How to Declutter Your Linen Closet in Under an Hour (+ How Many Towels You Actually Need)
Learn how to declutter your linen closet in under an hour and finally make it functional!
Have you ever found yourself opening your linen closet to grab fresh towels or sheets and all of a sudden, everything falls out onto the floor?
So annoying, right?!
Or maybe every time you’re in need of clean linens, you have to dig through piles and piles of mismatched and ratty textiles?
We’ve all been there, but it doesn’t have to be this way!
The linen closet should be a functional space where you can easily reach for your essentials whenever you need them.
In this article, I walk you through exactly how to declutter your linen closet in under an hour so you can finally reclaim your power over it without sacrificing your entire Saturday.
After following this step-by-step guide, not only will you walk away with a clutter-free closet, but you’ll also understand how many towels, sheets, and blankets you should keep in your home given your exact lifestyle.
Plus, I share the most common decluttering mistakes you should avoid, and my best advice on how to keep your linen closet clutter-free long-term.
Why your linen closet becomes a clutter zone
The “just in case” mindset
It’s so easy to accumulate a lot of stuff in the linen closet.
Whenever we buy a new set of sheets or towels, we usually keep the old ones “just in case.”
Some of us also keep gift sets we didn’t end up liking, or bedding for beds we don’t even own anymore.
We think we’ll reach for them when we have guests stay overnight, or that the kids will want them when they move out.
We justify keeping worn-out linens because they always come in handy in case of a leak or when we need to paint a wall.
Worn-out towels are also great for pets.
And if you love all things cozy too, you probably think that there isn’t such a thing as too many throw blankets.
And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with keeping a few extra towels or sheets; they’re practical to have around.
But more often than not, we have way too many of them.
I definitely did a few years back, before I was fed up with my chaotic closet and decided enough is enough.
Signs it’s time to declutter your linen closet
If you’re wondering whether you have too much stuff in your linen closet and it’s time to finally clear out the excess, here are a few signs you shouldn’t ignore:
- You can’t close the door, or things are falling out. If your closet is overflowing, you have definitely accumulated more than what you can practically keep.
- You don’t actually know what’s in there. You can remember your go-to bedding sets and bath towels, but you have no idea what’s hiding in the hard-to-reach shelves or behind your favorites. It doesn’t make sense to keep something you didn’t even know was there.
- You keep buying new towels or sheets without using what you have. If you find yourself constantly buying new linens, you either can’t find what you need when you need it, or you don’t actually like what you own. Both are good reasons to declutter.
- All your mismatched, stained, or worn-out items are mixed in with good ones. This creates unnecessary friction every time you’re changing your bed sheets and bath towels. Reduce the friction and make choosing your good linens easy.
What you’ll need before you start decluttering your linen closet
Get your sorting bins or baskets ready
Before you start decluttering, make sure you’re prepared and have everything you need.
I recommend you use four different bins or baskets to make the sorting process easy.
You’ll need a bin for each of the following categories:
- Keep
- Donate
- Toss or recycle
- Repurpose
Set a timer
You also want to set aside an hour of your time.
Do it at a moment when you know you won’t get interrupted or distracted (I recommend prioritizing times when you’re alone at home).
An hour should be more than enough if you commit to not overthinking and stay decisive and focused on the task at hand.
Most linen closets take 30 to 45 minutes, or even less if you don’t own that much to begin with.
Keep this linen closet declutter checklist on hand
If you struggle making decisions, here are a few things you might consider decluttering in your linen closet:
- Worn-out bedding, towels, or blankets that have holes in them
- Stained items
- Pieces you haven’t reached for in over a year
- Sheets that aren’t the right size for any of your beds
- Linens that you dread using every time you see them. You know the bath towels that have lost their softness or the sheets that constantly move during your sleep.
- The excessive amount of towels you keep for dirty jobs around the house (when you know you only need one or two extras)
How to declutter your linen closet step-by-step?
Step 1. Empty the entire linen closet
Now that you have your bins prepared, timer set, and declutter checklist on hand, let’s get to decluttering!
Take everything out of your linen closet. Yes, everything, even the things you know you want to keep.
You need to see everything you own in one place, so you actually know how much you have.
Once everything is out, take a mental note of your impression: do you have more than what you thought? Less?
This small exercise helps us understand better how much we tend to accumulate over time.
Step 2. Sort into categories
To make the decluttering process easier, you now want to organize everything you have by category: sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, towels, blankets and throws, tablecloths, miscellaneous (heating pads, extra pillows, etc.).
I even recommend you take it a step further by organizing inside each category: group all the bath towels together, and then all the hand towels and washcloths separately.
For bedding, separate adult bedding from kids’ bedding, and fitted sheets from flat sheets.
That way, you will know exactly what you have, and it will be easier to determine whether those numbers align with your needs.
Step 3. Ask key questions for each item
Now, tackle each category and sub-category one after the other, and make sure to finish each one before moving on to the next.
Grab each item and ask yourself these key questions:
- Is it stained, torn, or worn thin? Does it have holes?
- Have I used it in the past year?
- Do I have multiples I don’t need?
- Does it still match my current bed sizes?
- Do I even like it?
The key here is to be honest with yourself.
Don’t try to make justifications for why you didn’t use an item in the past year. If you didn’t use it, you are very unlikely to use it again in the future.
Step 4. Decide how many to keep in your linen closet
Think about your current lifestyle and situation, and be realistic and reasonable about how many items in each category you should keep.
If you have no idea what the right numbers are for you and your family, the next section will help you figure it out.
Step 5. Wipe down the shelves and put back
Before you put back anything you’ve decided to keep, wipe down and clean your linen closet so you’re not storing things on dusty shelves.
Then, decide on the best way to organize your items.
Whether you fold everything into piles or use dedicated baskets per category, just keep it consistent and tidy.
I also recommend creating real separations between the categories so everything is easy to find.
For instance, keep all your bath towels on one shelf, all your bedding on another, your blankets on your top shelf, and miscellaneous items on the bottom one.
Do what works best for you given the space that you have.
How many towels and linens do you actually need? (Minimalist guidelines)
You know best how many items you need, but if you want a starting point, here are some guidelines you can adapt.
Towels
For bath towels, keep 2 per person, so there’s one in use and one in the wash.
If you have a tumble dryer and want to make things more minimal, you could also make one towel per person work, but you need to stay on top of laundry.
If you have kids, pets, or a larger family in general, you could also keep one or two extra towels.
However, any more than three towels per person could be a little excessive (except if you regularly have guests stay overnight).
For hand towels and washcloths, you can easily increase the number since these tend to wear out and get replaced more often.
I find two to three per person to be a good number.
Sheets
For bedding, keep 2 sets per bed, so one is in use, and the other is in the wash.
If you have pets or small kids, having a spare one can be a great idea in case of an accident.
If you want to simplify your linen closet, consider having all your bedding in one color.
That way, if something wears out or gets stained and you need to declutter it, you can keep the other pieces from the set and just replace the missing item.
Blankets and throws
For throw blankets, keep 1 or 2 per person depending on the climate you live in or the season.
If you live in a warm climate, one per person can feel excessive if you rarely reach for a blanket.
However, if you have very cold winters where you live, two per person is very reasonable: one on each bed, and one per person on the couch.
Think about what is “enough” for your family and be realistic.
If every member of your family has a favorite throw and never reaches for the others, there’s no need to keep more than one per person.
Common mistakes to avoid when decluttering your linen closet
Mistake 1: Keeping “backup” linens indefinitely
Keeping a few backups can be a great idea in case of an emergency or if you have guests staying over.
However, be ruthless about the number of backups you actually need to keep.
One or two seems reasonable; ten doesn’t.
You might even realize that you don’t need to keep any; in that case, get rid of all of them!
Every time you get “new” backups, get rid of the old ones.
Don’t keep all your backups forever; otherwise, they will pile up, and soon, your linen closet will be overflowing and a pain to manage once again.
Mistake 2: Holding onto mismatched or single pieces
Now hear me out: if you do use mismatched or single items, this piece of advice isn’t for you.
However, if you like having everything matchy-matchy, don’t keep any single or mismatched pieces.
You probably will never use it!
Whether you have a single pillowcase without its pair or an odd fitted sheet that doesn’t match any of your bedding, you have permission to let those go.
Mistake 3: Ignoring expiration on items like pillows
Certain items have an expiration date, and it isn’t recommended to keep them forever.
For instance, pillows generally need replacing after a few years.
Same for comforters and mattress pads.
While you don’t need to follow these guidelines strictly, pay attention to the condition of your items.
Are they still in good condition?
Or are they lumpy, flat, or yellowed?
Also, if you haven’t updated these items in decades, now is probably the best time to do so.
What to do with linens you no longer need
Here at Green With Less, I’m always advocating for sustainable decluttering.
It’s what I practice every time I’m simplifying my home.
So when I recommend you declutter something, I don’t mean throwing it in the trash without a second thought.
There are a few more responsible options we can choose instead of sending linens to the landfill.
Donate
If the item you want to declutter is still in good condition, consider giving it away to someone who needs it.
It could be a loved one, a neighbor, a friend, or even someone you don’t know.
You could post about it in a Buy Nothing group on Facebook (there is one in almost all cities now, yay!).
If no one wants it, most thrift stores will accept gently used bedding and towels.
You can also donate them to homeless shelters, or even animal shelters (especially towels and blankets, even if they’re a bit worn).
Most would be happy to take them off your hands!
Repurpose
Items that aren’t in good enough condition to be donated can be repurposed around your house.
You could cut old sheets and towels into smaller pieces to make cleaning rags.
You can also use them as pet bedding or for protecting your furniture while moving homes.
If you like being crafty and can sew, you can even turn old linens into quilts or other crafts.
I once had a queen flat sheet tear on one side, so I cut it in half and kept the good part; it has become a twin sheet, which I sometimes use when I have guests.
Next time this happens, I want to create pillowcases with the fabric that’s still good.
Recycle
If the item isn’t in donatable condition and you don’t want to repurpose it, it doesn’t mean it should go in the trash.
There are many textile recycling programs for items that are too worn to be reused by someone else.
Google “textile recycling” and your city, and you’ll probably find an option.
Around where I live, we have textile recycling bins in many areas, so it’s super easy to just drop any damaged textile and give it a new life as rags or insulation.
How to maintain a clutter-free linen closet?
A decluttered linen closet won’t stay that way on its own.
Here are two simple habits to keep it that way long-term!
One-in-one-out rule
I love applying this minimalist rule to so many areas of my home!
The “one-in-one-out” rule means that you get rid of one item every time you bring a new one in.
Applying this to your linen closet means that for every towel you buy, you get rid of another.
And the same goes for bedding, blankets, and other linens.
It might sound restrictive at first, but believe me, it’s a fail-proof way to keep the number of things in your closet stable and prevent accumulation.
Seasonal mini check-ins
The one-in-one-out rule is super helpful, but make sure to also do regular check-ins, maybe once every season.
Even if we don’t end up buying new linens, old ones might get worn out.
Our needs may change as well, so some items that used to be essential to keep may now become useless.
Take five minutes and go through everything at a glance.
Reassess whether what you’ve kept still makes sense for you and your family.
Final thoughts on how to declutter your linen closet
Decluttering your linen closet can feel daunting, especially if you’ve let towels, sheets, and blankets pile up over the years.
But clearing the excess, even just once or twice a year, keeps the space functional and makes your daily routine that much smoother.
Decide how much of each category you actually need, let go of the rest, and remember to reassess as your life changes.
If you’re looking for more decluttering inspiration, check out the following posts:
- Closet declutter: A complete step-by-step guide to decluttering clothes
- Closet declutter checklist: 17 things to get rid of in your closet that you won’t miss
I’m curious, how many items did you end up letting go of in your linen closet?
Please leave a comment below!
Don’t forget to share this article with your loved ones so they can find guidance to declutter their linen closet too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Declutter your linen closet at least once or twice a year, with a quick 5-minute check each season.
Sheets and towels are easy to accumulate, so you want to reassess what you have regularly.
Keep two towels per person.
One or two extra could be useful if you have kids or pets, or if you regularly have guests staying overnight. But try not to go over three per person.
Keep two sheet sets per bed, plus one extra if you have kids or pets, and another one or two if you regularly have people stay for the night.
Yes, but only if you realistically use mismatched items and single pieces.
If you know you only use complete sets, no — unless you want to keep a couple as backup rags.
Most thrift stores won’t accept stained towels, but animal shelters often will, since they use them for bedding and cleanup.
If an item is too worn even for that, repurpose it as a rag or send it to a textile recycling program.
To freshen a linen closet, place an open box of baking soda on a shelf to absorb odors, or add sachets of dried lavender or cedar blocks for a natural scent and to deter moths.
Clean the shelves, and let the closet air out for a few hours before putting things back.
Items that don’t belong in a linen closet include cleaning supplies, clothes, medications, cosmetics, unopened gifts, and, in general, anything that isn’t sheets, towels, blankets, and other bedding or bath essentials.
Also remove worn-out home textiles as well as those you never reach for.
