How many sets of sheets and blankets and towels does one family need?

Apparently not as many as we had…we had a completely filled 36″ wide, 10′ tall linen closet JAMMED and we hadn’t even been using the items in it but rather re-washing the towels, sheets and blankets already in use.  I knew I had to pare down, so I made some guidelines on what to keep and donated the rest.

What we kept:

2-3 fitted sheets per bed
1-2 blankets/quilts per bed
2 twin quilts as throws
8 white bath sheets and 4 matching hand towels (master bath plus the little kids help themselves)
2 brown bath sheets and matching hand towels (kids’ bath 1)
2 purple bath towels and matching hand towels (kids’ bath 2)
6 beach/pool towels
16 pillow cases that match/coordinate with the sheets

What we tossed:

multiple flat sheets
at least a dozen fleece throws
at least a dozen mismatched or worn pillow cases
at least a dozen mismatched or worn towels
ugly/faded/worn twin and full fitted sheets
mattress pads…all of them…no one likes them!
dozens of hand towels, kitchen towels and rags that had seen better days

And yay…now we can actually close the cabinet.  It’s actually only HALF full.  Yippeee!   Definitely a success!