Decluttering Kids’ Closets: Hacks & Tricks

Make the Closet Fun to Use

All of us are happier when our surroundings are appealing, and children are no exception. Making your kids’ closets fun for them to use will increase the chance they’ll actually want to keep the spaces clean and tidy.

What your child will find fun will depend on your individual child, of course. You’ll want to incorporate some space for their favorite activities. For example, a young child who loves playing dress-up would likely appreciate a bin or low-hanging section for dress-up clothes. A child who is a bookworm would probably love having a shelf dedicated to his or her favorite reading materials. Teens may want space for their wardrobe accessories, so they can express themselves easily and conveniently.

Don’t forget to use your child’s favorite colors in the closet space. While you might not want to commit to hot pink or neon green shelves, you could still use their top shades in their storage containers, bins, or even as a paint color for the entire closet or just one accent wall. Look for creative ways to let your little one’s personality shine through, and they might surprise you by how devoted they are to keeping it looking nice.

Donate Unused Items

Children tend to grow quickly, so they usually have clothing they’re growing out of at any given time. It makes sense to go through the closet every few months to purge any clothes that no longer fit. Something that fits your young child this spring is probably not going to fit them by next spring, so go ahead and pack that up at the start of summer. If you don’t have a younger sibling or cousin to pass them onto, head over to your favorite thrift shop.

This one doesn’t apply to clothing that’s been outgrown – kids sometimes also simply change their sense of style or favorite colors. Consult with your child when going through the closet, so they can decide what they’re not wearing anymore simply because they don’t like it. Extra items in the closet only become clutter, so it’s usually best to remove them.

Rotate Items Frequently

Even though you'll be removing clothing from your child’s closet as it becomes outgrown, it also makes sense to keep the number of each item low, particularly if your child is young or if they have trouble making decisions about what to wear.

Every month or so, choose about 10 outfits to keep in your child’s closet. Remove the rest temporarily. You can store them elsewhere in the home, or simply put them in a bin that you keep on a high shelf in the closet. Then, your child will only have the 10 accessible outfits to choose from.

This strategy minimizes both frustration and mess; when there are a limited number of items to look at and remove from hangers or drawers, that limits the amount of clutter that can accumulate in the closet. Everyday Style describes this as a capsule wardrobe, and they give some additional benefits to creating a mix-and-match wardrobe that can apply to children as well as adults.

Maintain the Space Regularly

Finally, it’s important to remember that when you’re organizing a child’s custom closet, it’s not a one-and-done event. Kids evolve, change, make messes, and need help cleaning them up. It’s an ongoing process to keep the closet neat and tidy, so you’ll want to work with your child to regularly tidy up and maintain the space. Here are some of the tasks you’ll want to do every so often to keep the closet streamlined and easy to use:

• Make sure all of the clothing items are hung or folded neatly
• Add bins, shelf dividers, baskets, and other accessories as needed when clutter does pop up
• Wipe down the closet shelves, hanging rods, and other surfaces to remove dust
• Vacuum or sweep the floor to keep dirt at bay
• Put shoes away each day, and try to rotate them to allow them to fully air out and dry in between wearings
• Encourage your child to put their items away after each use

When you work with your child on a regular basis, not only will this keep the closet neat, but it will also teach them how to stay organized on their own as they grow. This is a skill they’ll take with them as they get older and move out of your home into a college dormitory or into their first apartment.

Conclusion

Keeping your kids’ closets tidy can take some extra work, but when you combine a kid-friendly design with the tips I’ve listed above, they’ll learn how to neaten up their space and stay organized. Contact me or a member of my team to learn more about our children’s storage spaces and to schedule a free consultation.

Source

• https://youreverydaystyle.com/six-benefits-of-a-capsule-wardrobe/