Kids Bedrooms: Simple Ways to Declutter and Organize

by Margarita Ibbott on November 14th, 2017 | 14 Comments »

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. Talk to her about which sentimental items to keep 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?

[Photo Credit]

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.