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by Lydia Parker
We need to talk about your linen closet. Specifically, why you own 9 fitted sheets for 2 beds, 14 pillowcases that don’t match anything, and a towel that is secretly older than one of your cousins. It’s fine. You’re not alone. I once hoarded takeout menus like they were museum artifacts, so I see you and your thread count chaos. But today we fix it. Fast. With minimal drama. Promise.
Before we dive in, here’s the vibe: we’re setting par levels (how many of each thing you actually need), matching sheets into labeled sets, folding towels that don’t fight back, and giving the extras a new life. You’ll get shelf dividers, clear bins, and vacuum bags on your side like tiny organizational bouncers. The result? A linen closet that doesn’t collapse like a Jenga tower every time you grab a washcloth.
Some product links below are affiliate links. That means I may earn a tiny commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend stuff I actually like and that makes your life less chaotic.
We’re doing this in one efficient sweep. Put on a playlist, grab a trash bag, a donate bag, and a Sharpie. Let’s roll.
Pull everything out. Yes, that includes the beach towels, mystery pillowcases, and the festive guest sheets that only come out when your mother-in-law does. Create piles:
If you’ve got a bathroom overflowing with half-empty bottles too, pair this with Declutter Your Bathroom: The 15-Minute Purge (Because You Don’t Need 8 Half-Empty Shampoo Bottles). Two birds, one satisfying declutter.
Your sheets want to be in committed relationships. Make it easy.
If you’re mismatch-heavy, pick a single neutral color as base (white, grey, oatmeal) and slowly phase out the rest. If a set is missing key pieces, it’s a candidate for the donate pile or the rag bag.
You don’t have to love folding fitted sheets. You just have to stop wrestling them like an octopus.
Quick method:
Prefer to watch? Here’s a fast tutorial that won’t make your eyes twitch:
Don’t want to fold? Fine. Smooth it out flat-ish, then roll it into a tight cylinder and tuck it into the pillowcase with the rest of the set. Done.
Keep only the towels that aren’t exfoliating you… against your will. Then choose your fold and commit:
Set par levels per person (2 bath, 2 hand, 2 washcloths). Corral beach towels elsewhere (mudroom or garage bin) so they don’t hijack prime linen space. Need help reclaiming other chaotic house zones? Try Declutter Like a Pro: The 20-Minute Whole-House Speed Sweep.
If you haven't used it since the last presidential election, it's not a towel, it's a hostage. Let it go.
Lydia Parker
Time to give everything a home that makes sense. Use simple tools that do 90% of the work for you.
My go-to gear:
Pro tip: reserve the top shelf for the stuff you use least (seasonal quilts, spare pillows). Everyday towels and sheets live between chest and eye height. Guests get a labeled bin that says “Guest Linens” so you can be generous without a scavenger hunt.
If you don’t label it, your future self will invent chaos again. Keep it low effort:
Label ideas:
Add date-dots to pillowcase bundles with painters tape (e.g., “Washed 9/25”) so you rotate sets evenly without thinking too hard.
Struggling to let go of the heirloom lace pillowcases from Aunt Thelma? Read How to Tackle Sentimental Clutter with Ease and then calmly do the right thing. If the extra bedding was a gift you never liked, this will help too: Guilt-Free Decluttering: How to Let Go of Gifts You Never Liked.
If your ‘linen closet’ is actually one shelf and a dream:
Pair this with a wardrobe audit so your closet doors stop weeping: 10 Things Cluttering Your Closet (And How to Say Goodbye—for Real This Time) and The Chairdrobe Intervention: Rescue Your Clothes from the Bedroom Chair.
Future You will thank you when company texts ‘We’re 10 minutes away!’
Stash this on a clearly labeled shelf. Your reputation as a functioning adult skyrockets.
Make it a Friday ritual, or tie it to a habit you already do. Need a tiny habit boost? Try The One-Minute Rule: Tiny Tasks That Keep Your Life from Imploding. Planning nerd? Schedule your reset during The 5-Minute Forecast: A Quick Morning Planning Ritual.
Life is too short to fold ugly towels. Keep the good ones, use them daily, and let your closet breathe.
Lydia Parker
Short on time? Do this tonight:
That’s it. You just turned your linen closet from anxiety cabinet to calm corner.
If you want extra gold stars, take before/after photos and tag us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mysimple.life.official/ so I can cheer you on and gently roast your fitted sheet technique.
You don’t need a linen closet that looks like a store display. You need one that does its job without eye-rolling every time you open the door. Two sets per bed. Labeled bundles. Towels that say ‘ahh,’ not ‘ugh.’ Simple, repeatable, boringly effective. That’s the power move.
Lydia Parker
Lydia grew up in a home where the motto was "Keep everything; you never know when you’ll need it!" After years of wading through mountains of Tupperware lids and mismatched socks, she had an epiphany: less is more. Armed with a label maker and a deep love for minimalism, she turned her life around and now dedicates her days to helping others tame their clutter and embrace simplicity.
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