Linen closets can get musty and give your sheets and towels an odd smell. Don’t you just hate having to rewash your sheets before you can put them on your bed? Here are some ideas for freshening up your linen closet and keeping it organized.
First, get everything clean. Sheets, blankets, and other fine linens can get really wrinkled under the weight of each other. Plus, stacking them in the traditional manner helps them to hold in moisture and create that tell-tale musty linen closet odor. The smell actually comes from molds and mildews growing in your sheets and towels. If your closet smells, it may be a good idea to rewash the sheets and towels that are in there before you begin. Make sure that they are completely dry and free of moisture before you put them back in.
To avoid the wrinkled sheet problem, try installing an inexpensive hanging bar in the linen closet. You can use sturdy wooden hangers or specialty hangers with clips to hang your fresh sheets. This keeps them nice and smooth, instead of compressed, musty and wrinkled. It’s a really easy solution to a lot of linen closet problems.
The next thing you can do is use cedar wood hangers in the linen closet. Clothes hangers made of cedar absorb any moisture that may be left in your clean laundry. They also deodorize the area and keep it smelling fresh. They help fabrics and carpet resist mold and mildew growth. The smell of cedar is so nice on your linens and will make you feel like you’re staying in a nice hotel whenever you use a towel or change your sheets.
If you like other scents, you can use sachets or linen sprays. Sachets are just little bags made of breathable fabric. You can fill them with your favorite herbs, dried flowers, potpourri or cedar accessories. You just sprits linen sprays on your fabrics weekly to keep the whole closet smelling nice. Cedar will last a long time but may eventually start to lose its aroma. If that happens with cedar hangers or cedar accessories, just rub them a little with a fine-grit sandpaper and they’ll be as good as new again.
You can also use dryer sheets to freshen your closet. Some people like to put one dryer sheet, or fabric softener sheet, in between each sheet and towel in the linen closet. However, many people with sensitive skin are unable to use fabric softeners. If this is the case for you, simply leave the box of fabric softener sheets in the closet, but not touching any of your linens. This may be a good idea for everyone, since dryer sheets contain a wax that can mark your sheets and other linens.
Using dryer sheets, sachets, cedar accessories and cedar clothes hangers will keep your closet smelling nice. Hanging linens on nice wooden hangers will keep it looking great as well. A good wood hanger will be sturdy enough to support the weight of heavy blankets without bending or breaking. When your linen closet is fresh and organized, you can enjoy it every day.
About the Author: Charlie Hafter is on the staff of Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online resource for wooden hangers. Get all of the wood hangers and closet accessories you could need at http://www.closethangerfactory.com, which is recognized worldwide for their excellent quality hangers.
