“Letting go of physical clutter also declutters the mind and soul.”-April Williams

Okay, I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with linen closets. There, I said it and I am not ashamed! (This is a judgement free zone remember?)

We have a decent sized linen closet in our home now and it fits all of our towels, wash cloths, blankets and sheets. It makes me happy. It’s the little things in life.

One of the first things I did when I started getting rid of the clutter in my home was to declutter the linen closet. It was overflowing before and I knew there was a lot in there that I didn’t use or need anymore.

Now, it is organized, cleaned out and nothing falls out when I open it. Winning!

If you are done fighting to find your favorite sheets or sick of your blankets all falling on your head when you take one out, I want to share with you five steps you can take today to declutter your linen closet!

Step 1: Take everything out of the closet.

This might seem overwhelming but it is the best way to see how much you actually have and can fit into the closet. Take everything out and lay everything where you can see it and can evaluate your items easier. Do this until every item is out of the closet and the shelves are bare.

Step 2: Separate everything into piles.

Sheets, towels, wash cloths, blankets and all the other things you keep in the linen closet. Once everything is laid out, separate into piles according to what it is so you can take stock of how much you have and how much you want to keep.

I think the most profound thing I found since decluttering my home was just how much stuff we have. If you had asked me last year, I honestly would have told you we didn’t own a lot. I was so, so wrong. I had 5 sets of sheets, my daughter still had the crib sheets from when she was a baby and I had 10 towels. 10. Just for my husband and I. (My daughter has different ones.) Separating everything so you can see what you have is essential and possibly mind-blowing, like it was for me!

3. Decide what to keep, what to throw away and what to donate.

I LOVE this part. Decide how much of your items you want to keep and check out the state of your things. For instance, you may want to keep three sets of sheets for your bed but realize that most of them have seen better days. So you wind up only keeping two sets.

Do this with everything you took out of your linen closet. If things are still in good condition but don’t serve you and your home anymore, put them to the side to donate. If something has holes or not in the greatest condition, it might be time to get rid of them. The things that you know you will use and are still in good shape, keep them. If you decide in a month or two you don’t still want it, then donate them.

One thing we really did was to take our time and decide exactly how much we would realistically use. For us, that meant only keeping three sets of sheets and donating all of the top sheets. (We only use the bottom sheet!) For my daughter, we wound up keeping four sets of sheets and did the same with the top sheets. This will look different for everyone. The goal is to have the opportunity to be intentional with what you choose to keep in your home.

4. Fold and put away what you have decided to keep.

Take a good look at your linen closet and figure out the best way to store and organize the things you have decided to keep. (I will be sharing my organizational tips for the linen closet soon!) I have everything folded on different shelves in our linen closet so I can easily find every item. Find what works for you and go for it!

If you need help folding, check out this video by the queen herself Marie Kondo! I fold everything in the house this way now and let me tell you, game changer.

5. Throw everything away you aren’t keeping and take bags out for donating.

Okay, this is a super important step in decluttering (in my opinion at least!) As soon as you are done, take out the things you aren’t keeping. Sitting for days in your living room filled with bags you are going to donate or throw away creates way more clutter and so much more stress. While you are still in the decluttering mood, remove everything from your space.

Once your linen closet is decluttered, you will feel SO good! I know it may not seem like much but trust me, it makes a huge difference!

Have you been decluttering your home? What has been your favorite space to declutter so far??