Are you doing some organizing this week? Don't forget your linen closet! This area is one that many of my clients seem to put aside and forget to do. This will leave their family and their home disorganized. You may not want to, but this smaller closet space will help you get your morning routine (affiliate) off to a good start by allowing you to find the supplies you need quickly. It will also save you money by preventing you from accidentally purchasing more items than you need. But what needs to be stored in this closet? This post will help you get it organized in the best possible way. I am also including the summer edits you can make to the linen closet, as well as what not to store there. Read on and learn more.
What items should be kept in a bathroom closet?
Jump to:
- What items should be kept in a bathroom closet?
- Key Takeaways
- Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths (of course)
- Extra beauty supplies
- Extra General Supplies Utilized in the Bathroom
- Laundry Baskets
- Baby Cleaning Supplies
- Bathroom Cleaning Supplies
- Summer Swimming Supplies
- How to Transition Your Closet for Summer
- First Aid Kit
- Updated 2023:
- And don't forget to label the areas!
- Where to place items in a linen closet?
- Update 2026: Rearrange your "linen closet for summer."
- What not to add to your small linen closet!
- Why You Should Not Store Bed Linens in a Bathroom Closet
- Frequently Asked Questions for What to Keep in the Linen Closet
Key Takeaways
- Organizing your linen closet enhances your morning routine (affiliate) and prevents unnecessary purchases.
- Store essential items like towels, beauty supplies, and cleaning supplies in categories.
- Utilize bins and labels (affiliate) to keep your linen closet tidy and easy to navigate.
- Consider incorporating baby and summer swimming supplies in your linen closet for easy access.
- Regularly reassess and adjust the contents of your linen closet as your family's needs change.
Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths (of course)
Group these items by type and stack them on top of each other on the shelf.
If you often have guests, you may want a separate upper shelf to hold a complete set.
Extra beauty supplies
If you are like us, you may buy doubles of things to ensure you have supplies for the entire family. Things like extra leg razors, nail polish supplies, extra make-up, etc... are handy to keep in bulk. These extra supplies can be stored in small open-top wicker baskets or bins to hide the quantity.
Visit our HOW TO MAKE A CUTE GUEST WELCOME BASKET FOR THE HOLIDAYS post!
Extra General Supplies Utilized in the Bathroom
If you go to a wholesale store to purchase bathroom supplies, you may have a stockpile of toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, and tissues. Bins with drawers work nicely with deep shelves (affiliate) in your linen closet for these items. Bins with lids also work well for toothbrushes and toothpaste. Keeping the bulk toilet paper rolls (affiliate) on the top shelves (affiliate) works great. I find that removing the packaging allows for easy access when you need it most.
Laundry Baskets
If you can fit laundry baskets in your linen closet, it's ideal to have one for darks, one for lights, and one for bleach items. If you do not have room for all three, have one or two. Below is one I found that has dividers for these sections.
Laundry Sorter Option
Laundry Basket 3-Bag Rectangular Sorter Basket
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Laundry Basket Laundry Hamper, Pack of 2
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Laundry Basket Narrow (12"L x 10"Wx 20"H) Collapsible Hamper with Aluminum Handles
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Baby Cleaning Supplies
Babies come with lots of things. Baby shampoo (affiliate), baby powder, bathtub, moisturizer, etc... can be added to an already stuffed linen closet. It's best to keep these items separated in their bin. Having these items in one place will make bathing your baby easier. Some acrylic bins with handles (affiliate) and sides at least 4 inches high work nicely to store these items and grab them when needed.
Bathroom Cleaning Supplies
A few rolls of paper towels, toilet bowl cleaner, tub and tile cleaner, floor cleaner, etc, should have a home in the linen closet. No one wants to go downstairs to get things to clean the closet. Also, if you have little ones, you may not want to place them under the sink. So, the linen closet is a perfect spot. The cleaning process will be quicker and easier if you have the supplies right there and ready to use. I use open-top acrylic bins (affiliate) for these cleaning supplies since they are sturdy and usually have handles.
Summer Swimming Supplies
Other items stored in the linen closet include beach towels, goggles, and sunscreen. They should have their own bin or shelf area. An open bin works well for quick-grab bottle items. Folded beach towels in a far corner of the shelf when not in use to help keep them clean and out of the way. I prefer to place the water shoes (affiliate) near the other shoes (affiliate), closest to the front door, because they can make a mess if they are brought to the far end of the home. If you have a mudroom, you can add these supplies there instead of the linen closet. Summer swimming supplies can be stored in the garage (affiliate). However, the towels and sensitivity-to-temperature items should be stored in the linen closet.
How to Transition Your Closet for Summer
Since summer is almost here, you may want to add additional things to your linen closet. Below are some additional tips to keep your linen closet organized in the summer as well.
Storing heavy winter blankets
When summer arrives, winter blankets (affiliate) are usually stored in the linen closet, bedroom (affiliate) closet, or even under the bed (affiliate). But the best way to do this is to make sure they are stored in a sealed bag that is large (affiliate) enough for your blanket. There are several varieties to choose from. Below are some hacks and options to consider when storing these winter blankets (affiliate).
- To save space, you may want to use a vacuum (affiliate)-seal blanket bag, which lets you seal the bag and remove all the air, so it can be stored vertically on the top shelf of any linen closet.
- To keep dust out while still leaving space for the out-of-season blankets (affiliate), you can use a zipper-style plastic collapsible tote or a hard plastic bin that fits the blankets (affiliate).
- Pick a see-through blanket bag for storage (affiliate) that has a clear front. This makes it easier to figure out what is inside it.
- Labeling is key (affiliate): If you decide to use a colored tote, you may want to label (affiliate) it. We forget what we don't see often.
- You can also include the shams with the blanket to keep the set intact.
- If you want to minimize your bedding in the summer, add the sham pillows to these bags as well for cooler bedding.
- The flannel sheets can also be stored with these items.
Winter Blanket Storage Bags
Large Clothing Storage Bags 3 Pack (Beige 40L)
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Large Clothing Storage Bags, 6 Pack Foldable Gray
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I like to store these out-of-season blankets (affiliate) on the top shelf of the linen closet. This makes them easier to find, and they are not in the middle of the closet, where your most-used summer items should be.
First Aid Kit
If you have a smaller home, it works to keep the first -aid kit in a portable (affiliate) container like the one I created for our home. Create a first aid kit and basket that holds all the supplies. This briefcase-like divider container works great for storing all these small items.
If you do not wish to make your own first aid kit, I found this one on Amazon (affiliate) (affiliate).
First aid kits option
First Aid Only OSHA-Compliant All-Purpose 100-Person Emergency First Aid
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Visit these other posts for additional help with your bathroom.
BATHROOM ORGANIZING ESSENTIALS
THE IDEAL NARROW LINEN CLOSET LAUNDRY BASKET OPTION
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT STORE BED LINENS IN A BATHROOM CLOSET
NARROW LINEN CLOSET STORAGE OPTIONS MADE EASY
If you have a larger bathroom and place the above items in your vanity or sink cabinet, you can also organize the closet with linens, as in the image below from an organizing project for a client of mine.
She didn't need to store anything but towels in her linen closet, but she still organized them by type. And, at the bottom, she had an open bin for her laundry baskets. This closet was in the hallway near her powder room. Odd place for a linen closet, but it worked for her.
Updated 2023:
Recently, I started working with this linen closet client again, and she shared with me how her linen closet looks now. She did great! After so many years, her kids are now in elementary and high school; they needed more space for larger towels, so she reduced the number of bins to just two large (affiliate) ones.
Some home zones will need to be reorganized as the kids grow and change; this area just needed a little modification to stay organized for her family. I'm so proud of her for keeping the continuously used area organized for so long.
If you need support and advice on organizing your home, check out my Virtual Organizing Services. Reach out, and let's talk about your goals.
And don't forget to label the areas!
Now that you have all the items in your linen closet. It's time to label (affiliate)! It's a great way to reinforce your new system. Label (affiliate) the bins so you and everyone in your home can find things quickly and notice if things are missing or if supplies run out. Like the image above, you need to label (affiliate) it if you can't see what is in it. But to stay consistent, be sure to mark it anyway. It looks so much better when everything is labeled.
Where to place items in a linen closet?
Below is a visualization of where to place the items in a well-organized linen closet. Remember: Items above eye level are infrequently used and lighter. At eye level should be frequently used items, and below eye level should be heavy items and larger bins.
Tip: Pull items from the closet that do not belong in the bathroom. It will drastically reduce the number of items in the closet and, as a result, make it less cluttered.
Update 2026: Rearrange your "linen closet for summer."
If you feel like your linen closet isn't as functional in the summer months, you may want to rearrange it for summer use. Below are the shelves (affiliate) and what needs to be rearranged to make the linen closet more summer-season-friendly.
| Above Eye Level | Winter blankets (affiliate) Winter sheets |
| Eye Level | First aid kit Baby washing supplies Beach towels Wash clothes Bath towels Hand towels Lightweight summer sheets |
| Below Eye Level | Large (affiliate) Bins and Heavy Items Laundry Baskets Other heavy cleaning tools (affiliate) and supplies |
What not to add to your small linen closet!
I can't finish this post without including what you should not add to your linen closet if you have one in your bathroom. If your bathroom doesn't have an exhaust fan vented outside, or if it is very small, you should include any fabrics or sheets in the linen closet. It will just trap the moisture in these items, and the fabric will start to smell. It can then lead to mold on the fabrics and shelves (affiliate).
These items include:
- Sheets
- Blankets
- Towels
Read more about the reason why in my post: Why you should not store bed linens in a bathroom linen closet.
Why You Should Not Store Bed Linens in a Bathroom Closet
Many people think a linen closet or a bathroom closet should store bed linens. I am here to tell you that this is not a wise assumption. A linen closet is primarily used for items you would use in the bathroom if it is located there.
Frequently Asked Questions for What to Keep in the Linen Closet
Covers towels, beauty supplies, bulk bathroom essentials, cleaning supplies, and seasonal items.
Explains the above/at/below eye-level placement system from your post.
Covers vacuum-seal bags, clear-front storage, labeling, and keeping sets together.
Bins, labels, reassessing as family needs change, and removing non-bathroom items.
That's it! I hope this post inspires you to make your organized linen closet. Do you have any unique items in your closet? Please comment below if you have any issues with where to store them. I will get back to you as soon as possible. Happy Organizing.
Below are some additional tips from other experts about linen closet organization.
15 Tricks for Organizing Your Chaotic Linen Closet from Good Housekeeping Magazine
Organizing Your Linen Closet from HGTV
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Linda Samuels says
We have a tiny linen closet. It holds linens (towels, sheets, blankets) and a stock of personal care products. One of our bathrooms holds additional personal care products and cleaning supplies used just for that bathroom. Laundry baskets are kept in the laundry room.
Melanie Summers says
Very interesting! I agree with a lot of the comments noting how funny it is that most things we store in linen closets are for bathroom backstock and cleaning supplies. Our linen closet doubles as a utility closet so we have to be extra careful about not overflowing the space. I love all your suggestions and your idea to keep bed linens in a drawer in your BEDROOM! Doesn't that just make sup much more sense, haha. It would be much easier as well.
Julie Bestry says
I was fascinated that your post on linen closets didn't mention bed linens, as those and towels would be the primary thing I'd usually store there. Do you recommend storing linens somewhere else, specifically? I definitely agree with most of your advice, though I've stopped recommending First Aid kits be kept in linen closets if they're located in bathrooms, as sometimes you can't access the bathroom if it's "occupado." (I often suggest the pantry, as so many of our daily booboos occur in the kitchen.) As others have noted, linen closets can vary so much in width (not enough) and depth (often too much), making it hard to get/keep organized; thus, your advice is needed all the more!
Sabrina Quairoli says
I recommend storing the bed linens in the bedroom they will be used in. Most of my clients have linen closets that are in or very close to the bathroom, and I get concerned that the bedding will get damp from the humidity in the bathrooms. Bedroom dresser drawers are a great place to store bedding. They don't allow it to get out of hand because you only have one drawer to use. When it gets full, you get rid of the oldest one.
Janet Schiesl says
I was just at a prospective client's this morning and they called their linen closet, the junk closet. Of course, that's what was inside. I have 3 narrow clothes hampers on the floor of my linen closet. I love storing them there - out of the way.
Lucy Kelly says
I love how we still call it a "linen" closet when often the last thing that makes it in there is linens! I've noticed that clients want to use this space for everything they're not sure about, so your post will be handy for them. Thank you!
Diane N Quintana says
I wish linen closets were built to serve what they need to hold. So often they are narrow spaces with shelves that are either too deep or not deep enough. Your strategies for organizing the space are great and easy to follow!
Seana Turner says
I worked with a client on this last week. She got some great, stackable, clear drawers that were great because the shelves (as they so often are) were very deep and widely spaced. Then we used some divided turntables to hold the tall products (e.g. hair products). Adding structure to these gaping spaces is what makes all the difference. What a pretty linen closet that is!
Julie Stobbe says
I always find linen closets hard to organize for my clients. They come in so many sizes and shapes. Some have very deep shelves others narrow. Sometimes all the things you mentioned will fit in and other times I have to great creative and put some things in bedrooms on the closet shelf and use the space in the linen closet for items that everyone needs to use near the bathroom. The lists are great so each person can prioritize which items should be in the linen closet and which items can be stored somewhere else if the linen closet won't hold everything.