How to Organize a Small Linen Closet

If you have small closets, you know the challenges that come with trying to find a place for everything. These space-saving and cost-saving tricks will help you organize a small linen closet in no time at all!

Hot-Mess House Challenge:  How to Organize a Small Linen Closet

Originally the first room(s) to be decluttered and organized in my Hot-Mess House Challenge were my bathrooms, but a lighting setback, caused me to change plans!  I went for the next easiest space to get me motivated and feeling accomplished, my hallway linen closet!

Click HERE to see my original Hot-Mess House Challenge post, and get a FREE printable room by room Cleaning & Organizing Checklist!

Our house is small, our closets are small, so naturally our linen closet is small as well.  We don’t have any closet space in our full bathroom.  We only have a small piece of furniture that houses products (my products)!  Therefore, our linen closet has to double as linen storage, bathroom storage, and whatever else storage, that we can fit into it.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, that’s what I thought until I woke up one day and our linen closet looked like what you see below!  Turns out, it’s not as easy to organize a small linen closet!

I can’t even believe I’m sharing this photo with you all, but that’s why I have a blog.  I’m here to inspire you, motivate you, keep myself accountable, and show you that you are not alone!!!  You might want to sit down for this one.

Linen Closet Before

If you look really closely, you’ll see some plastic drawers in there.  I totally tried.  (insert laughing/crying emoji)  There was medicine from 2009!  That’s scary in more ways than one.  Seriously, this closet looks like something from a horror movie!  Ugh!  (Scroll down to see the “AFTER” pictures and all of the sources!)

Here’s what I did to take my small linen closet from a hot-mess to a hottie!  Can a closet be a hottie, you ask?  Definitely.

How to Refresh and Organize a Small Linen Closet

1. Declutter-Go through EVERYTHING.  I had a trash bag for things that could be thrown away.  I had a pile to give away, and a pile to keep.  That’s pretty standard when decluttering and organizing any space.
2. Clean-Spray down the walls, the shelves, and floor/base boards.
3. Paint walls and door-I used Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, because I wanted a crisp cooler white.  I painted over the walls, the baseboards, and the inside of the door, including the Ikea “spice racks” turned “medicine racks,” so that everything looked clean and cohesive.
4. Wallpaper shelves-Cover the shelves.  I bought the white plaid wallpaper from Hearth & Hand at Target.  I totally thought it was peel and stick!  Since it was going on my linen closet shelves, I wasn’t too concerned about perfecting my wallpapering skills.  I used a small roller to get the paper wet and a squeegee to smooth out the bubbles.  I decided to put the wallpaper on the shelves instead of the walls, because it would be much more visible.
5. Organize like items-Place similar items together.  I organized my items into the list below.  I also have empty bins and boxes for when our storage needs change.
   1. Door-Wooden spice racks hold medicines and other items used everyday
   2. Door-Metal organizers hold hair tools (hairdryer, curling iron, straightener, brushes, hairspray, & hair products)
   3. Shelves-Gray storage drawers hold everyday items that were small enough to fit inside (hair, nails, dental care, feminine care, first aid, skin, ‘cold & cough’, ‘ear, nose & throat’)
   4. Shelves-Wooden bins hold baby items, cleaning products, hand towels, extras, and feminine products
   5. Shelves-Cardboard storage bins hold items that are not used everyday like, sunscreen, first aid products, nail polish, humidifiers, light bulbs, extension cords, etc.  I also have left several bins empty for my future storage needs.
   6. Shelves-Canvas rugby bins hold extra bath towels and sheets.  Extra toilet paper is stored in between the two fabric bins.
6. Purchase storage containers-Measure and buy storage containers after figuring out your categories.  I searched for storage containers that were going to give me the most space in a small closet.  One of the biggest issues in my linen closet is that it’s pretty deep.  Since we can’t put things in front of each other (I tried that in the “before” photo.), I needed to use the height on each shelf.  That’s how I came up with the storage drawers and stacking bins on top of each other.  (Scroll down for all of the storage container sources!)
7. Label storage containers-Who doesn’t like a good organization label!?  Labels not only help you see what’s in a storage bin, but they also pull together a space!  They’re like accessories for closets and cabinets!  I used a manual label maker to make black embossed labels, numbered gift tags from Ikea as tie on labels, and my Cricut cutting machine to make the extra large vinyl labels!  You can see more about the labels in my post, “How to Use Labels to Organize Your Linen Closet.”

Linen Closet After

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Source Details

These would work as the “hair styling tools & products” bins at the bottom of the door.  They no longer sell the desk top files that I used for mine.  I attached the metal storage bin to my door using screws with a very wide head.  I figured out where the bin would sit on the door and put five screws in for each bin.  The bins just “rest” on the screws.  (You can see the screws in the 7th “After” picture.)

If you want to see the sources for my storage bin labels, check out my post, “How to Use Labels to Organize Your Linen Closet.”

Purging and cleaning out your home really feels good.  It’s such a weight lifted off your shoulders once its completed.  It’s definitely hard to get started and can feel overwhelming, but I’m telling you, if I can do it, so can you!  Starting with something small, like a linen closet or a bathroom is a good choice because it builds momentum!  Hang in there and join me as I work to organize and take back my house one storage bin at a time!

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