If any of these scenarios sound familiar, it’s time to get the kid-clutter under control in your house:

  • You’ve gotten used to seeing clothes, both worn and unworn, strewn about your child’s bedroom floor
  • Their bookshelves are bulging with books pointing in every direction
  • Toys they haven’t touched in months are collecting dust in the corner, or worse yet, taking over other rooms of the house
  • You’re constantly stepping on board game pieces and Legos as you navigate your home
  • Your child regularly spends more than five minutes trying to find items they own that have gone “missing”

Even though your kids might not seem to mind all that clutter, the truth is that clearer surroundings equal a clearer mind. Here are some tips for how you can get the kid-clutter under control in your house.

Purge, and purge some more

Kids are experts at acquiring too much stuff, especially with their rapidly changing sizes and interests. Go through everything in their room and get rid of anything that hasn’t been used in more than six months. Don’t hang onto broken toys or games that are missing important pieces, either. And stop buying things you don’t genuinely need!

Try the black bag method 

You might already know that I’m a huge fan of the black bag method. This can work wonders for kids who insist they’ve got nothing to get rid of. Grab a big black bag or garbage bag, and place all the toys inside that they claim they want to keep but seem hesitant about and those that you never see them play with. 

Explain to them that you’ll keep these items in the bag in a storage room for a month. If they ask for the item during that time, retrieve it for them. Once the month is up, donate everything that’s left in the bag and you’ll make a big dent in that clutter problem.

Give everything a place

Why haven’t you put those odds and ends gathering in your junk drawer or those papers piling up on your desk somewhere? Chances are, you just don’t know where to put them. Well, that’s often a problem for children, too. 

Of course, the big items need designated spots, like backpacks, shoes and jackets. But this is also true for all of the various items they play with, big and small alike, if you truly want to get the kid-clutter under control. 

Take the time to assign a place for every last thing they own, and show them the correct spots for everything. Make sure it’s easy to remember and use a system that makes sense to them.

Then, when it’s time to put things away, they’ll know right where to go and can get it done in record time, which is a win for everyone!

Use solutions that work for kids

You’re going to have to be practical when it comes to storage and organisation solutions for kids. Kon Mari method, I’m looking at you – this may be a genius way to fold clothes, but it’s not something an 8-year-old can do.

Consider the items that you tend to find lying around the most and find a storage solution that your kids will be able to manage themselves. Here are some ideas for a few common problem areas:

  • Toys: If your kids are very young, baskets, chests or crates are a great, low-effort solution. You can use simple colour coding so they know to toss stuffed animals in the yellow box and cars in the blue box, for example. For older kids, you can devote shelves in their closets to various categories, like board games and books.
  • Arts & crafts supplies: My solution for Nina’s arts and crafts odds and ends is a cheap kitchen trolley from Ikea that she can roll out when she’s working on her projects. It’s an uncomplicated system and very easy for her to just place everything back inside when she’s done crafting. 
  • Clothes: If you want your kids to help put their own clothes away, you need to manage your expectations. Their wardrobe will never look like the shelves at Zara, but you can keep it somewhat under control by assigning different types of clothes to easy-to-reach drawers and bins. If they can manage to place their clothes in the right boxes out of sight instead of leaving them on the floor or bed, consider it a victory. Most of my kids’ clothes hang on rails rather than in a drawer, making it easier for them to put away their own clothes.

Decluttering is its own reward

Once you get organised, getting ready to go somewhere will be far less stressful, and you’ll find that your kids aren’t losing items quite so often. Cleaning will be easier, and everyone will be less overwhelmed when you get that kid-clutter under control. And with a little luck, your kids might even become more careful with their belongings!

If you want to crack the declutter code once and for all, in every room in the house, then you need to download my free ‘Ultimate Declutter Formula’. It’s a handy 1 pager PDF that will guide you towards a decluttered home, in just 6 simple steps!

Happy decluttering mama!

Love,

Nakita xxx