Is there a magic number for bedding items and towels?

Friends and clients have asked “what is the magic number of sheets and towels to own?” Four factors to keep in mind:

– Storage space that’s easy to get to

– The number of beds in the house

– The frequency you swap dirty for clean and

– How often you do laundry

A general rule is to have no more than three sets of sheets per bed in the house. That allows for sheets on the bed, one set in the wash and one to change. If you’re like me, who does laundry every week, there’s always a spare set available for overnight guests. With three sets you can wash less frequently and still change sheets weekly.

Yes it’s nice to always have spare sheets available but I’ve been in homes that have way more sets of sheets than necessary. Too many take more time to organize and often lead to chaos on the shelf because space is limited. There are often some sets, on the bottom or in the back of the closet that never get used because the top ones are the easiest to reach and put away.

One of the tricks to help keep sets of sheets together is to place the top and bottom sheets inside a pillowcase to be stored. You can grab what you need when you are ready to change the bedding. Sheets do wear out over time so don’t be shy about replacing them and letting go of the frayed sheets.

My rule for towels is the same, two to three for each person living in the house, if the changeover is weekly.

If you don’t use washcloths or hand towels, shed them. Just because certain sizes came with a set doesn’t mean you need to keep them.

I realized in my home, once the number of towels in the bathroom cabinet got reduced, there was room to put toilet paper and other items that I didn’t want to leave out on the sink all the time. I felt a sense of relief shedding towels I didn’t need. This magic number trick won’t take more than 5-10 minutes of your time to let go of excess bedding and towels.

Don’t forget those extra pillow cases too. Was I right with the time it took you to reduce excess sheets and towels?