10 Steps to Conquer Kids Closets!
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With a large family and not necessarily an enormous amount of space to live in, I have come to master the art of kids closets. I have been forced to learn how to keep clutter to a minimum while also maximizing the space I have, even though closet space in very hard to come by.
Kids closets greatly boil down to being organized, having the right systems in place, and not letting any amount of space be wasted. Finding a way to store everyone’s clothes when children share rooms can be quite a challenge, but it is also a challenge that can be conquered.
I am excited to share with you the 10 steps I have mastered to conquer the closets in kids’ rooms.
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1. Shelving is everything
Shelving truly is everything, and not all closet shelving is created equal. I find that oftentimes houses come with standard closet shelving that is simply inefficient. Generally, you have a ton of hanging space, which isn’t always ideal, and any shelving is generally designed with a lot of space in-between each shelf. If you are designing your own shelving, you are truly blessed as you can customize it to your needs, just don’t forget that your little kids of today will be your big kids of tomorrow!
2. Identify how you can store the most kids clothing
How can you best store your kids’ clothes? For me, especially when they are young, it is by folding it rather than hanging it. Hanging kids clothes for anyone under 10 is just a hassle in my house since my kids rarely hang anything back up. For this reason, I focus on closet storage that gives me more room for folded clothes and less room for hanging clothes…at least when they are young.
3. Find a way to work your kids closets to meet your needs
This might mean that you install some more shelving, invest in some hanging options like some sweater hangers, put dressers in the closets, or find some other way to make your closets work better for you. But, once you have identified the best way to store your kids’ clothes right now, find a way to accomplish that most efficiently.
*These are my favorite sweater hanging option.
4. Make sure you see little to no wall space in these closets
If you see wall space, you most likely have a blank space in the closet that is doing nothing for you. When I figured what would work best to meet my needs, I started by stepping back and taking in the wide picture of the closets to see where there was the blank space of the wall.
5. Don’t miss any storage options on the inside of your closet door
Investing in an over or on the door shoe organizer is perfect for keeping little things like socks, underwear, tights and nylons, and even out of season shoes that aren’t being worn. This is also where my girls keep their hair things, their body sprays and perfumes, and even some larger jewelry items.
6. Invest in sturdy hangers
If you buy the really inexpensive hangers they just don’t last most times. There is nothing more annoying than broken hangers everywhere or ones that just cause things to fall right off. If you hang things with thin straps, be sure to get the hangers that have some sort of hook or other mechanism to keep these kinds of things on. It’s also a pain to have things fall off hangers all the time simply because you don’t have the right hangers for the job.
7. Leave your kids room to grow
With bigger kids comes bigger clothes, which means that your closet organization and systems will most likely have to change. I love my sweater hangers for this reason because while these work best right now, they are not permanent, which means I can easily get rid of them later to choose something new.
8. Take advantage of double closet rods
Even if you don’t have a way to install permanent ones, you can actually purchase something that is nearly the same thing. Unless your kids have adult sized clothes that include a lot of long dresses, you probably don’t need much hanging room for these items. Double up on your hanging bars and you have just doubled your storage space.
9. Have regular closet inspection
For us, this happens on the weekend when we have our big cleaning day, and it happens right along with drawer inspection. Do not let your kids’ closets become a huge abyss for things to be thrown, stashed, and lost. Regular inspection and closet cleaning keeps them in tip top shape.
10. Take advantage of all empty space
Do you have space left over? Closets can provide a great home for things that you are having trouble finding room for elsewhere in your home. My kids’ closets also house things like sleeping bags, extra winter apparel like hats and mittens, and even bins with toys or books that aren’t being used at the present time. If there is extra room in your kids’ closets and space is at all an issue for other things, put that closet space to good use!
Most times kids have an enormous amount of stuff, and the closet can be the perfect place to put quite a bit of that stuff. It is also one of the most important places to really have organized and maximized for space since it is a bit off the beaten path.
The time you invest in making kids closet space work best will be time that you are so happy you spent once you get an organized and efficient space in place.
If your kids are going to be putting things in and taking things out of their closet, make sure that it works for them as well and that they have been adequately trained in how to best use their closet space as you have designed it to work.
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This post is based on a chapter in Ruth Soukup’s book, 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life. Grab a copy and join in as we work through it together, or, grab a copy and work through it at your own pace in your own time.
Either way, you will have a clutter free life by the time you work through all 31 days!
