Martha Stewart has a clever formula for organizing her linen closet – it involves cardboard rolls and lavender sachets for under $9
The lifestyle expert gives us some expert advice on folding towels, keeping linens organized and making your closet smell fresh and clean


Organizing a linen closet can be an endless project. Towels and sheets can easily become mixed up, and piles of neatly folded dinner napkins can go awry (we have all been there).
Leave it to Martha Stewart to give us some helpful tips on how to organize a linen closet, with wisdom and simple steps that are easy to follow. Those tips stem from an old clip found on the treasure trove that is the Martha Moments Instagram account, they are just as applicable today.
'I think I first started dreaming about having a real, organized linen closet when I was a young girl in Nutley, New Jersey, babysitting for a very nice couple on Elm Place,' Stewart explains of her affinity for organizing linens. 'They had the nicest house on the street, and the woman was very organized. She had the most beautiful cupboards, all down the long hall, and in the cupboards were all her neatly folded sheets and towels, dinner napkins, tablecloths, and I thought then,' Wow, what a great idea. Maybe someday I'll be that organized.
She continues, 'It's hard to be organized like that, but I think finally, in this nice room that's devoted to storage, I have a place where I can organize all those linens that I need on a daily basis.'
A post shared by Martha Moments (@martha_moments)
A photo posted by on
This pack of 10 lavender sachets conveniently comes with attached hooks for easy closet placement. There's a reason why this scent is so popular with Stewart, and it's just as popular today as it was when she first released this footage.
A roll of cardboard is essential for following Stewart's method – but where can we get one quicky? Amazon is a safe bet... it'll arrive quickly so you can experiment with Stewart's method even faster.
In the footage, we see Stewart utilize the handiest tool of all: A label maker. There will always be a need for some appliances, and this closet hero is one of them. Use it in the same way as Stewart for a cupboard that stays tidier for longer.
Stewart gives a great tip for table linens, which are notoriously difficult to keep neat and tidy in the closet due to their size.
'It's awful hard to find a spot where you can keep great big squares of linen, the napkins, in an organized fashion,' Stewart says in the video. 'This is finally how I've solved the problem: take a roll of cardboard, and just roll your napkins around the cardboard. Then, I cover the roll, leaving the ends open for air, with clear cellophane. I have several rolls of different widths of cellophane, and this works so well. Then I just keep them right on the shelves, and all the napkins are kept just that way.'
With towels, Stewart recommends a simple technique of folding and stacking them in piles.
Sign up to the Homes & Gardens newsletter
Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.
'As far as bath towels and all the towels for the bathroom, I keep them folded all the same way so that they hang very easily over the towel bars, and they look good,' she says. 'They're folded in thirds and then in half, and in half again. I just keep these on the shelves, organized according to size and color. Everything has its place now, every washcloth and every hand towel.'
Finally, she suggests keeping a linen closet smelling as good as it looks with the help of a dried flower.
'To keep everything really fresh, some homemade sachets made out of little handkerchiefs. Just tuck them in on the shelves. Lavender, really fresh and lovely.'

Hannah is Homes & Gardens’ News Editor, with a focus on celebrity style and entertainment content. She got her start in media as a digital editorial assistant at ELLE Canada, and has since written about lifestyle and culture for publications such as Nylon and i-D.
Her love of film is rivaled only by one with a great soundtrack, and she hopes to someday decorate a Nancy Meyers-worthy kitchen.
-
Retro vs vintage vs antique – what do they mean and what’s the difference?
Antique dealers and interior designers explain what retro, vintage and antique furniture and accessories are, and what they can bring to interiors
-
5 hypoallergenic storage tricks for allergy sufferers – keep bedding, towels, and food free from contaminants
Ward off allergens in every corner of your home
-
Martha Stewart designed the most multifunctional bag you can imagine: 'It doesn't look like an ordinary garden bag; this is a chic garden bag'
Whether used for household essentials or gardening tools, Martha's waxed canvas bag is a modern home must-have, for under $39
-
I'll need to wait until fall to plant Martha Stewart's 'new favorite bulbs,' but they will make my garden beautiful for spring 2026
If anyone can make me skip ahead a year and future-proof my 2026 garden, it's Martha – experts say her flower is worth the planning
-
Introducing blue to your bedroom could improve sleep quality, and Martha Stewart's beautiful bedding just made it easier (for under $50)
Sleep experts say blue 'promotes relaxation, calms the nervous system and supports a tranquil atmosphere' – and this set is a failsafe starting point
-
This stone fireplace and gold mirror combo is the most beautiful part of Martha Stewart's 'tiny apartment' – it's modeled on an Italian-style home
Whenever Martha dresses up for the evening, she takes a photo in this ornate corner of her smallest home, and we can understand why
-
This chic Martha Stewart-designed chair belongs on the terrace of a Parisian bistro – it perfects European cafe culture (for $180)
Martha's woven rattan dining chairs are made for summer dining al fresco, and further proof that a backyard can feel like a vacation destination
-
Upgrading your patio for summer 2025? Martha Stewart's container gardening secret will fill your outdoors with color (and it's so simple)
Martha guides us through container gardening, from the right soil to strategic placement that will encourage optimal growth
-
I just found the perfect mid-century-style chair – it's the most stylish piece I've seen by Martha Stewart (and miraculously under $330)
I fell in love with this accent chair even before I realized it carries Martha Stewart's name – it's the most unmissable deal on the internet right now
-
I never thought of growing bare-root roses until I learned Martha Stewart's tips – they will look as good in your yard as they do in her garden
Martha grows several varieties of bare-root roses in her garden and has broken down her process into simple, effective steps