Here are inspired linen closet organization ideas to help you get your linens neat and tidy at home, no matter where you store them. 

I’m sure if a poll was taken asking which area in the home was the most cluttered or difficult to get organized,  most likely the room that would win by a landslide would be the linen closet. Is there a right way to fold a towel? How the heck am I supposed to get a fitted sheet to fit neatly on a shelf? What to do with those darn wash towels- doesn’t it seem like they are just everywhere? 

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization picture collage. Linen closet open to reveal neat shelves and towels hanging from towel bars on inside of door, labeled baskets on shelves, shelf with linens and divider
Whoa, my linen closet doesn’t look like that…yet!

What with all the towels, sheets, and orphaned pillowcases at my house it’s no wonder the closet is such a mess. Linen closets are generally small closets tucked awkwardly into house plans like behind the bathroom door or in a hallway far away. And that is if you actually have one. Often space has to be created inside a larger closet, in the corner of a bathroom or part of a laundry area. No matter where your linen area is, it’s important to keep it organized so it’s easy to find what you are looking for. 

Best Linen Closet Organization Tips

Well, if you, too, are tired of trying to stuff the small closet, shut the door quickly to keep everything from tumbling out, have we got some tips for your home. These tips will transform chaos into beautifully calm and organized spaces.

The truth is these simple ideas will also save you time and stress. Clutter is clutter even behind a closet door.

“It’s much nicer to interact with your linen closet if you’re not feeling exasperated every time you open the linen closet door,”  

– Kelley Jonkoff, a certified KonMari consultant in Raleigh, N.C.

1. Washcloth Sorting Made Easy

Use a file sorter to store washcloths. This is such a genius idea! Roll them up, put them in the file sorter, and never have to deal with falling stacks of washcloths again. I like how neat and tidy it looks to have the chalkboard label showing which member of the family belongs to which washcloth stack! This technique could work well in a bathroom in the under-sink storage. This is also a great idea if you have the shelf space in the linen closet, or even an over-the-toilet storage unit so that the towels can be easily reached from the sink and the shower. 

Shelves in linen closet with hand towels rolled and stacked in magazine holders on top shelf

via The Real Thing with the Coake Family

2. Linen Bins Line Shelves

Use high-sided bins and pull-out drawers to prevent piles of stuff from toppling over. Love those deep baskets! Those deep baskets are perfect for sorting all the things that tend to accumulate in a linen closet. Mines are filled with towels, washcloths, hand towels, extra pillows, pillowcases, sheets, and beach towels. Some baskets might even be deep enough to store blankets and comforters. Adding a cute tag to the front of the basket will add to the decor in the space and help you save time in finding whatever you are looking for. 

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization Linen closet with deep cloth drawers with labels hanging from handle with pillows and blankets stack beside drawer on each shelf in linen closet

via Finding Home Farms

3. Linen closet organization can be fun! Use Cute Linen Closet Labels

When in doubt label it. You will always know where things belong and others can come behind you and deliver items to their home!  Chalkboard labels are our favorite – When you change your mind, clean off with a damp rag and re-label! Add the titles you need to labels: shirts, socks, pillows, extra pillows, extra fluffy pillows…I might be hoarding pillows. There are so many creative ways to label your containers! You can also use a label maker, or print out some pretty designs from your office printer.

Chalkboard labels with a hand holding liquid chalk pen writing "socks" one of the the labels. Label above says "shirts"
Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization Banner for free chalk board label offer

4. Smartly Store Sheets in Pillowcases for the ultimate linen closet organization hack.

Keep sheets together in the closet by putting sheets in one of the matching pillowcases. No more rummaging through the closet to find matching sets! This is one of those “why didn’t I think of that genius organization idea?” 

The key to this linen closet hack is to keep your sheet set right at the front of the pillowcase, then wrap the pillowcase around it. Trying to get your sheets to the bottom of the pillow cases won’t be easy and won’t really produce the result we are looking for. I know, I tried it the hard way the first time I saw this hack. 

Linen closet with 8 sheet sets stored inside corresponding pillowcase stacked neatly on a shelf

via Martha Stewart

5. How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

Speaking of sheets, do you know how to fold a fitted sheet? I didn’t. This handy video tutorial can help! Oh, and when you can actually fold a fitted sheet, they are more uniform and stack in a smaller area on a linen closet shelf.

The thing to remember about folding fitted sheets is that the ends aren’t actually the ends. The goal here is to use the corners of the mattress as the ends to create a rectangle that is easy to fold. 

https://youtu.be/_Z5k9nWcuFc
via Living on a Dime

6. Linen Closet Shelf Makeover Thanks to Bins

Redo your linen closet for just $10 with plastic baskets from the Dollar Store. What makes this doubly useful is that these linen closet bins are easily removed to take to another room, refill, find something in the bottom or use for transportation. We also use these in the bathroom as storage of lotions, soaps, shampoos, hair accessories, extra toiletries, and more. This is great for a linen closet but can also be used in a bathroom, kitchen or even for dorm room organization.

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization plastic baskets with labels hanging from handle on shelves inside lined clloset

via A Bird and a Bean

7. Towel Rods as Space Savers

Roll towels instead of folding them to save valuable space in your small closet. Also, install towel rods on the door to store linens that wrinkle easily (like your tablecloths). I think that hanging all those hand towels might work really well too. Those seem to be everywhere when you are looking for a towel and completely disappear when hands are wet, don’t they. 

Make sure to stack the towel rod holders with the shelves so you can still close the door once installed. 

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization linen closet open to show neatly folded linens with towels hanging from towel racks attached to inside of the door

via BHG

8. Storage of Awkwardly Shaped Items

Small, galvanized buckets are perfect for storing hooded towels and other hard-to-fold linens. My household seems to collect things that don’t fit into standard-sized containers. I love how this is not only attractive but useful! 

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization Galvanized bucket with hooded towels on top shelf next to a weaved basket, with another weaved basket and towels next to it on the bottom shelf

via The Happy Housie

9. Use Clothespins for Organizing

Clip labels to the front of each bin with a clothespin. You may prefer this method over permanent labeling if the contents of your linen closet change seasonally. I love this use of clothespins because I always seem to have them around and find them adorable. You can make this a bit more permanent by writing or painting right on the clothespin instead of using it to hold a tag. 

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization Shelf in a linen closet with a plastic container with a clothespin attached to the top holding a label. Stack of towels next to it

via Ask Anna Moseley

10 .Decorative Brackets Separate Linens

Install decorative brackets to create shelf dividers. Everything will have a place with this genius idea. Each stack of linen is separated from the one beside it. What a neat, clean look for each shelf.

Towels folded and neatly stacked on a shelf with a label on the front of the shelf. Divider sectioning off area for towels, with another compartment with linens next to it.

via Country Living

11. DIY Shelf Dividers for linen closet organization

Or use leftover scraps of wire shelving to create your own dividers. Use this same technique for creating division with whatever you might have stacked in the attic or available in the garage.

Shelves in a linen closet with baskets, metal shelveing used as dividers for shelf compartments, and creating stackable storage areas

via Suburble

12. Use Under Shelf Space Efficiently

Take advantage of under-the-shelf baskets to use vertical space that would otherwise go underutilized. It is so funny because I use this under-shelf storage in my pantry shelves already, but never thought to extend the organizational hack to the linen closet! Under-the-shelf baskets are another great way to store hand towels since they are so small and useful.

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization shelves in a linen closet with towels and soap on top shelf, basket on lower shelf and a compartment in between holding hand towels.

via Fox Hollow Cottage

13. Closet Floor Storage for Easy Access

Put a grab-and-go bin at the bottom of your linen closet for beach towel storage. That way, whenever you’re headed to the pool or beach, you can grab the entire bin or bag easily. 

Open linen closet with ironing board hanging on inside of the door, and neat shelves inside. Container with beach towels on the lowest shelf for easy access

via Simplicity in the South

BONUS!  Back of Door Storage Ideas

If your linen closet also doubles as storage for your cleaning supplies, a shoe organizer is a great way to keep the cleaners organized. (See our other shoe organizer ideas.)

And while you are at it…please take a moment to recognize the genius of closet rod shoe organizers storing paper towels. This could work in a bathroom closet as well with toilet paper instead of paper towels.

Open linen closet with shoe holder repurposed to hold cleaning supplies on the inside of the door and shoe holders hanging inside holding papertowels

via The 36th Avenue

Small Closet Organization Solutions

It doesn’t have to feel like the attack of the sheets every time you open the linen closet door which is the ultimate example of a small closet. Save yourself from chaotic towel piles, mismatched sheets, and orphaned pillowcases by using one (or more) of these amazing.

Which solutions will help you reclaim your closet?

More Closet Organization Ideas

Onecrazyhouse Linen Closet Organization Picture collage. Bedsheets folded into pillowcases on sheld, washtowels stacked in magazine holders on shelf, open linen closet with neat baskets and ironing board hanging from the door, neat drawers with pillows and blankets stacked beside on each shelf.
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