If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that my subject matter drifts from the profound to the mundane, from the philosophical to the practical. In exploring (and celebrating) a minimalist lifestyle, some days I feel like pondering the meaning of life, and others just pondering how many shoes I own.
Today, I’ll tackle a matter of great significance: the sheets and towels in our linen closet. 
(Actually, we don’t really have a linen closet, but rather a container for such items in our coat closet; but “linen closet” sounds more elegant, and those of you blessed with more storage space may actually have one!)
When we decluttered before our big move, we found that we had somehow accumulated way too many sheets and towels for a household of two adults. We’re not sure exactly how it happened, but we ended up with quite a collection: “everyday” linens, “good” linens, “guest” linens, “emergency” (ie. shabby) linens, etc. I have to confess, sometimes I’d buy a new set just because it was pretty, or I was in the mood for a change. Then instead of decluttering an older set, I’d hold onto it “just in case.” Embarrassingly enough, one set of sheets was still in its package.
When we started over here in the UK, we were determined to keep a lid on our linen count. To accomplish this, we’re using the following strategies:
1. We only use one size of towel, and dispense with the hand towels, face towels, fingertip towels, and other single function towels.
2. We think of our towels as functional items, not bathroom décor, and don’t feel the need to change them for aesthetic reasons (different colors, designs, etc.).
3. We don’t change sheets with the seasons, as we’ve found simple cotton to suffice just fine. Neither of us likes flannel sheets, so we don’t find it necessary to have separate summer and winter sets.
4. We’ve purchased only what’s absolutely necessary: two towels, and one set of sheets. We used to keep at least a second set of each, for use while laundering the other; but we’ve had no problems washing and drying our single set before putting it back into use.
5. We’re waiting until the last minute to purchase “guest” linens. We’ll purchase an additional set of towels and sheets when the arrival of our first overnight guests is imminent. During the 98% of the year that we’re not providing accommodations for friends and family, that set will serve as our “backup” when we’re laundering the first.
In summary: one set for now, two in the future (if circumstances dictate). It’s just enough to meet our needs, and provide comfort to our guests. Who knows, maybe you can find the meaning of life in that after all. 
So what’s in your linen closet? Let us know in the Comments!
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I have two sheet sets for our bed. Our kids each have one sheet set. I have 4 extra pillows, 4 extra blankets, and 4 top sheets for our frequent overnight guests. Each kid has 2 towels. My husband and I each have 2 towels.
That’s it!
Thanks for sharing, Laura! Sounds nice and minimal.
Funny, we had an over abundance of sheets before leaving the country too. Now we have 2 sets of sheets (they fit our bed or the ‘click-clack,’ which is our guest bed, something like a futon).
We have 5 towels–all roughly the same size. We use one for drying hands, one each for drying our bodies, one on the floor as a bath mat and 1 ‘in case.’ I always throw in one of the towels whenever I do a load of laundry, since our towels are interchangeable, I just replace the one I wash with a clean one and cycle through.
We need two sets of sheets as we don’t have a dryer and live in a damp-ish environment. It takes a couple of days for sheets to dry. Also I was happy to have the second pair when I had ‘emergency’ guests after DH’s accident. I didn’t have time to shop for sheets then!
BUT I’m also happy not to have a huge pile of ‘linens’ yipes!
simple in france, that’s a good point about the dryer. If we didn’t have one, we’d need an extra set, too.
We have far too many and I have really realised that before. We have a lot of single sheets from when we were both in college (ten years ago now I realise) which are still fine and we use them for guests on the two single beds. We had three double beds in two sizes in our old house (one in storage temporarily) so we have a lot of sets in two sizes for those. At the moment it takes a few days for stuff to dry (winter in the UK) so I can’t get down to one per bed anyway. Maybe I need to go through them and limit them. Trouble is, I guess, I can’t see the point in giving away stuff which is still fine and I like, but really, we don’t need as much as we have.
Towels – we also have too many. Hmm….. They were all bought or received at different times so none of them match at all. Again, maybe a some work to do.
Mind you, even the dog has about six towels (all shades of brown – her’s at least match, and they are generally cheap!) as she loves to swim in the summer and gets very wet and muddy.
Yes, Joless, absent a big move or other circumstance, it can be hard to declutter such things. But it’s really nice to live with “just enough!”
We have one set of white sheets for our bed. I love washing them, hanging them to dry while the mattress airs out and then putting them back on a few hours later. It’s aromatherapy for me.
We have 4 white towels purchased at Big Lots for $3 each. I love these towels because they are not huge so they dry fast. I do have a set of decorative towels in my bathroom. White with a black stripe. They just look good there and they are good for back-up but really I’ve never had to use them as such.
I don’t have a linen closet per se. Just a couple of shelves in our laundry room. Oh yeah, my husband has 6 small handtowels for the gym. One for each day of the week. I am going to do a post on my laundry room soon. Maybe check it out.
http://www.thegardenerscottage.blogspot.com
That’s funny, Janet, we also like the cheaper towels because they dry quickly! In our experience, those plush, “luxury” towels stay damp a lot longer and shed a lot more.
I’m looking forward to your laundry room post!
Let’s see, having purged before coming over here and doing it again before heading back…I’m down to:
3 flat sheets (2 organic cotton, 1 organic cotton flannel)
1 pillow case
1 bath towel
And that’s it. I can shuffle the flat sheets between duties, covering the futons or as a top sheet, and I just toss the towel in whenever I do a load of wash (roughly 1.5x/week with my minimal wardrobe). This works really well for me.
BTW – great post idea, thanks!
Hi Jesse! At least you’ll have a lot LESS to purge with this move.
Just like you, I have only sheets and towels necessary for me and my maximum number of house guests (me +2), with one exception…I keep a hand towel in the bathroom.
An article I read about 10 years ago (in Maxim, no less) stuck with me. It gave advice to bachelors on making their place appealing to women. It said that you should provide women guests a clean, fluffy hand towel in the bathroom because a) they know where your bath towel has been, and b) a clean hand towel suggests clean sheets!
That cracked me up, but resonated with me as well.
LOL, Wendy, that’s the best argument I’ve ever heard for a hand towel!
I moved recently and had most of my towels – a dozen or so – packed away in a container. I was using just one sheet set and two sets of towels. I thought, “This is all I really need. I should get rid of the rest.” Then one Sunday night, the washing machine broke down. Water poured out all over the floor, and I used every single one of those extra towels to clean up the mess. Maybe if I hadn’t had the towels, I would have figured out a way to deal with problem, but it sure was helpful to have them! Now my just-in-case mentality is at war with my minimalist desires.
Yikes, Rachel, we’d be up the creek if that happened to us!
I have 2 sets of sheets and I’m trying to get my significant other to reduce towels, blankies, and other unnecessary items. It’s so much easier, and linens are the kind of thing that can easily pile up without you noticing. And yes, hand and face towels are so pointless and wasteful!
So true, Karo, I think these things multiply when we’re not looking (!).
Funny you should bring this up today. I am in the process of decluttering and had just assigned myself the task of going through sheets this afternoon. Our situation is complicated by the fact that we regularly have extra people in the house for a week or weekend (grandchildren) so there must be enough for all of us. I’m going to have to consider this in my culling out.
I hope you make good progress in your decluttering, Carla!
Unlike you, I really like flannel sheets and use them on the bed on all but the 2 hottest months of the year. I have more sheets and towels than I need, but i don’t like to throw perfectly good towels out and somehow, i’ve accumulated more. I probably have about 8 or 9 sets of sheets all together, and too many towels to count.
fern, I agree, perfectly good functional items are the most difficult to purge.
I have two flannel & two cotton sets for two double beds and one set for a twin bed. Fairly minimal. I do miss the days when flat sheets were made larger and could be used either on top or bottom. Fitted only go on the bottom and wear out sooner.
Good point, Marie!
I have 2 sets of bedsheets for our king size bed. I like to mix and match to suit my mood. Our son has 2 sets (potty training time – always needs a back up). We each have a down comforter for those colder nights and a lighter blanket for summer. Son has a his comfy blanket that goes with him everywhere and I have 2 extra twin size blankets for cuddling on the couch or to have an “inside” picnic on icky weather days or just to throw in the truck when we take a day trip.
Towel wise, we each have 2 each in beach towel size. Mine a hot pink, hubby’s are bright orange and dear baby boy is turquoise. I have a set of 10 face clothes because all I use is soap and water and I like to scrub my skin well. The pops of color are great to add to decor without adding extra stuff..if that makes sense. : )
Anything that gets worn out gets designated to the garage for cleaning the vehicles, spills or pet oopsies. Oh..and the dog has one large beach towel for her bath time. : )
Heather, that’s a great idea to let the color of your functional items (ie towels) serve as your “decor.”
Only one set of sheets for the bed, in fact, I ditched the flat sheet because I don’t ever use it…I just have a fitted sheet. I only launder them on nice sunny days when they’ll dry quickly.
I don’t have a guest bedroom. I do have a couch that folds into a bed-like object. So I just keep two quilts on hand for anyone who stays over. They were both made by my mother, and one lives on my bed in the winter, so I have no qualms about hanging on to them.
There’s an extra towel in the bathroom cabinet for guests, but I ditched the hand towel in the bath because I just use the body towel to dry my hands. If I need a hand towel (for the guests), I just pull out one of my clean towels from the kitchen. Of those, I have…two? Maybe three.
Being a broke college grad has it’s perks…anyone staying over here is certainly expecting less than five star accommodations!
LOL, Fox! We don’t have the excuse of being broke college students, so we try to spin our spare accommodations as a “zen-like retreat.”
Towels really are the biggest con of all! Different sizes for different drying activities is really about getting us to buy, buy, buy. Years ago I worked out: that one size is fine for bathing showering and drying hands; that huge bath sheets are just unwieldy and you only use a part of it; the more fluffy they are the less functional they are; a good dry-off with a rough cotton towel is a healthy thing to do! (I never understood Americans’love of huge fluffy towels.) I now buy linen towels as they are superb at drying the body. Also they are plain and functional. I have two. And lastly, never ever use fabric conditioner on towels (or anything else!) as it just smothers the natural fibres in a toxic chemical syrup and ruins their drying capacity.
Wow, thanks for all the info, Anna — I’m going to look into linen towels!
I had a sort out a while ago when I moved into a much smaller apartment and realised I only had a small shelf for linens. I got it down to 3 fitted sheets, 2 duvet covers, two sets pillow cases, two sets of towels (and yes, a couple for “just in case!”). Got rid of the rest. Had lovely set of towels for visitors given to me by friends who cannot believe I dont need much and take pity on me – and buy me stuff! Donated those to charity. When younger I could not afford lots of stuff and managed very happily with one set of bedclothes. I should be able to do it again. Think I will wait until things wear out and just not replace. Sheets and towels can be stuff that just creeps on you when your back is turned – moving every so often concentrates the mind wonderfully!
You’re absolutely right, Frances; that’s why I *love* to move. It makes you think about what you *really* need, and gives you a great excuse to purge the stuff that has mysteriously accumulated.
A good use for extra sheets and blankets is keeping them for kids to play with. We have a bunch of old ones behind the couch and my kids play with them more than anything else, even though they have tons of toys. The blankets come out every single day to make “jump piles”, “cozy nests”, forts, etc.
Thanks for the great idea, Jen!
I know what you mean by that. My kids love to play with blankets and they make it into tons of stuff. But I never really thought about having some specifically for play. I’ll look into that now and see which ones can serve for playthings.
Think of all the towels and sheets and blankets you would never want to have in your closet. I have them in mine. and when I get to see them, I always see something I have never used or will ever use.
Remember as you purge, there are many animal shelters that would appreciate your items. And yes, you can receive a tax deduction.