When living with kids, there’s bound to be overflowing amounts of love, endless laughter, and lots and lots of mess. One part of their bedroom that will never cease to be in a constant state of disorder is their closet. It’s a never-ending battle, and as parents or guardians, you must be ready with a few ideas and strategies to keep their wardrobe organized and free of clutter.
Keeping a well-coordinated closet is not just for your sake, it’s for your children too. It impacts the way your child gets ready and sets their mood for the day. If they are attending school, a wardrobe that is easily accessible and properly labeled can get them prepped in no time. It might seem like a trivial thing, but an organized closet can help boost your child’s confidence.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks you can use to keep your kids’ closets in tip-top shape.
Clear Out Outgrown Toys & Clothes
One thing you should do before organizing your kids’ closets is to purge everything they have outgrown over the years. There is absolutely no point in hoarding too much of their clothes and toys as these will only add to the clutter. Empty their closet and check what should go and what should stay.
Everything that is stored in the closet should be what they use. Bid goodbye to the clothes, toys, and other items that your child no longer wears or plays with. Donate or sell these so that other children can put them to good use.
To stay on top of clutter, clean out your children’s closets at least twice a year. If dedicating an entire day to this task is a little too much, you can also keep a donation box in the closet or anywhere around your child’s room. When clothes don’t fit anymore or have not been worn at all, they can easily place them in the box.
Optimize with Organizing Tools
To get the most out of your kids’ closets, tuck their clothes in labeled clear containers, baskets, or bins. Labels are your child’s best friend when it comes to organizing. Just make sure that they can be clearly seen so that your kid knows where everything lives. If you have younger children who don’t know how to read yet, use icons or pictures instead of words.
If you’re looking to save space, use ultra-thin, non-slip hangers that are specifically designed for kids’ clothing. You can also try incorporating a hanging organizer as they’re great for small closets. They utilize vertical space that might just be wasted if not taken advantage of. With hanging organizers, you can label clothes with the days of the week so you can prepare your kid’s outfits for school and other activities ahead of time.
For your child’s shoes, you can opt for open shelves, door hangers, or even stackable plastic baskets neatly placed in the closet to utilize floor space. These save more space than traditional shoe racks. For shoes that are out-of-season, use storage bins.
Create Zones in the Closet
Always have your child in mind when rearranging and decluttering their closet. Kids tend to be visual so it’s important to use that to your advantage whenever you’re designing what their closet will look like.
Have zones that they can clearly understand within or outside of their closet. For example, for clothes that they frequently wear, use clearly labeled pull-out bins, hooks, or hangers at eye level. Kids love seeing their options right in front of them, so avoid stacking clothes in a way that would only overwhelm them.
For out-of-season clothes, it’s important to keep them accessible, however, you can consider hanging them on a rod or simply placing them on a higher shelf.
Last, for keepsakes or clothes that contain a lot of memories (first pair of shoes, their favorite holiday dresses, etc.), keep them in a water-tight container and, instead of putting them at the back of the closet, consider setting them down in your garage or storage unit.
Keep It Accessible
Your kids are not as tall as you are (yet!) so ensure that they can easily reach the clothes, toys, or other items in their closet that they use every day. If you’re running out of storage space that is easily accessible to your child, you can consider using products like low-hung hooks, low hanging rods, drawer units, or an open bin where they can stash their toys
Alternatively, you can keep a step-up stool next to kids’ closets so that they can easily reach their clothes without pulling them and creating a mess.
Let Your Kids Help
Kids learn better through application and collaboration. Let them participate in the cleaning and organizing process as this will help them understand that getting rid of the clothes, toys, and other items they don’t use will make space for the ones that they do.
It also teaches them the right place to put their clothes if they don’t intend to use them. As their parent or guardian, you want to make them feel a sense of responsibility and pride in keeping their clothes, toys, and other important items neat, organized, and clutter-free.
In hindsight, your kid’s closet is a great way to teach them how to stay organized, let go of the things that no longer serve them, and put everything back where it belongs. You can even turn this into a fun project and bonding activity for you and your children. They can pick out whatever bins, baskets, and other organizers they fancy to give their closet their personal touch. Encourage their creativity by letting them decorate these different containers with their choice of colors, stickers, and pictures. Just don’t forget to label them afterward!
