly items – and have them easy to hand.

She says, 'Turntables (lazy susans) are a great way to store toiletries and cleaning products if stored in a linen closet. A turntable makes it very easy to always see everything you have. They come in multiple sizes depending on the size of the shelves in the closet. We use the Home Edit Lazy Susans from The Container Store.'

This is such a clever idea and the dividers within the design are removable so you can store more pieces.

Make life easier for yourself (and other family members) by labeling parts of your linen cupboard. Whether you label your custom-made doors with numbers as above or use them on your storage boxes inside, it will help to keep things in order.

Juliana continues, 'The final touch when organizing a linen closet is to make sure you label everything. That way everyone knows not only where to find things but more importantly they understand where to put items away.;

There are labeling machines that you can use for your shelves – we like the DYMO LetraTag 100H handheld label maker at Target, you can choose from various fonts and colors.

Another option is to have a label that's rewritable, such as a whiteboard or chalkboard label.

Chalkboard

Made from Italian black plastic, these labels are sturdy and long lasting. Each one clips over the top of your basket or storage item. You can either use traditional chalk or a chalk marker. Both are wipeable so you can reuse as many times as you like.

For those tricky pieces that are stored in a linen cupboard but are hard to fold – like sheets, it can be worth investing in specific storage solutions that also save on space.

Juliana shares, 'We like to use the SpaceAid bed sheet organizers, from Amazon, which are foldable and can stand so depending on the space available will look great and keep all those extra sets together and organized.'

What's great about these organizers is that they come with a circle window design so you can see the color, and there are label cards so you can write whether it's a single, double, or King. Each box is large enough for a sheet, duvet cover, and two pillowcases.

After 10+ years in the fashion industry and designing closets for California Closets, I started my own professional organizing company based in my hometown, NYC. As a native New Yorker, I understand the challenges of small spaces and lack of storage. I work closely with you to honor your lifestyle and style.

Barbara Brock is the founder & CEO of Barbara Brock Inc., a professional organizing and staging company, and Beauty & The Box, a company dedicated to fusing beauty with organization for the traveling woman and at home.

Juliana Meidl has been a professional home organizer for many years, having found that the key to a serene home was finding the perfect organization techniques that work for the family.

With a few quick changes, you can organize you small linen cupboard within an inch of its life. From clever storage boxes and labelling ideas, there's something for everyone. And best of all, your cupboard will be ordered and you'll know where everything is.

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Sophie has been an interior stylist and journalist for over 20 years and has worked for many of the main interior magazines during that time, both in-house and as a freelancer. On the side, as well as being the News Editor for indie magazine, 91, she trained to be a florist in 2019 and launched The Prettiest Posy where she curates beautiful flowers for modern weddings and events. For H&G, she writes features about interior design – and is known for having an eye for a beautiful room.

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