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Do you have a linen closet in your hallway or bathroom? The linen closet is a great place to store sheets, towels, washcloths, pillowcases, bedspreads and the like. But it can quickly turn into an overflow zone. It is easy to accumulate linens and towels without really noticing, and if you do not take the time to do an occasional inventory, you may not realize just how many extras you have. It is worth it to take an hour out of your day to organize your linen closet.

• One of the best tips for how to organize your small linen closet is to begin by pulling everything out—yes, everything! Do not ignore your top shelves or those hard-to-reach spots in the back. That is exactly where stuff you never use loves to hide. Go through your sheets and towels and ask yourselves which ones you never use, and how many extra sets you really need. It is smart to keep a couple extras, but you probably don’t need half a dozen. Donate extras you do not need.

• Another great tip is to use your pillowcases for storage! Fold up a set of sheets and stuff it inside one of the pillowcases that go with the set (the other can go inside, if applicable). This is a cute and clever organization tactic which keeps everything neat and reduces the number of organizational supplies you have to buy. Even better, it makes it really easy to find the set you are looking for. All you need to do is look at the pillowcase to identify it!

• Fold your towels with care and try to group them by type, not color. That way you can easily stack them up on top of each other, saving space and making for a much tidier appearance. You might think it would make it trickier to reach all the towels from one set, but you will actually probably upset fewer of your towels this way than you would if you mixed different sizes together in the same stacks.

• Buy a large plastic storage container for your overflow. Odds are even after taking these steps for decluttering your linen closet, you will find yourself with some extra items to store. A plastic bin will keep everything nicely contained. You might even be able to store the bin on the floor inside your linen closet. You can always consider removing the lowest shelf if you need more space. Bins work great if you are not too good at folding and do not want to learn.

Once you get your linen closet decluttered and organized, you may be shocked at how much space you are able to free up. You can use any extra space in your linen closet to help you handle overflow from your bedroom or bathroom. This is a great place to store winter blankets over the summer or extra bathroom supplies or cleaning supplies.