When you’ve got kids, it can be a struggle to keep the place tidy and organized. With toys left around the house, clothes to put away, and all sorts of mess to clean up, there’s a lot to do. But it doesn’t have to be difficult! You can have the place shining in no time with just a few organization tips for kids.

Without further ado, here are some of my best organization tips for kids!

Have you ever had one of those mornings when you’re late for school but you can’t find your kids’ lunchbox or sports kit? Of course you have!

Cut down on stress by choosing a particular place for every item your children need. You cook install hooks for their backpacks, a shelf in the pantry for their lunch items, and even set up a homework station with all the pens and pencils they need. See how I get everything under control.

Style them so they look nice, make sure they’re easy to understand, and, if you think your kids would be up for it, include some extra jobs they can do to earn a bit of extra pocket money.

Here’s the full tutorial on how to create a kind of chore chart “command center” like mine.

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Every home has lots of different types of closets – coat closets, bedroom closets, linen closets, etc. but there are some general rules that apply to every type of closet.

#1 Keep them clean

You might not think about cleaning your closets but trust me, dust and all kinds of things hide in the dark corners of our closets. I recommend every 6 months, removing items from the shelves and wiping them down with an EnviroCloth. Vacuum the floors and make sure to get all the edges and corners too! Keeping shelves clean will keep your closet smelling fresh and keep your clothes from smelling musty and dirty.

#2 Storage

My favorite storage solution for every space are baskets. We have baskets in every closet in our house! Using baskets, boxes or bins to store items helps keep similar items together, it keeps the shelves more organized and they look nice too! It’s a win-win. In our entryway closet I have baskets that hold cleaning items, like my mop attachments and replacement vacuum bags. In our master bedroom I have boxes that store everything from hats to swim suits. In my daughter’s closet I use boxes to store seasonal clothes, keepsake items, and donation items for clothes she’s outgrown.

It doesn’t matter what kind of closet you need to organize, baskets and bins are the solution you’ve been looking for!

#3 Purging

Purging is the number one thing that gets overlooked but it’s probably the most important thing when it comes to keeping your closets cleaned and organized! I guarantee if you commit to purging your closet every 6 months, you’ll never have a problem with clutter and keeping it organized.

Commit to twice a year (I recommend when the seasons change from hot to cold and vice versa) going through your closets and getting rid of anything you haven’t used in the last 6 months. With our bedroom closets I do this every time I swap our winter and summer clothes out, and every time I’m amazed at how much stuff I haven’t worn. Styles change, our taste changes, we buy new clothes, there’s nothing wrong with that, but hording the old things you haven’t worn, or used, will create a problem. Don’t feel guilty about getting rid of stuff, give it to a friend or donate it to a local homeless shelter, this will help them out and keep your space clean!

Our entryway closet is where I keep all our mops, vacuums, etc. and it felt SO good when I purged it this week because it was way overdue! As mops have broken, or I’ve bought new products, I’ve held onto those old ones thinking someday I’d use them again, but you know what, I haven’t and now I have a cluttered closet! It happens to all of us, which is why it’s so important to put those purging dates on the calendar and commit to them.

#4 Think outside the box

I’m very aware that not all closets are created equal. In fact most are designed very poorly with a single shelf, a single clothing rod and some doors – not a whole lot of usable space and a lot of wasted space. This is why it’s so important to think outside the box and not look at the limitations of your space, but at the potential. Use every inch of the space by adding additional shelves, using stackable boxes, even utilize the back of the door!

If you need ideas check out THIS POST I wrote last year, there are lots of great tips and ideas to help you think outside the box with your closet space.

Happy New Year!

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Hi, Susan here from Organized 31. Anyone else feeling the urge to spring clean and organize? I sure am!

With the warm sunny weather, I’ve been busy cleaning blinds, cleaning windows, cleaning the kitchen and washing bed linens. On a recent rainy day, I decided it was time to do a quick straightening up of the linen closet, and these 4 easy tips for organizing sheet sets, made the task simple to complete.

As a military family, I’ve organized more than 20 homes and that means more than 20 linen closets. I’ve had to create flexible organizing systems that will work in any size, or shape, linen closet (and will even work when we don’t have a linen closet). These simple tips have worked for me, and are flexible enough to work, whatever your storage space situation is.

Label Sheets with Sizes

I have three sizes of beds, and bed sheets, in our home. You’d think it would be easy to keep them all straight, but inexplicably, it’s a lot harder than it should be. I prefer white and cream colored sheets, and have the same colors in all three sizes of sheets, so that adds to the complication.

After years of having to re-fold sheets because someone pulled the wrong size sheets out, or the sheets were put away in the wrong area, I finally found the answer. I label the size on the corners of the sheets with a Sharpie. Now it’s simple to identify sheets when they’re put away, and when they’re taken out, to be put on the bed. This simple tip has saved me many minutes of needlessly re-folding sheets.

Keep Sheet Sets in the Pillowcase

Simply slip the folded top and fitted sheets inside the pillowcase and the entire set will stay neatly together in the linen closet. No more lost items from a sheet set! No more unintentionally mismatched sheet sets. Every piece of the set stays neatly together in the pillowcase.

Store Sheets Vertically

I used to stack my sheets on top of each other. Since I rotate my sets of sheets (you know First In, First Out), I’d have to pick the pile up and put the clean sheets on the bottom of the pile week after week. The piles always seemed to fall over, no matter how neatly I stacked them. It seems like a small thing, but I’m a busy mom of three and every second I can save is a second I can put to good use elsewhere.

Several years ago, I discovered that filing my sets of sheets vertically, rather than stacking, them made my storage space so much more organized, and much easier. Now I simply slip clean sheets in and pull out the next set, just like you do with file folders.

Keep Different Sized Sheet Sets on Separate Shelves

In addition to labeling the sizes of the sheets on the each set of sheets, I keep the different sized sets on separate shelves. It’s easy for each family member to know where to find their sheets without tumbling through my nicely organized linen closet. It’s simple for my children to find the sheets they need and slip them off the shelf, no mess, no fuss.

I can’t tell you how much of a difference these simple tips have made in keeping our bed sheets and pillowcases, neatly organized. These tips also make it easy for my family to be independent in making their own beds each week and in putting clean sheets away as part of their weekly chores.

If you have extra space in your linen closet, like I do in our current space, you can use bins, or baskets, to store extra items like pillows, washcloths, hand towels, toilet paper, and even items for your guest, such as toiletries, soaps, etc.

I also recommend storing larger, heavier, items, such as quilts, comforters, and duvet covers, on lower shelves, so they are easier to access.

And last but not least, if you want to keep your linen closet, blankets and towels, smelling fresh, you can add a dryer sheet or lavender sachet (or any other scent you prefer), on each shelf. That way when you make your beds you’ll get a fresh, clean smell that welcomes you, as if you were in a fancy hotel!

What tips do you use to keep your linen closet neatly organized?

Susan

Be sure to check out more organizing ideas from Susan at Organized 31.

How to Organize Drawers to Make More Room

3 Steps to an Organized Linen Closet

The post 4 Simple Tips to Organize Sets of Sheets & the Linen Closet appeared first on Ask Anna.

When my teen daughter asked for my help organizing, I tried not to jump up and down with glee and instead nonchalantly answered, “Sure, I’ll see what I can do.” I had set up an organizing system for the kids’ hats, scarves and gloves a couple of years ago in our previous home. It worked great for several years, but needed to be revisited now that my children are older and we’re in a new home.

I started by pulling everything out of the closet. This pile belongs just to the daughter who asked for organizing help (guess we know why she asked).  You can see the tub that I originally used to organize in the bottom right corner of the photo. It makes me chuckle every time I look at the pile compared to the box, but this is exactly why organizing in an on-going process and not a one-time event. Children grow, life changes, needs change and our organizing systems needs to adapt.

The organizing process took about 10 minutes total. I went through the items and removed:

• three gloves that had lost their mates
• four hats that the kids had outgrown
• a scarf that belonged upstairs in my daughter’s room because it’s more of a fashion scarf than a cold weather scarf.

I’m always careful to have my children go through the purged pile with me to make sure they agree. I think it’s respectful to make sure my children agree to donate or get rid of the items I’ve selected. If they want to keep an item that I think needs to go, I will explain why I think it needs to be purged, but ultimately, it’s their decision.  It’s a good thing I asked first this time because my daughter had a matching glove to one of the ones below in her coat pocket. So that matched pair of gloves moved into the keep pile.

I prefer to use plastic bins to organize. They’re easy to clean. They can be stacked if needed. They have handles that make them easy to handle They’re relatively inexpensive and will last for years. They have a lid that will keep the dust off the items. They’re versatile. When I found my daughter needed a second tub for her scarves, I simply grabbed one that was being underutilized in my closet. I use tubs for many organizing jobs and move them around to where they’re most needed at the time.

When my children were younger they simply tossed their hats, gloves and scarves into the bin. It was easy for them to do and the bin kept everything contained and organized. Now that my children are older and can keep things neat, I prefer filing items in the bins so that each item can clearly be seen and removed. It’s easy to slip an item back into the bin when you’re putting it away, just like a file folder.

Adding a name label to each tub makes it easy for each family member to quickly find just what they’re looking for.

The labeled bins were put back on the closet shelf. Look at how nice and neat everything now is. It’s each for each child to grab their tub from the shelf and get what they need in the morning. It’s just as easy when they get home to put everything away. This system worked well for us even when my children were elementary school aged. My children are happy again because they can find their items every morning and it makes me happy every time I open the closet door and see all that extra space on the shelf.

Susan

Be sure to check out more organizing ideas from Susan at  Organized 31.

(Click on the picture to take you to the post.)

The post Easy Organization for Hats, Scarves and Gloves appeared first on Ask Anna.

#1 Take everything out

I know I say this a lot, but that’s because it’s the only way to get truly organized. If you want to organize a space you have to start by taking everything out, so you know exactly what’s in there. When you’re taking things out, if you find something you don’t use anymore (or that just shouldn’t be in there) put them in a donation or a relocate pile. When it’s time to put things back in, make sure you’re only putting back what should be in there!

#2 Utilizing the space

Once you’ve cleaned out the closet, figure out exactly how you want to use the space. I when I emptied out our closet, I realized I wasn’t using a very valuable space, the back of the door. I purchases a utility rack for my cleaning tools and instead of having them shoved in the corner, I hung them on the door.

If you don’t store your cleaning tools in the closet, you could add some Command hooks to the door and use the space for storing purses, or backpacks.

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Baskets are also very important for utilizing the space on the shelves. Group similar items together, whether it’s gloves, scarves, more cleaning tools, etc. and put them in cute baskets to maximize the shelf space.

#3 Think outside the box

We often think that if a space was designed a certain way, then that’s the way you have to use it. Not true! To maintain a clean and organized home it’s important to use each space the way YOU need it to function. For example closets always come with a rod for hangers, but if that doesn’t work for you then take it down and add some hooks (and even some polka dots!).

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A lot of families store shoes in their entryway closets, and since I’ve never seen a closet that comes with shoe shelves, don’t be afraid to add some. It’s a super easy DIY project that shouldn’t take more than a handful of minutes, especially if you buy shelves that are already painted the color you want them.

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You could also change up the closet entirely by installing a closet system. You can purchase similar ones at any large hardware store. I think the design of this entryway closet is fabulous, I’m thinking I should do this in mine!

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#4 Homes without an entryway closet

If you’re in a home that doesn’t have an entryway closet, don’t worry, you have options too! You’ll have to think outside the box a little but if you have a blank wall near the entry, it’s easy to create a space that functions the same as a closet.

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By adding hooks for coats, purses, etc., something for storing shoes, and baskets for additional items your space will function just as a closet would (if not better), and it will looks super cute! The entryway above was in our old house and I really miss it!

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With these tips you’ll be able to have your entryway closet cleaned out and organized in no time! Stop using the excuse that you don’t need to organize it because it’s “just an extra closet”, and take 30 minutes of your day to tackle it. I promise you, when it’s cleaned out, organized and cute, you will be thankful!

Let us see your before and after pictures, post them on Instagram and tag me @askannamoseley, or you can use the hashtag for this series – #organizedinlessthan30min.

If you missed one of the posts in this series, here’s a list of what we’ve organized so far –

• Intro
• How to organize your health
• How to organize kitchen utensils
• How to organize kids dishes and utensils
• How to organize a Kitchen without a pantry
• How to organize Legos
• How to organize your purse
• How to organize paper clutter
• How to organize the Master Bedroom closet

Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post but if you purchase through them you will not pay a cent more than you would otherwise. Thank you for supporting Ask Anna!

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