WDYD - No linen closet

[namasteak]

If you don’t have a linen closet how do you store your towels, sheets & blankets?

Ican’t wait to show y’all pictures of our new house but I don’t have any that aren’t from the listing yet! It was built in 1936 while it has no linen closet it has a huge (12x6) laundry/mud room. I am fairly certain we will do some kind of cabinetry instead of elfa in the large laundry/mudroom so that we can use it for backpacks, laundry & linen storage.

[lessel]

Congrats on the house!

I would definitely try to build versatile storage into the laundry room eventually, if that’s something in your budget.

In our old house we had a tiiiiny linen closet (60s ranch), so we used to keep sheets, blankets, and towels in the closet of the bedroom we used them in. So, master bed and bath stuff in the top of the master closet. Bedroom closets weren’t big either, so it was a squeeze. We kept extra linens in our guest room closet, which strangely was the largest of closets in the house.

[aprilsails]

At our first apartment we didn’t have one. We kept sheets, pillowcases and blankets in a hope chest in our room. I had one from high school. We kept towels in a tall skinny standing bathroom cabinet, but we really didn’t have many since it was just the two of us at the time. I kept beach towels in my closet with the beach bags.

[lucybrown]

We store all sheets/bedding on the top shelf of each bedroom closet. I also have totes in the attic for extras, flannel sheets, etc. It makes sense to us because every room has a different bed size.

We have a linen closet, but zero storage in the tiny bathroom. Our linen closet contains all the bathroom stuff. There isn’t room for more.

[Susie]

I'm about to have a linen closet for the first time with the new house we're closing on this week.  

In our current house, we store spare bed sheets in each bedroom -- so the spare set for our bed is in our closet, spares for DD's bed are in her closet, etc.  The kids beach towels are in their own closets as well.  All the rest of the bath towels and beach towels are in the guest room closet.  Table linens are in the guest room closet too.

In the house before this one, we kept all the linens in a sideboard.  The house was so small and all on one level, that was near enough to the bedroom & bathroom.

Having a linen closet will be really nice, but the setup in our current house has not been a big deal.

[wavepool]

Those big under bed storage containers. Our beds all have them, since we don't have much storage upstairs in this house. (Tons downstairs but I want it accessible). One kid's room doesn't have a closet so he also has some less used clothes or off season stuff in tubs/fabric under bed things. It's been an easy and workable solution!

[hazelden]

We got new bed frames for a few of our beds. They're 16" high and don't require a box spring so we can fit full size totes under them. They're also rock solid frames, which I appreciate since our old frames and box springs were really terrible.

www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ3XHX5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_D3HPZ5CWCRSBFW3WTVSK

I don't love storing bedding in plastic totes because I think linens can take on a plastic odor, but I like having the extra storage under our beds for other things. I keep extra bedding on the top shelf in our bedroom closets.

[orval]

We do have a linen closet down the hall from our master that keeps the sheets and extra guest towels. Guest bedroom has a closet where I keep extra blankets on the top shelf.
For our master, I have a ladder shelf that has our master bath towels, washcloths and a few other little things.

[macmars45]

I've always stored extra linens for bedding in the closet of the room they go in. Extra bathroom towels go in the bathroom they are for. Extra kitchen towels are stored in a drawer in the kitchen.

Extra towels (for guests, kid/cat clean up and beach) are stored in my very small linen closet along with some cleaning supplies.

[namasteak]

May 23, 2021 11:05:33 GMT -5 lessel said:

I would definitely try to build versatile storage into the laundry room eventually, if that’s something in your budget.

The house already has elfa in the laundry room but it is just shelves. I’d like to wait for the ELFA sale so I can add drawers since it’s easier to keep things looking tidy. Maybe they can work their container store Magic so I can have 1 section with hooks for backpacks and something for shoes.

[namasteak]

Love the idea of bedroom linens in the room they go in! It seems really obvious now I’ve read it.

[expectantsteelerfan]

May 23, 2021 11:25:40 GMT -5 lucybrown said:

We store all sheets/bedding on the top shelf of each bedroom closet. I also have totes in the attic for extras, flannel sheets, etc. It makes sense to us because every room has a different bed size.

We have a linen closet, but zero storage in the tiny bathroom. Our linen closet contains all the bathroom stuff. There isn’t room for more.

This is what I was going to suggest.  My kids each have 'their' sheets and blankets stored on top of their closets.  

[namasteak]

For simplicity, we all have the same towels so I would love to figure out a central place to keep them and I think the mudroom/laundry room is it. That’s where the current owners have theirs but I know myself and
A) I will not keep them folded on a shelf
B) it will drive me crazy to see them in a pile on the shelf

[lessel]

I live for the annual Elfa sale. We have four really tall upper cabinets in my laundry room that I long to rip out and put in some more versatile Elfa.

[InBetweenDays]

We have a platform bed with drawers under it so that's where we keep extra sheets and blankets and some towels. In our bathroom we have a wood cubbies at one end of the tub so we keep an extra set of towels there, rolled up to look nice since it's open.

[namasteak]

May 23, 2021 16:58:01 GMT -5 lessel said:

I live for the annual Elfa sale. We have four really tall upper cabinets in my laundry room that I long to rip out and put in some more versatile Elfa.

I love Elfa so much. All of the closets in our current house have it!

[definitelyO]

no linen closet but we do have a lot of storage in our hall bath and that's where we keep towels/sheets, etc... DS's bed has 2 drawers at the foot and that's where his extra sheets go - blankets go in his closet - actually our extra blankets go in his closet as well as he has next to nothing in there..

agree with making the mudroom/laundry room the storage area for those.

[dr.girlfriend]

We have a hall cabinet that we use for linens, but in general we keep sheets in bins in each bedroom. Our master bathroom now has storage cabinets for towels and washcloths but I suspect bathrooms in older houses probably aren't big enough for that:

[orval]

May 23, 2021 16:44:26 GMT -5 namasteak said:

For simplicity, we all have the same towels so I would love to figure out a central place to keep them and I think the mudroom/laundry room is it. That’s where the current owners have theirs but I know myself and
A) I will not keep them folded on a shelf
B) it will drive me crazy to see them in a pile on the shelf

I am lazy but I do roll my towels on my ladder shelf to make it look like a spa, ha ha.  We just redid our bathroom last summer so I am trying to keep it nice.  We'll see how long it lasts!

[wildrice]

May 23, 2021 16:44:26 GMT -5 namasteak said:

For simplicity, we all have the same towels so I would love to figure out a central place to keep them and I think the mudroom/laundry room is it. That’s where the current owners have theirs but I know myself and
A) I will not keep them folded on a shelf
B) it will drive me crazy to see them in a pile on the shelf

What if you bought some pretty baskets or bins to put them in on the shelf? I used to keep mine in some (cheap, not ideal) bins when I didn't have a closet for them. Homegoods or similar stores have a lot of storage items like that and could look somewhat decorative while hiding piles of linens. I have a big wicker basket on top of my fridge for extra storage (since we don't have much pantry space) and I like that I can pull down the basket to get stuff out of it - it makes it easier to store things up high because I don't actually have to reach them there.

[mrsukyankee]

We keep it in the closets/drawer units where they will be used because a linen closet does not exist in most London homes/flats. We store all bed linens within the pillow case (fold and put inside one case), and just fold the duvets or other bits neatly.

[Velar Fricative]

We have a small linen closet in our upstairs hallway next to the hall bathroom which only has room for towels.

Both kids have beds with storage drawers underneath and their respective bed linens get stored there. In our room, we store bed linens in one of the closets.

[pittpurple]

We have bedding in the room it's used and a chest of drawers on our landing for towels as the bathrooms are too small to add in storage. We have a closet in the hallway but our water heater is in there (which was an unfortunate surprise to us when we moved in!)

[namasteak]

May 24, 2021 8:13:43 GMT -5 wildrice said:

May 23, 2021 16:44:26 GMT -5 namasteak said:

For simplicity, we all have the same towels so I would love to figure out a central place to keep them and I think the mudroom/laundry room is it. That’s where the current owners have theirs but I know myself and
A) I will not keep them folded on a shelf
B) it will drive me crazy to see them in a pile on the shelf

What if you bought some pretty baskets or bins to put them in on the shelf? I used to keep mine in some (cheap, not ideal) bins when I didn't have a closet for them. Homegoods or similar stores have a lot of storage items like that and could look somewhat decorative while hiding piles of linens. I have a big wicker basket on top of my fridge for extra storage (since we don't have much pantry space) and I like that I can pull down the basket to get stuff out of it - it makes it easier to store things up high because I don't actually have to reach them there.

I think that’s what I’ll do until we can plan and save for what we really want to do in the mudroom/laundry room. They already have the shelves so baskets would be the perfect solution.

[numbers]

We don't have a linen closet so I designed the guest room Elfa closet to be half hanging for guests and half shelves for all of our sheets and towels.

It sounds like you have the space in your laundry/mudroom to do an awesome Elfa configuration of shelves, drawers, hooks, etc.

[dutchgirl678]

Growing up in Europe, we didn't have any built-in closets at all. We had a narrow IKEA Pax closet on the upstairs landing with towels and sheets etc.

[namasteak]

I checked our extra elfa parts box and we have all the drawers to do this and would just have to buy the shelves!

The space is 150” long so after this, hanging the utility’s board for the mops/vacuum and the 54” from the washer dryer we have 48” to do a little backpack/shoe/mudroom spot.

[Wallflower]

I'm dropping in just to follow this thread. I have a linen closet, but part of making my house easier for one-floor living as I get older will mean moving my washer/dryer from the basement to the first floor. And one option to do this would mean putting the w/d where the linen closet currently is. (This is not my preferred plan, but I have to keep my mind open to all options.)

[aprilsails]

May 24, 2021 5:29:02 GMT -5 orval said:

May 23, 2021 16:44:26 GMT -5 namasteak said:

For simplicity, we all have the same towels so I would love to figure out a central place to keep them and I think the mudroom/laundry room is it. That’s where the current owners have theirs but I know myself and
A) I will not keep them folded on a shelf
B) it will drive me crazy to see them in a pile on the shelf

I am lazy but I do roll my towels on my ladder shelf to make it look like a spa, ha ha.  We just redid our bathroom last summer so I am trying to keep it nice.  We'll see how long it lasts!

Yes! I took up rolling all my towels a few years ago and I find they stay looking nice (in the linen closet) way better, especially when my kid goes to pull one out. She always wants a specific towel so would happily pull one from the bottom of the pile and let the rest tumble. Rolling them up keeps them neat.

[woowoo]

We keep extra linens to a minimum. All our towels in the whole house (we have 3 bathrooms) are exactly the same, and we keep extras spread between each of the three bathrooms in whatever cabinets are in those bathrooms (mostly under the sink).

Beach towels are all in a large bin out by the pool.

And extra sheets are in a drawer in the bedroom they go in. We only have one set of extra sheets for each bed except the crib/toddler mattress. We also live in Florida so extra blankets isn't a huge need.

I grew up in a house with a linen closet FILLED to the brim with extra linens and I never understood it.