You might already spend a lot of time arguing with your kids about the condition of their rooms. When you open up one of your kids’ closets, it might remind you of a disaster area. You might think that it will be impossible to ever get your kids’ closets under control, and you might wonder if they will ever learn how to keep their closets organized. Luckily, all hope is not lost. By following these tips, you can help your kids get -- and keep -- their closets organized. This can make mornings and clean-up a whole lot easier for the whole family, and it can help your kids establish good, tidy habits that will hopefully stick with them into adulthood.
Get Rid of Old Clothing and Toys
If your kids still have toys that they haven’t played with in years or if their closets are crammed with clothing items that they outgrew long ago, it’s time to spend some time decluttering. It’s tough for kids to find clothing that fits when their closets are packed with items that don’t. Plus, many kids’ closets are on the small side, and getting rid of unwanted items is a good way to maximize limited storage space.
Clothing items that your kids have outgrown can be passed down to a younger sibling or other family member or friend. Donating used kids’ clothing that is still in good condition is a good way to help those in need, and you can potentially get a tax deduction. There is also a big market out there for used children’s clothing and toys, so you could sell them for cash.
If there are old, worn-out toys and clothing items that just aren’t useful anymore, consider repurposing them or throwing them out. In no time, you and your kids will have a lot more room to work with, and their closets will probably look better almost instantly!
Install Additional Hanging Rods
Although most closets only have one hanging rod, adding one or more additional hanging rods is an excellent way to increase storage space. This works particularly well with children’s closets. After all, since children’s clothing is typically smaller and shorter, there should be room to hang everything up, even if there are additional rods below.
Upper rods can be used for hanging up items that your kids won’t need to grab every day. Hang clothing items that your kids wear regularly on lower rods so that your kids can reach them with ease. To encourage your kids to get dressed and ready independently -- and to make your own mornings a whole lot easier and less stressful -- try putting together outfits and hanging them on the lower rods. Then, your kids can easily grab an outfit for school without your help.
Utilize Overhead Storage
Since your kids might not be able to reach the higher shelves in their closets, they might not really use this extra space. However, if you want to make the most of limited closet space, utilizing overhead storage is ideal.
Consider packing up out-of-season clothing in boxes or bins and stashing them on the top shelf. It won’t be a big deal that your kids can’t reach them, since they won’t be using these items anytime soon. When the seasons change, you can pull these items down.
Overhead storage is also good for toys or books that your kids don’t read regularly but that they don’t want to get rid of. They’ll be there when your kids need them, but they’ll be out of the way the rest of the time. Try using labeled bins for a neat and tidy aesthetic and to make items easier to find.
Add Easily Accessible Bins, Drawers and Shelves
Everything should have a place in your kids’ closets. Drawers, shelves and bins make it much easier to store more stuff and to keep each closet neat and tidy.
Pull-out shelves make it easy for little ones to grab items that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. Shelves are perfect for storing clothing, books, shoes and more.
Drawers make it easy to add additional storage space to your kids’ closets. You can leave your kids with more space in their bedrooms by eliminating extra bedroom furniture if you install drawers in their closets, or you can simply add additional storage space for items that don’t fit in their dressers. Drawers can be used for storing socks, T-shirts, undergarments and all sorts of other items.
To keep shelves neat and tidy or to add additional storage space on the floor, consider adding colorful bins. It’s easy for kids to drop items in their bins when they’re cleaning up and to retrieve items when they’re looking for favorite toys or getting dressed in the morning.
Make Sure Their Closet Can Grow With Them
As your kids get older, their storage needs and organization habits will change. Make sure that their closet components are adjustable, and reassess their needs from time to time. You may need to adjust the shelves or rods as your kids get older, for example. If you work with the right custom closet team, you can ensure that all of the components that you add to your kids’ closets can easily grow with them.
Encourage Good Habits
By having organizational components installed and helping your children get their closets in order, you can help set them up for success. Obviously, though, you and your kids will have to keep up with putting clothing and other items in their proper place if you want to prevent the closets from becoming messy again.
It’s important to encourage your kids to establish good habits in regards to closet organization. Lead by example by keeping your own closets neat and tidy, and remind your kids to put items away in the right spot. If you design your kids’ closets to suit their needs, they might actually be excited about keeping their closets neat and organized.
It’s not impossible to get your kids’ closets under control. Give us a call at Klutter Killerz to schedule a consultation. We can help with installing the right closet components so that you tackle your kids’ messy and disorganized closets
