I was with my rug hooking group the other day working on our rug projects and because my friends know I am a professional organizer they started asking me how to organize various problem spots in their homes. One dilemma for several of them in new homes was what to do with linens when the wannabe linen closet is about a foot and a half wide which means narrow shelves and not enough space for storage.

There are solutions to every problem so let's take a look at each one of them. It seems the larger the home the smaller the closet and storage places are becoming, at least for linen closets in many of the homes being built today. We all have beds so we need sheets, we all need towels yet linen closets are shrinking and the shelves are also getting narrow.

Solution: First of all make sure the linen closet is being used only for linens. Are there other essentials needed in the home that could be kept else where like tub toys, medicines, bibs, or maybe hot pads for the kitchen? Take these out and put somewhere else. Assess the linens you are keeping. Do you have too many towels, both hand towels and bath towels? If the answer is yes then get rid of the ones you don't need, like, or are in poor condition.

In the bathroom there is a lot of unused space over the toilet. There are ready made shelves that can be attached to the wall. Beautiful cabinets with doors can be attached to the wall or there are some that are part shelves and part cabinets. Free standing shelves or cabinets can also be placed over the toilet and are made with extension poles which makes these very easy to install and are portable in case of a move. Both shelves and cabinets come in a variety of pre-finished wood stains, white and cream finishes. These can hold extra towels, wash cloths and even a variety of other small items used in the bathroom.
A beautiful towel holder that holds several towels and wash cloths can be used in this area. A hat rack in the bathroom can hold extra towels or if there is not enough space on a towel rack it can come in handy to hang bath towels which are being used by each member of the family. A basket could be placed on top of the toilet to hold rolled up wash cloths or hand towels.

I do not recommend keeping towels under the sink as there is a possibility of a leak at some time, even small drips can cause material to mildew.
Sheets that normally go in a linen closet can be folded very neatly and tightly and put in the matching pillowcase and placed on the shelves. This also saves space having the sheet set all together.  If you have a variety of sheet sizes label the shelf using a label maker or masking tape showing the size of the sheet to be placed on that the shelves. (twin, queen, king) This helps the person returning clean sheets to the closet to know where to put them and not just jumbling or shoving them in the closet.

Sheets can be placed in rolling containers that fit under beds where the sheets will be used. The specific sheet needed for that bed is available, not taking up space in the closet and it saves time as it is in the room where it will be used.

If there is room in the bedroom closets; sheets as well as extra towels that don't fit in the linen closet can be kept in baskets where the linens are easily reached and accessible. When looking for storage solutions first get rid of what you don't need, keep only necessities in the main linen closet or shelves, and then find other places in your home for the extra linens. Always try to have the items in places that are convenient.

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