5 rules for a tidy linen cupboard

​About a year ago my daughter introduced me to the joys of Pinterest. What an amazing way to organize your thoughts, plans and to get inspiration. (For inspiration  you may look at my Pinterest board  http://www.pinterest.com/phildab/linnekas-laundry-room/ )
And my other favourite: Houz
As a guest house owner, the linen cupboard can be both a frustration and a joy - depending on how the Fairview Homestead linen cupboard users use or abuse it. Now I am not naturally the tidiest person on earth (my husband and daughter are...) I have to work at it. And for that, I need rules that I as well as the staff have to adhere to. We sort, fix or discard every 3 months.



My 5 rules for an immaculate linen cupboard:
1. sort and discard
2. signs - to show what goes where
3. simplify -  do the sheets on the beds really have to match  the yellow, blue, red and orange themed  rooms?
4. standardize - go for white
5. sustain - now that's the most difficult part!
The same rules applies to the cleaning products cupboard. I have made  life a lot easier by using one bio degradable product  that is diluted to different levels depending on the use.
It can be very annoying when you are looking for bed sheets and pillow cases and nothing seems to match. I find it easier to organize the bed linens so that it is easy to find each set of sheets, pillow cases, etc. for each bed. This method also makes it easier to get rid of sheet sets that are old and worn - if the top sheet is worn  and you get rid of it, you may forget about the bottom sheet if you don't see them together. Blanket boxes for spare mattress, pillowcase protectors, blankets etc. are clear plastic ones. The emergency medical box  also lives in the linen cupboard - it is one of those plastic drawer types and I use the same type to store bathroom amenities.
I would recommend that you reuse any sheets that are no longer part of a matching set for other things around the house. For example:
You could use old sheets and blankets to make new ironing board pads and covers.
Donate old sheets and towels to a local church or homeless shelter or to a local animal welfare society.
On that note, if you have a dog, make some thrifty knot toy from your old towels. Cut the towel into strips lengthwise about five inches wide and tie knots along the length of the towel close together. Your dog will love chewing on it.
You could also sew a couple of old sheets together and use as a beach blanket.
Use your old sheets to make gift, laundry or shoe bags. Just cut the size you need, sew a one-inch seam for the drawstring, and then sew the bag together.
Make your own cleaning cloths and rags.