Hidden away in my spare room is the linen closet. It's piled high with sheets, tablecloths, napkins, towels (some of which haven't seen the light of day for two years or more), and other stuff I don't dare mention. In fact, its become a dumping ground! So here's some top tips for organizing your (and my own) closet!

How to keep your linen clean and fresh
Before placing linens into a closet, be sure to dust and wipe shelves. You may prefer to first freshen the inside of the closet with a coat of paint. Some homemakers like to cover shelves with shelf paper to keep sheets cleaner and to avoid snags on wooden shelves. Divide your linens into categories. For example, place bed linens arranged by size. Or organize them on a separate shelf for each of your bedrooms.

Top tips for organizing your linen closet
Keep sheet sets together. Tie with ribbon for easy retrieval or encase each set in a matching pillow cover. This is especially nice when you have guests and need to remake the beds.

Rotate sheets for even wear by putting freshly washed linens at the bottom of the stack and using sheets from the top of the stack.

When space allows, store extra or out-of-season comforters, blankets, and coverlets on lower shelves. Store them wrapped inside old sheets or inside zippered plastic sacks to keep them clean and dust-free.

To help organize smaller items, consider using baskets, bins, and boxes to sort items as well as keep them contained.

Cedar blocks or fragrant sachets made for linen closets will scent your linens.

Folding fitted sheets
On par with programming the VCR, folding fitted sheets is one of the baffling mysteries of our time. In the old days, you would have learned this tidying technique from your mother. But chances are, today's moms also have collapsed stacks of wadded sheet balls hiding in the linen closet.

Relax... folding fitted sheets isn't as tricky as you think. In this article we show you the four easy steps to this lost art. With a little folding practice, you can keep fitted sheets crisp, smooth, and easy to tuck into the linen closet. This simple folding trick will disentangle your closet and banish wrinkles in your extra sheets--no origami skills required.

1. Folding fitted sheets works best on a flat surface, such as a table or bed. Lay the sheet right side down, elasticized corners facing up. Neatly turn in corners and edges so they're straight. Grab the right top corner, flip it inside out, pull it toward you, and tuck it inside the bottom right corner. Now tuck the top left corner into the bottom left corner. At this point, the sheet is folded crosswise, with the top half of the sheet folded into the bottom half.

2. At each layered corner, place a hand beneath the diagonal fold to flatten and smooth.

3. Fold the sheet in half lengthwise so the layered corners are on top of each other. Tuck so that three of the corners fit into one. Smooth edges.
 

4. Fold the sheet in half lengthwise again, then fold crosswise. (Instead of folding crosswise, you could fold into thirds.)