A Linen Cupboard to be Proud of...

Sorry for keeping you all waiting with this post. The secret is out, and yes, I am finally sharing with you the pride and joy of my home... my linen cupboard. It's what inspired me to start this blog because it's what got me interested in home keeping.

When we moved into our home, the linen cupboard was simply an old boiler cupboard but with no boiler or shelves. So Mr Laundrybasketcase kindly put up some shelves after I painted the inside. I packed all our linens onto the shelves and resolved that even when the rest of the house was being painted moved about and just utter chaos I would keep the linen cupboard organised, and for once I stuck to it. Even when my wardrobe looks like a jumble sale, the kitchen floor is un-mopped and has dog biscuit crumbs scattered about, and piles of ironing are stacked up, I like to open the door of the linen cupboard and see the stacks of pillowcases and neatly folded towels to remind me that I can do it and get back on top of things... so here it is...

My Linen Cupboard has a beautiful cut glass handle on the door, it makes it feel extra special (even if I did buy the handle quite cheap on eBay)...
And in my Linen Cupboard I keep... my vacuum cleaner,
... my favourite tea towels are stacked, ...

... such as this one...

... it also holds my favourite linen napkins (that I've never been brave enough to use)...

... stacks of freshly laundered pillowcases that smell of lavender...
... and amazingly the door also holds my ironing board and iron...
... and here are the shelves. Starting from the top are my table linens, below that are the pillowcases and fitted sheets, and below that are the duvet covers and large towels. Then there are the small towels, cleaning cloths and tea towels, and on the bottom shelf is the basket that holds torches and chargers, cleaning products and water for the iron.
On the floor is where I keep my house keepers box with spare cleaning accessories (such as old toothbrushes and rags), as well as a magazine rack which I use for all my cleaning spray bottles.
I know some people have seen my Linen Cupboard and probably thought I'm a bit obsessive about it. But considering the rest of my home isn't a haven of cleanliness and organisation (Although I dream everyday that it is) it's nice to have one place that I always feel in control of.

For my next post I'll be sharing with you how to fold fitted sheets so that they too can stack neatly. If you would like to see how I fold my towels, take a look my post about it here. You can use that method for everything else in your cupboard too - that is how I fold my pillowcases, tea towels and duvet covers too. Here are some more tips for a fresh and tidy Linen Cupboard...

• If you hang towels and sheets up well, there shouldn't be a need to iron them. Similarly taking them out of the tumble dryer as soon as they are dry means you can just fold them neatly and by the time you use them they look no different from sheets that have been ironed and folded.
• Iron pillowcases that haven't dried tidily. My pillowcases always seem to need ironing, but they are so quick to iron I don't mind. I love folding them and stacking them. I love it even more if they smell lovely, which brings me onto my next tip...
• Use a lightly scented spray bottle of water to help with ironing. I use a couple of drops of lavender oil (or try patchouli, rose oil or even lemongrass) in a half full spray bottle. Don't keep the water and oil in the bottle for longer than a few days since essential oils do go off after a while.
  
• If you really don't want to fold towels as I've suggested, fold them in half (length ways) and roll them so that they can be stacked with the raw edges facing away.
• If you have extra space in your linen cupboard, add hooks to the back of the door or sides of the wall to hang a laundry bag for dirty tea towels and s forth. I have a bag for all the extra bits and bobs that comes with my vacuum cleaner and steamer.
• Use cedar wood (you can buy small bits from hardware stores normally) in your linen cupboard to deter moths.

So there you have it. My linen cupboard! I hope you enjoyed looking at it, and I hope it inspires you to have a beautiful linen cupboard too. I feel it is important because that's where all those important things that give us comfort lives... our sheets, towels and tablecloths. All things we should be able to enjoy. I don't keep my linen cupboard in order because I want to show off, but because it makes me smile (even if the rest of the house doesn't always).

What bit of your home makes you smile?

Have a lovely Sunday!
xxx