Use dividers to keep stacks from colliding, store the haute stuff for parties separately, and contain all that good wretched excess from Costco.

The Challenge

In her sprawling ranch house, Lisa Mendenhall, 41, has a single linen closet, 31 inches wide and 23 inches deep, for storing bed linens, blankets, towels, and toiletries for her family of four. In summer the stay-at-home mom was forever repairing the damage her five-year-old son, Jay, did to the tower of beach towels as he pillaged it on his way to the pool.

The Solutions

Preempt a pileup
Formerly teetering heaps of linens are now separated into manageable stacks with dividers that clamp onto the shelves. These metal-grid panels make it easy to grab a single towel without pulling down all three neighboring piles of linens. Shelf Dividers, $10 for four, Lillian Vernon, www.lillianvernon.com.

Name that room
Instead of stacking all the sheets in one place and the towels in another, Lisa organized them by room, then labeled the shelves to keep them tidy. Now pulling out a set of towels for the master bathroom is a snap, not a wild-goose chase. Beach towels are in a cubby at Jay's eye level, which means less tidying for Lisa. Brass File Label Holders (2 7/8 inches by 5/8 inch), $2 each, Van Dyke's Restorers, www.vandykes.com.

Safeguard your keepsakes
Lisa keeps her best tablecloths and napkins in stackable canvas-covered boxes. They're protected from dust and wrinkles, and she never has to scramble through piles of linens the day (or night) of a dinner party. Natural Canvas Boxes, $16 to $20 each, the Container Store, www.containerstore.com.

Supply and demand
Another use for a clear vinyl shoe bag: storing all those cotton swabs, toothbrushes, soaps, and other toiletries Lisa couldn't resist buying in bulk. Bonus: freeing up precious shelf space. The clear pockets let Lisa find everything easily as well as keep track of supplies. (Shampoos and medicines should be kept in the high pockets, out of children's reach.) 24-Pocket Vinyl Overdoor Shoe Bag, $15, the Container Store, www.containerstore.com.

In a crunch
With their pliable construction, small Crunch Cans can squeeze into any corner. Lisa uses them to store everything from rolls of toilet paper to cleaning rags. Umbra Crunch Cans, $8 to $15 each, www.umbra.com.