Last week I had the privilege of working with Sarah, from Less is More Organizing. She was so easy to work with! We were able to pack up 24 bags of stuff in four hours – we donated them all! I got a lot of questions as to whom these toys/ books were donated. Sarah took them to Temple Beth Shalom, but you can always take them to Goodwill. Her go-to shelves for organizing spaces are the Kallax cubes. I asked Sarah five tips for keeping kid clutter contained.
1. Size it right. Big toys go in big containers, little toys go in small ones. Otherwise all of the shopkins will get lost at the bottom of the stuffed animal bin.
2. De-cluttering does not have to be an all-day affair. Set a timer for 15 minutes and tackle the books one shelf at a time. When the timer is up, bag up the donations and put them in your car. Celebrate your achievement and get on with your day.
3. Labels are a necessity for a well-organized playspace. Use picture labels if your child is too young to know how to read.
4. Control the mess by creating a toy rotation system. Select a few toys to store in a large lidded bin in an out-of-the way area, like the top of a closet. If your child asks for them, bring them down and put others in the rotation bin instead.
5. Use containers as boundaries. When the bins are full, resist the urge to buy more bins. Instead, use it as a cue that it is time to edit the toys. A good edit before your child’s birthday or the holidays is a habit that will keep your home clutter free.
xo
Jenny
