Kids Bedrooms: Simple Ways to Declutter and Organize
The thing is I have a little secret… well actually it is a 14 year-old secret. Her name is Lauren and she is my daughter. Why the confession, you ask? Well, the thing is … Lauren… is well, disorganized! There I said it. For the last six years, I have worked as a professional organizer, helping people tackle clutter in their homes and work spaces. I love what I do. As anyone can tell you in any profession, it is always hard to work with family. Working with mine is no different. When it comes to my daughter, I have challenge just like the rest of you.
So I have decided to share our journey together. When she wanted to change her room from that of a young child to a growing teen we had to make some very hard choices. I just didn’t know some of those choices would be hard for me to make (yes, I am sentimental like the rest of you). Who would have known that I would be hesitant to give up that Anne of Green Gables doll that we bought in Prince Edward Island. Why is it so hard to give up the bright red patent leather Buster Brown boots that she wore when she was 2 years old? But why can’t I keep it? This was going to be hard on the ‘mommy’ me not the ‘professional organizer’ me.
One of the first things I did was pick up a copy of Organizing from the Inside Out by organizing and productivity guru, Julie Morgenstern. I take her advice to heart: “The key to successfully organizing a kid’s room is involving the child in the project as much as possible.” No truer words of advice were spoken.
Tips to Help Declutter a Child’s Room
We need however, to start from the beginning. Here are a few tips that you may need to start to declutter:
- Start with a room overview. Assess the situation quickly. Note what has to stay and what should go.
- Make a sorting area outside the room. Separate this way: keep, donate, hand-me-down, has another home, trash.
- Work clockwise around the room and start to sort all like items together (clothes, books, hair products, etc.).
- Don’t leave the area to “put something away” this is just a way to lose focus and get distracted.
- Try to do this work as quickly as possible; the less you think about each item, the faster this process will go. BE RUTHLESS.
Stay focused, keep it fun, and play good music. Once the room is cleared of all the stuff, it is time to start making some decisions. In the next post, I will discuss how to help you and your teen deal with the sentimental items and how to make a plan to organize her space. It is after all a place that he or she will be using for a while.
How have you learned to declutter your child’s bedroom? What type of system do you use to help him or her keep everything organized?
Margarita Ibbott is a mother of 3, Professional Organizer, speaker, blogger, and lover of all things social media. She lives in London, Ontario Canada but travels throughout Canada and US as an expert speaker. She recently addressed 600 organizers in San Diego at the National Association of Professional Organizers on the Ask the Expert Organizer Panel. Her favourite areas to organize are clothes closets and kitchens. Margarita does not just organize ‘on-the-spot’ but can help clients virtually using photos and video consultations. You can find her musing about organizing, product reviews and client stories at her blog: WWW.downshiftingPOS.blogspot.com. Connect with her on Twitter @DownshiftingPOS or find her on Facebook Page: Downshifting – Professional Organizing Solutions.
As a mom of a four year old and two year old, who share a room, this is a CONSTANT struggle for me. Involving them definitely is not an option, because they are so distracted by and attached to each and every object they pick up! I find the only time I can really straighten their room is when they are NOT HOME!! LOL
Organizing your own kid is the biggest challenge of all. I found that the perfect reason to get at it, with their enthusiasm encouraged, was the ‘carrot’ of redecorating. When purging it always helps to take a kookie photo of them with holding an old item which is headed to the giveaway pile.
Getting your teen involved in the bedroom editing is the key to success. Making them part of the process lets them feel in control so the incidence of drama might even be less. My growing 15 year old son was keeping clothes that no longer fit him so I gave him some clear bags to fill and donate to Goodwill. He wasn’t keen on doing this chore at first but when he was finished and noticed his closet was less cluttered he was delighted with the result. Now he tells me he needs a whole new wardrobe!
two bits I latched on to:
Try to do this work as quickly as possible; the less you think about each item, the faster this process will go.
and
play good music!
so true … thanks for the tips.
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I know how you feel because I have tried to organize with my daughter too. It has been me that has the hard time getting rid of stuff so the last time I said here is a garbage bag throw away what you dont want. I didnt even look !!!!!! I figure if she figures she doesnt need it now she wont need it in the future or want it.
Sometimes sentimental clutter is the hardest!!!!!!!
I agree with Diane. My daughters choices to throw away or keep are very often not mine, so it is best to stay out of it as much as possible
We go through every season and check the clothes that no longer fit and can go to someone else. She is pretty good at this, she loves being able to give them to someone else. My Daughter’s problem is the number of books she has, she loves them and it is sometimes hard for her to go through them and decide which to keep because she generally wants to reread them. There are certain sets etc that she will not part with and those we put away in special boxes out of the room but are available to her if she wants them, or is ready to give them up. Not always the best way to handle it but this way they are out of the room and give her more space on her bookshelf.
Amy: thanks for leaving a comment. Just wanted to let you know that I started getting my kids involved in organizing when they are toddlers. At that age, you need to make it a game, make it fun and keep it short. Don’t give up it will benefit you in the long run.
Ev: I love your idea of holding up a ‘treasure’ and taking a picture of it! I suggest that to moms all the time. Thanks for your contribution to the learning process!
Wanda: I want to say you have a win-win solution to clearing through their wardrobe but I have a feeling that buying him a whole new wardrobe might be a ‘losing’ proposition. Thanks for the suggestion of putting the stuff in a clear bag. They can see what is being donated instead of having the impression it is being ‘thrown out’ when you use a garbage back!
Kristina: big fan of playing Katy Perry or the soundtrack from Glee! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Diane: I am so very proud of you! I am not sure that I could just hand over a garbage bag and let her to it. Just to give you an idea, she put a picture of her with her soccer team when she was about 7 years old. My husband pulled it out if the recycle bin. We were crushed that she threw it out! Breathe (yes, more important to us then her – she looked so cute!!!). I promise I will try your method!
Jutta: once again, you are stronger then I am…Can I let my husband go through it before it gets tossed. He will me ruthless and a lot less sentimental!
Rossana: Thanks for sharing your book concerns. I have found that it was easier to get rid of some of the books if they go to a good ‘home’. My kids go to a French as a first language school so most of their books are in French. However, this fall, they asked for books in English. So those series of books (Junie B. Jones, Abbey Hayes) went to the school. They were thrilled!
[...] Kids Bedrooms: Simple Ways to Declutter and Organize [...]
[...] Kids Bedrooms: Simple Ways to Declutter and Organize [...]