Finding Order in the Linen Closet: A Journey from Chaos to Calm
When Philadelphia department store pioneer John Wanamaker first declared January as the month of "white sales" back in 1878, he was primarily focused on marketing strategy. These "whites" referred to household linens, which at the time were available only in their namesake color. The promotion served as a clever tactic to boost post-holiday revenue by emphasizing clean, fresh products for the new year. Today, beautiful fabrics in every imaginable hue are available throughout the year, yet the association between January and fresh starts in the home persists.
The Modern Linen Closet: More Than Just Storage
Contemporary linen closets have evolved far beyond the utilitarian storage spaces of Wanamaker's era. They now represent personal aesthetic expressions, complete with organizational systems that can sometimes cost as much as the linens they contain. Social media platforms overflow with meticulously coordinated, staged, and even bedazzled closet examples that appear more like art installations than practical storage solutions.
This raises important questions: Can you organize your linen closet to be both functional and visually pleasing without breaking the bank? More fundamentally, does organizing something as mundane as a linen closet matter when we're facing significant global challenges like economic uncertainty and international conflicts?
Expert Perspective: Small Projects, Big Impact
To explore these questions, I consulted with Kathy McEwan, an Ottawa-based decluttering and home-organizing expert who offers courses, group coaching, and hosts the Clutter-Free Organized Club. McEwan provided valuable insight into why these small home projects matter.
"Small home projects aren't meant to ignore bigger issues or pretend they don't exist," McEwan explained. "They give you something manageable in a space you live in every day. When your home feels chaotic, it quietly drains your energy."
She emphasized that these organizational efforts don't need to be social media-perfect. "Creating order in one small area isn't about perfection or having a picture-perfect home. It's about function, peace, and feeling good in your own space."
The Personal Journey: From Overwhelm to Order
Inspired by McEwan's perspective, I decided to tackle my own linen closet—a narrow space overflowing with sheets, quilts, and general disarray. With a comforting beverage nearby, an engaging audiobook playing in the background, and my pets offering their unique brand of "assistance," I began what would become a surprisingly therapeutic process.
While I typically approach such projects by hauling everything out at once, McEwan offers alternative strategies for those with limited time or energy. "Taking everything out to sort is perfect, but only if you have the time and energy to complete the entire process: sorting, decluttering, folding, and putting things back," she advised. "Otherwise, you may end up with a large pile that has to be dealt with another day, which can feel overwhelming. If you don't think you'll have time to finish, and don't want piles sitting around, start with one shelf at a time instead."
The Decluttering Discovery
As I sorted through what felt like an impossible mess, I made a surprising discovery: much of what had been crammed into my linen closet didn't actually belong there. Guest room pillows had migrated from their proper location, sheets for camping equipment weren't stored with the camping supplies, and damaged pillowcases that should have been repurposed as cleaning rags were taking up valuable space.
McEwan highlighted an important consideration for linen storage: "It is important that the textiles are properly cleaned and have room to breathe when storing them. Otherwise, they can have a musty smell and no longer feel fresh."
By removing items that didn't belong and creating proper breathing room for what remained, I transformed a chaotic storage space into an organized, functional closet in about ninety minutes. The process proved that even small organizational projects can create meaningful improvements in our daily living environments, offering both practical benefits and psychological relief in uncertain times.
