Children’s bedrooms can be among the most cluttered in the house. You work hard to keep the rest of the rooms respectable, but by the time it comes to the kids’ rooms, you have run out of energy, and besides, you feel that the little ones should take some responsibility for the mess they make, so you nag at them, and still the rooms stay a mess.
The answer to this is not easy but if the children have too many toys and not much storage for them then you are fighting a losing battle straight away. Sort out toys which are broken, too young for your children or have pieces missing, and get rid of these because they are pure clutter.
Next look at the toys which just never get played with. Try and persuade the kids to give these away to the school fair or to the local charity shop. If they are reluctant to part with them, then suggest selling them on an online auction website and then let them keep the money which is made. This is a powerful incentive to get rid of clutter. Children always want money and are often powerless to earn it like adults can. If a toy or possession is loved and well used then they will not part with it for any money, but some of those more borderline items could lose their attraction when compared to the benefits of hard cash.
Next organise some adequate storage for your childrens’ rooms. No one can be tidy if there is nowhere to put things away and children need adequate storage as much as adults do.
If you improve the storage and there is still not enough space to put things after following the decluttering steps above, then consider rotating some of the toys and possessions. Pack some away in a box and put them in the loft or the cupboard under the stairs, and then every two or three months swop them with the toys left in the bedroom. This way the children get the novelty of playing with toys they haven’t seen for some time, there is plenty of bedroom storage, and tidying up at bedtime is quicker, easier and involves less nagging.
