Kids Closet Organzing

Closets...you either love the closets in your house, or you hate them. I would have to guess that the majority of people are not happy with their closets. The biggest complaint I get is that they are too small.
It would be ideal for each of us to have someone come in and install a complete closet system wouldn't it? But that isn't realistic.
So we have to make due with what we have and be able to expand on it to make it more usable.
You can buy a hanger extension for as little as $9.99. It just hooks onto the bar above and gives you a 2nd hanging bar. This works great for kids. They all of a sudden can reach their hangers!! They can get their own clothes and hang up their own clothes. Not only does it help you, but it gives them a feeling of accomplishment.
Putting in an extra shelf or two in a closet isn't hard. Most homes today have the wire shelves built in. But there is a lot of wasted space above them. You can fit another shelf above in most cases.


Using the backs of doors can be a great alternative to finding extra space in a room. These over the door shoe hangers can be used obviously for shoes. But you can also use them for toys, combs, brushes, small stuffed animals, barbies, suntan lotion, sunglasses, winter gloves...and the list goes on.

Here is another option for the back of a bedroom door or inside a swinging closet door. It has little pockets for the kids items, blackboard and bulletin board. I found this one at JoAnn's. But I have seen them also at Walmart. They run about $15.
You can also hang magnetic boards, or just hooks for clothes to go on. The list is long, it just takes a little imagination. But don't waste that space behind or inside of a door.
Under the bed storage is a great option. Usually the only thing you find under their beds is clothes and toys that have made it there in a "clean up" attempt. You can store out of season clothes in them. Don't rule out this option if you have very limited space and more than one child in a room. If they don't have much closet or dresser space...use it for their daily clothes if needed. But be sure to get something that is easy to pull out and easy to open up. Or don't even put a lid on it if they are using it daily.

Keep things bright and colorful if you can. Baskets make a great addition for organizing socks, underwear, toys etc. This basket I put up on her shelf to put clothes in that she has outgrown. When you or your children come across something that doesn't fit, instead of shoving it back in the drawer..take it out and put it in the basket (or a hanging laundry bag or garage bag works too) to get it out of your drawer.

Use your floor space as best as possible. Otherwise it just gets filled with shoes, clothes and toys that hit the floor.
If you have room for a drawer unit like this, it is inexpensive and can house toys, workbooks, paper etc.. or can be used for socks and underwear if a dresser is limited.
The white shelves also can be used as such for shoes, but these are also a great space for baskets for any number of items.
Be creative and try and use all the space available.

Organizing Kids Rooms

Kids rooms can be a challenge. We want them to be cute and fun, but they also need to be practical. Spending a lot of money on the kids bedrooms is not always an option for many of us (including me).
I did my Mom TV show last night in my step daughter's bedroom. I explained that as cute as it is (at least I think so), it was very inexpensive to do. I think I maybe spent about $50 when we married almost 3 years ago and my husband and his kids moved into my house. I painted all her existing bedroom furniture. It had been a set that his sister had when she was a kid. I am sure many of you had seen it, white with little rose bud designs. But this was worn and didn't look so great. I used pink, purple and lime green as my color scheme and went to work.

I found this shelf at a garage sale for $2. It was white and falling apart. My husband put in a couple of nails and I painted it and it is great! If you are able to use wall space..then do! You can add storage space and make it look cute at the same time.

I took a white bookshelf that we had elsewhere in the house and could reutilize and painted it pink to go in the room. I added hooks on the side of it. You can put up several and use them for necklaces, belts etc. She uses her for her robe and ballet bag.

A bulletin board can be a great place for the kids to put up their artwork. If you have a closet door that opens out, on the inside of that is a great place to place one. The back of a door can also work.

This is a fun little storage option. I found it at Ikea. We have not hung a hook for it, and my step daughter made her own solution because she wanted to use it. She hung it on one of the hooks that holds her Twitter laundry bag. These come in the longer version (shown) or one that just has 4 cubbies slots.

You can use these for little stuffed animals, small toys and knickknacks. You can even use them in a closet for underwear and socks or baby's room for small baby clothes or diapers.
You children's rooms need to follow the same direction that the rest of our house does. Too much clutter can make them feel "cluttered" and anxious.
We need to teach them that they need to have a limited amount of "stuff" in their room and start them early on not being pack rats themselves and thinking they can't part with any of their toys.