Ah, the relaxing beauty of an orderly closet. If you’re an organizing nerd like me, the glimpse of a well-organized closet—or heck, even just a single shelf—can be a real mood booster.

Sadly, my linen closet was anything but uplifting. I had way too many towels and sheets, and most of them were in disrepair—stretched-out fitted sheets, stained washcloths, and towels you’d be embarrassed to let your mother-in-law use.

For months I had been chucking things in there, promising myself that someday I would get around to a top-to-bottom re-org. Sound familiar? It was time to grow up, replace those seen-better-days linens, and figure out how to fit it all into my not-very-big linen closet in a smart, efficient way (that my family might have a prayer of maintaining come laundry day).

I knew the Better Homes & Gardens Walmart collection includes affordable, high-quality towels and sheets. The challenge—and fun part—was figuring out how to use other items in the line to corral and contain what I needed to store. Here are some of the solutions I came up with.

14 Things to Remove from Your Linen Closet for Better Organization

Simplify Your Linens (and Your Life)

Call me basic, but I stock only white sheets and white towels. There's a reason white linens are the mainstay of hotels and spas. If you keep them bright and clean, they always look nice no matter what color of bathroom you have. You can wash all your white towels together, bleach them when needed, and when it’s time to buy new ones, you won’t have to try to find the same color as what you already have. Ditto for sheets.

But if you find all-white sheets too boring, you can add color and personality via patterned pillowcases. The BHG Walmart line has pillowcases in 19 different colors and patterns.

$11 at Walmart

Now, the exception to my all-white rule is washcloths. I started out buying white ones but they quickly stained when I removed my makeup. So I switched to more forgiving dark colors like blue and gray, which stay nice-looking longer.

And do you really need hand towels that match your bath towels? I say no. I opt for hanging a more decorative hand towel next to the sink rather than a miniature matching version of my bath towels. I also store my hand towels under the sinks where they will be used rather than in the linen closet, freeing up space for more crucial items.  

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I can’t fold a fitted sheet. If you can, I envy you. But if you struggle with this skill, save yourself some time and frustration by folding fitted sheets roughly into a rectangle and stacking them in a bin or basket. (BHG x Walmart's seagrass baskets are sturdy, attractive, and affordable). For flat sheets, fold them and "file" them in a second matching basket. That way it’s easy to grab the one you want. 

$40 at Walmart

Brie Goldman

Stop Fighting with Your Sheets

Since I'm not trying to keep entire sheet sets together (because when they're all white, it doesn't really matter), I needed a way to store pillowcases. Again, my solution is to fold pillowcases and file them in BHG x Walmart's wooden boxes with dividers.

The boxes are meant for pantry storage but they work great for this purpose. You can easily grab the pillowcase you want without knocking over the whole pile.

$20 at Walmart

Brie Goldman

Don't Forget About the Back of the Door

I’m a big believer in turning the backs of doors into storage space, and hanging shoe organizers make that possible. (Note that I did have to cut off one of the columns of pockets to make it fit my narrow linen closet door, but that was easy to do and didn’t impact the way the organizer hangs on the door.)

Turns out there are lots of small items you need to store in a linen closet that fit perfectly in these shoe pockets. Also, I like how it puts these items literally at your fingertips. No diving into the depths of the closet. Just grab and go.

At my house, washcloths are in major demand, so I filled the most centrally located pockets with them. Rolled up, two of them fit perfectly in each pocket. If you have a lot of washcloths and don't want to deal with tippy stacks, you might want to try this hack.

I used the rest of the shoe pockets to store a variety of items that we use frequently and that fit the pockets nicely (a heating pad, a large bottle of lotion, etc.). I also stocked a few pockets with extra toiletries so guests can grab a toothbrush or some Q-Tips without going on a treasure hunt through the closet. Finally, I used the bottom row for fabric care items such as stain remover and lint rollers.

$15 at Walmart

BRIE GOLDMAN

Store Strategically

One of the overarching principles of organizing is to locate the things you use most frequently front and center. That’s why bed linens and bath towels occupy the middle shelves in my linen closet. For things that get used less often, put them up high and down low.

I discovered that BHG x Walmart’s collapsible canvas laundry baskets are great for making the very top shelf and the very bottom of the closet into accessible storage space. They have a handsome wood frame, a neutral canvas body, and, best of all, they collapse flat if needed. I used one on the top shelf on its side to make a kind of frame into which I stacked my rolled-up beach towels. Another laundry basket on the floor of the closet keeps extra blankets at the ready. Just like with beach towels, I keep blankets rolled up so it’s easy to grab the one you want rather than having to rifle through a whole stack.

$15 at Walmart

Brie Goldman

Shop Your Pantry

In addition to the wooden storage boxes that hold my pillowcases, I recruited another pantry staple, a lazy Susan, to store medicines and first-aid supplies in the linen closet. I used BHG x Walmart's bamboo turntable with dividers and high sides to keep things like pain relievers, anti-itch spray, and cough drops.

And since it's not a great idea to keep meds in a humid bathroom, the linen closet helps keep first-aid items safe and organized. 

$18 at Walmart