How Many Bed Sheets and Bath Towels Do You Need?

According to home organizers, a household needs 3 sheet sets and 3 towels for each person in the home. One set in use, one set clean waiting in your closet, and one set dirty waiting to be laundered. Personally, I think we can do with a mere 2 sets per person. Too often we buy more than enough when all we need is enough in home goods.

During the 32 years I've lived in a small Manhattan apartment, I normally only stock 2 sets of bedsheets, as well as, 4 bath towels and that's it. Granted I'm not raising young children; only occasionally have an overnight guest; plus tend to be neat and tidy, which certainly makes a difference. Still, I think with easy access to a washer and dryer, home dwellers who wish could omit the 3rd set of sheets or towels.

Over a period of years, minimalism saves time, space and money. It's helpful to start with your personal quirks and preferences.

Let's discuss: I buy 4 large bath towels that hang on my 2 bathroom racks but skip hand towels, and seldom bother with additional sets of either bath towels or bedsheets which would only hang out in my closets. 

I could function with only 2 bath towels, but since I have 2 bath racks, I do keep 4 bath towels out. One set never gets used, so anyone who stops by has a clean towel to dry his/her hands. Moreover, I own a stack of about 30+ wash clothes which I rotate and wash.

With my 2 sets of bedsheets, one goes on the bed and a 2nd unopened set waits on deck in the closet for the day the 1st set in use on the bed wears out. However, I do have a separate clean set of sheets to fit a futon-style couch for an overnight guest to use if visiting (it's a given you'll need a sheet set for every guest bed in your home. I also have an unopened spare set of sheets on deck for it).

Once a week, I strip my own bed of its sheets, grab the 4 big bath towels, machine wash and dry them, then put each one right back in circulation. I buy a color or pattern I like and don't tire of anything until it falls apart. I frequently clean but never rotate my towels or bedding. Perhaps I'm not a typical woman because I simply don't care enough to change the decor in my bathroom or bedroom weekly. Cleanliness, not variety is my focus.

The handtowels I don't buy.

In fact, I like the color of my bedding and bath towels this week just as much as I did last week. Sooo, after pulling them out of a hot dryer, they go right back on the bed and bathroom racks. Hey, do you know how many hours of folding laundry I've avoided over the years by keeping good quality sheets and towels in continuous use?  Time ... I can put to better use elsewhere!

Nonetheless different strokes for different folks. How mininalist are you? Do you buy multiples and often change your bedding and bathroom towels, or wash, dry, and keep them going?

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