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Cleaning Up!

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Oct. 2008 - Dec. 2008: Home & Garden: TVCH's Home & Life Organization : Cleaning Up! users admin

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Deesandy
Member

08-12-2003

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 12:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Deesandy a private message Print Post    
My daughter's room has become a mess from all the toys and stuffed animals she has now. I keep thinning things out, yet there is still so much.

I am looking for ideas on organization! What worked and did not work for you?

Her room is of average size I guess, with a small closet.

Thanks!

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 12:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Pet net for the stuffed toys. We hung one up in Dakota's room, you hang it in a corner and stick all the stuffed toys there. She loves it cuz it keeps them in one spot, but she also has a little spot in her room she can hang a sheet (from the pet net) and play tent under it, lol.

Urgrace
Member

08-19-2000

Sunday, September 10, 2006 - 12:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Urgrace a private message Print Post    
1.Organizing a kid's room with these five tools makes it easy to children to keep their rooms clean and organized.

Closet Rod
Most likely you already have one of these in your child's room. For a kid, though, the height may make it impossible for them to hang up or take down items without a mess. To hang children's clothes without letting them drag the floor, you'll need a rod height of around 32 inches. If it is possible, lower the rod to about 4-6 inches lower than the height of your child. Or install a new rod at the lower height, and leave the upper rod to hang out-of-season or dress clothes.

Allowing kids to reach the rod will help them be able to help organize their clothing.

Small Toy Bins
Chances are you had one huge toy box for all of your toys, and you may have given your child the same tool to organize and contain toys. What happens when they want a toy? They dump the whole thing out. One giant toy box may be convenient for cleanup, but it actually causes more cleanup by its nature. Try using smaller bins that allow toys to be sorted by their type or use. Besides allowing kids to play with the set they want, (without dumping everything else out), it can make cleanup time just as easy if you label the bins with pictures and words. Sorting and organizing toys can be an educational activity for your child.

Hamper for Laundry
If your kid's room is piled high with dirty laundry, the problem may be the hamper. Choose a hamper that is easy to operate for your child. Older children may benefit from a divided hamper that allows them to sort out whites, colors, and linens. Younger children may need an incentive to put their clothes in a hamper. Try mounting a basketball goal above the hamper, and let your kids slam dunk while they organize their laundry. Some companies now have animal hampers that let you feed your dirty clothes to a wild animal.

Workable Bedding
It is unreasonable to ask a child to make a bed that has more components than a model car kit. Simplify your child's bedding. I've eliminated the top sheet from my children's beds. Instead of being used, it always ended up pushed into the abyss of the end of the bed. It added a step for my kids when they tried to make their beds. If you have ruffles, sheets, duvet covers, and multiple pillows, the bed can seem impossible for a child to conquer. Simplify the contents down to what they use. Beautiful beds with multiple pillows, blankets, and sheets don't look that great when they're unmade. Trade in the bolsters and multiple shams for simplicity and a neatly made bed.

Hooks
The hook is a simple yet wonderful organizational tool. Hooks at an accessible level can allow children to hang their own hats, bags, scarves, backpacks, and more. Hang a few hooks on the back of the closet door and put labels above to remind your children of what to put there. Remember to label items with pictures and words for non-readers.

2. More: Out in the Open

Lots of things that a child uses can go on shelves, book shelves, hang on hooks, or rest in containers on a desk or tabletop. To keep things looking neat and orderly, keep books neatly arranged, games in boxes, or toys hanging on pegs on the wall. You can also place smaller items into coordinated baskets or plastic boxes for a neat look on open shelves.

Out of Sight but Close at Hand

For things that just cannot be made to look neat, use shelves or a chest of drawers in a closet, arrange boxes in an armoire, or slide things in shallow boxes under the bed. Stacks of clothes, hobby supplies, school bags can easily be hidden behind doors, but remain convenient and ready at any time. For the ultimate organization, use boxes, files, or storage baskets to keep things organized.

In-Room Organization

Probably the most useful and convenient storage space in a child's room is the closet. This is where things go that the child (or parent) uses every day, including clothes, books, school supplies, or toys. Place seldom-used items near the back of the closet, with items used frequently up front and accessible.

*If closets are small or inconvenient, look to furniture pieces for storage space. A toy box can hold toys, a cradle is a great home for a collection of dolls, or an armoire offers both hanging space for clothes, shelves for organization, and drawers for smaller things.

Out-of-Sight Storage

Find areas away from the bedroom for storing outgrown toys or clothes that you can't part with, seasonal sports equipment, or treasured school work or art works.

Discover space

In a Closet
A closet is a space dedicated to storage. A big box really. You don't have to hang clothes on the pole and put stuff on the shelves high above.

You can arrange a closet any way that works for you. Use it to the best advantage for everything that your child owns. If the child is small, put the things that they will get at themselves down low at eye level. You probably won't need much hanging space, so add shelves, drawers, and boxes to store things.

High Overhead
Adding shelves 12" to 18" below the ceiling, all around the room or just on one wall, will offer lots of display space and storage area.

If you need things out of sight, put color-coordinated storage boxes on the shelves. Carefully mark each box with contents, using a label maker or press-on letters. Or collect baskets to hold things out of reach. To make them decorative, you can spray paint with a color to coordinate with the room's decor or tie pretty wired bows on the outside.

This is a great place to display sports trophies, collections of almost anything, pictures or child artwork, or out-of-season clothes, neatly folded. You'll find more shelving ideas and projects here.

On Shelves
Book shelves are not just for books! In fact, book shelves work for storing almost anything. Make sure there's enough room to put everything, and for an interesting look, make room for stuffed animals, dolls, or cars on the same shelf as books.

Or to hide away some small pieces, use colorful or clear plastic boxes with lids. Or choose boxy baskets that will slide easily on and off the shelves. Use a low book shelf at the end of a bed or on the side as a bedside table.

Under the Bed
Some children's beds are built with pull-out drawers under the box spring--how clever! They offer built-in storage.

But you can add similar space by rolling boxes under a regular bed. To keep things dust-free, cover the boxes. This is a great place to store out-of-season or outgrown clothes or old school work.

Inside a Chest of Drawers or Storage Bench
Add a great piece of furniture to provide storage space in a child's room. Drawers work for almost anything. Be sure they cannot pull all the way out! A storage bench is great for odd-shaped things like balls, skates, and other sporting items. Be sure that the hinges are safe and the top won't fall down on little heads or tiny fingers.

Find Drawer Space
Instead of using a small table next to a bed, choose a chest of drawers. A mar-proof finish on the top will protect it from water marks and the drawers will provide great storage for toys, bedtime reading, pajamas, and extra blankets.

Window Seats
Creative parents can build a window seat that provides room for storage and a place to snuggle to read. Instead of a lift-up lid on top, consider big pull-out drawers or shelves for easy access. This is great space for bedding, blankets, and big toys.

Organize Small Pieces
It seems as though kids have lots of small stuff, no matter what their special interests are. Doll clothes, tea sets, jewelry, puzzle pieces, and games are stored well in plastic boxes or shoe boxes, carefully marked with contents.

Baby
Member

01-08-2006

Sunday, September 10, 2006 - 3:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Baby a private message Print Post    
Thanks Urgrace for posting this info!

Being in a wheelchair and having limitations on what I can do and can't do can be very challenging when it comes to everyday living. I am constantly trying to figure out how to do simple things in a more efficient and less painful way. I pride myself on coming up with some really good solutions. But, I tell you, I found this article extremely helpful and I am now thinking of all kinds of new ways to make things easier.

So, thank you, Urgrace, for posting this wonderful info! It will make a difference in my life!

Sia
Member

03-11-2002

Friday, February 22, 2008 - 2:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Baby, my daughter is nine and has a tiny room with no closet at all, and the best thing I've bought lately to help her organize some of her gear is a $10 wire 3-shelf stand from Dollar General. We have arranged all her stuffed animals on the shelves--except for the ones that are absolutely NECESSARY to have in the bed with her! The tiny beanie-baby type stuffed animals are arranged artfully in a basket on the topmost shelf.

Standing at just 5 ft. 4, I have trouble reaching up high, and being very overweight and having a very bad back and serious osteoarthritis, I do much of my housework while seated. My grabbing sticks ($20, Lowe's home improvement store) are indispensable. I have three of them. The stick is absolutely essential for doing laundry. I sit on a bench and can pick up dropped garments, and can reach into the front-load washer without my having to get up and down repeatedly. I also have a small TV with a built-in DVD player in my little laundry room to make my time there seem more bearable. I've been watching the series "V" while doing laundry lately.

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Monday, April 07, 2008 - 4:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
I have a plastic set of drawers that are about 18 inches wide by about 24 inches deep. There are six drawers, verticle. Each drawer is designated for different stuff. Top drawer is her horse drawer, 2 barbie drawer, 3 my little ponies, 4 Baby Doll accessories, 5 Toy Dishes and baking stuff, 6. Misc. Toys.

This keeps things organized and the drawers arre clear so you can see what is in them. It works good for clothes too. It fits nicely into the closet. I suggest getting a couple of these, I need to pick up another one, as I now have two kids and they have a lot of stuff. Every time they get a new toy, they put an old one they don't play with into the donation bag and it get's donated about every 6 months.

Kimsue
Member

07-08-2005

Monday, January 05, 2009 - 11:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kimsue a private message Print Post    
Wow !!! It's been a while for this thread.....

We are having trouble keeping the snow removed from our drive and walks. And for the first time in the eleven years we have lived here, we have to shovel of our roof. The climate changes are totally freaking out the Inland North West. I have asked my DH to buy a snow blower for several years now and now that he is conceding there isn't one to be found that has not been marked up to take advantage of us/situation. I guarantee we will have one before next winter.