As parents, sometimes it can seem that we spend most of our waking hours clearing and tidying up after our little folk. Whilst we can’t wave a magic wand in the hopes that the Tidy Fairy will appear overnight, we can share some of our top tips when it comes to tidying kids rooms (and keeping them that way!)
De-clutter regularly
Children grow super-fast. We know this from the sheer number of school shoes every parent has to buy each year! We can’t promise a solution to the ever-expanding shoe collection, but we can offer a little advice when it comes to storing said items.
Every 6-8 weeks, spend some time going through their clothes, shoes and toys, and sort into two piles; ‘Keep’, ‘Charity’. You can also add a third pile, ‘Sell’, if you’d like to try and recuperate some of the costs, but we’d recommend not over-committing here in terms of volume, as it can take some time to sell preloved items. Creating ‘bundles’ of clothes in certain sizes and seasons works well though, and makes the effort more worthwhile for the buyer.
The key thing here, is not just in the sorting, but in making sure that whatever the items go back into in terms of storage is a) big enough and b) easy to maintain.
Get the kids involved
It may seem a little wild, but hear us out. If children are empowered to make decisions when it comes to finding homes for their toys and other belongings, then they’re more likely to be invested in the process of ensuring that things are returned to their home after.
For primary school age children and younger who may be a little young for decision making, you could instead try playing certain songs to help establish ‘tidy up time’. This also assists with setting expectations and strengthens communication skills too.
Invest in suitable storage
If your child owns a lot of skirts and dresses, and just a few tops and trousers, then it’s pretty pointless buying a chest of drawers. In this case, a multifunctioning combination wardrobe may be best. Sounds like a bit of a tongue-twister?! In short, it’s a sturdy wardrobe with fully opening doors and a hanging rail on top, seated over a couple of really roomy drawers for folding clothes. - All in one super storage for all types of clothes.
On the other hand, if you have more of a jumper and jeans kind of kid, you may want to consider a tall chest of drawers with really roomy drawers.
Handy hint>> Invest in proper and sturdy furniture for your childrens room if space allows, and select classic designs over trend led details. Timeless, premium quality cabinet furniture will last the years and is just so versatile that it can easily be used in other rooms such as guest rooms, nurseries and grown ups rooms too, all without looking out of place.
Organise everything
Even within a storage drawer, you may want to consider using drawer dividers, or even smaller storage boxes that slot inside. Many smaller boxes are often more handy than one large one, especially when you have lots of different types of items.
Utilise the space under the bed
If you have a loft or mid sleeper bed, consider the storage aspect. Do you need to do a bit of upgrading? Perhaps your child needs less play space and more storage? Flex the space under the bed and use it to your advantage. – Space saving high beds are quite literally made for making everyone’s lives easier, and to help alleviate space in the rest of the room, so use them to your advantage.
On the other hand, if day beds and single or double beds are more their vibe, ensure that you’re making best use of underneath the bed by investing in a decent trundle drawer. Trundle drawers have a few advantages over underbed storage boxes.
The first, is that due to the flat front that runs flush to the side rail on a bed, it creates a seamless and smart look, rather than higgledy piggledy drawers that get shoved in and out from under the bed a lot. Secondly, they’ll last a lot longer as they’re essentially an extension to the bed. Thirdly, with flat based trundle drawers, they also double up as handy guest beds (just pop in a trundle mattress and remember to remove the toys first!) All of our Little Folks Furniture trundle drawers are also beds and they all come with flat bases as standard.
Top tip >> If choosing a trundle drawer, it’s important to check out the manouevrability of the drawer itself. Multidirectional, good quality wheels are the desire, especially when moving the trundle around on carpets. - There’s nothing worse than a child not being able to open a drawer full of toys simply because it’s stuck under the bed! (Trust us, we’ve been there, done that, and it’s why we’ve designed ours the way they are!)
Less is more
Now, we know that in a child’s eyes, this mantra may not ring true, but it certainly is helpful to abide by when it comes to keeping tidy. Once decluttering has been done, it can be tempting to start filling any free space back up again. Zoning areas of ‘nothingness’ will help families keep things neat and tidy, and removes the desire to start spreading out again.
Just one item
If you have stairs in your home, the chances are there’ll be a little pile of things that make their way onto the third step, but don’t tend to wander up to their destination from there. Why not set up a little household rule that says that each time someone comes up or goes down the stairs, they need to pick just one item up and put it in its home at the other end?
And there you have it - 7 top tips to help keep your kids rooms tidy. Let us know what you think - perhaps you have some of your own ideas, too?
Comments