Ogdensburg New Jersey Self Storage | Mini Storage | Storage Units | AA1 Self Storage

Has your home become overrun with an unbearable amount of kid clutter? You know what we mean- LEGO bricks underfoot, stacks of art projects and homework sheets on every available surface, and tiny shoes kicked off by the door just waiting to trip someone. If you want to tackle the kid clutter, check out these tips below. 

Before you start any home organization project, identify the pressure points that are specific to your family. A cluttered playroom in one home might be the sign of kids who are actively using their toys for creative, imaginative play. For other kids that clutter could prevent them from engaging with their playroom at all. Consider the long term functionality as well- will your children be able to keep up with these systems independently? Try to involve them in the process of creating new systems as much as possible. 

Create a rotating art display. 

Hang a gallery wall composed of empty, low-profile frames with the glass removed. Run a string across the frame and attach artwork with clips. Want to put up something new? Something else has to move out first! 

Book it.

Keep a few special pieces of art to hang or store in a child’s baby box, but that’s it. Find a spot in the house with good lighting and do a photography session every few weeks with artwork and school projects you’d like to remember, then trash the physical items. At the end of the school or calendar year you can print a dedicated photo book that serves as a yearbook of sorts or mix these pictures in with family photos in an album you might make anyway. . 

Have an inbox and an outbox. 

All papers coming home from school, daycare or activities can be sorted: needs action (forms to be filled out, homework to be completed) or needs sorted (completed school assignments, artwork). Have a dedicated area where forms or assignments that need to go back to school or activities can be easily found as well. 

Your home is for living, not for storage.

 If you’re not done having kids, you’ll probably end up hanging on to a fair amount of gear for the future. Don’t let the stroller or crib you’ll need again someday take up valuable space in your home- get a Newton, NJ climate-controlled storage unit. 

Establish landing pads. 

Make sure you have a dedicated space for shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes, sports gear, and coats. You know, all the things that get tossed to the floor or kitchen table when you get home. This doesn’t have to be an elaborate, Instagram-perfect mudroom with coordinating monogrammed bins. Use the space you have wisely. Some well-placed removable plastic hooks and an over-the-door pocket organizer could turn the back of your basement door into the perfect out-of-sight but functional space. 

Take charge. 

Set aside space in a common area to be a charging station. There are some great, affordable charging stations for sale that will wrangle your cords and keep them out of sight.  If your kids use chargeable devices for school, have them place those in the charging station when they come home and they’ll always know where to find them in the morning. 

Decanting- it’s not just for wine anymore.

The process of “decanting” food products by removing their packaging and placing them in storage containers is very popular right now. It’s not just aesthetically pleasing, it also helps items stack better and reduces clutter. The same process can be applied to puzzles and games. Ditch the boxes and put those items in large mesh zipper pouches with labels. Store the pouches vertically in a tote. If you want to hang on to the boxes for the future, put them in your storage unit. 

Do a pre-holiday purge. 

No matter how well you organize toys, you’ll most likely eventually reach a point where you just need to reduce the amount. Make room before a gift-giving holiday like Christmas or birthdays by going through toys with your kids. Even very young kids can get in on this process. Bring everything out into the open and sort it together so they’re part of the process. Use categories such as:  keep, donate or sell, trash, and move into storage. Consider setting aside a bucket for small items-  little toys from the dentist’s office, tiny trinkets from class valentine’s day parties, favors from birthday parties. You can put these small treasures out at Halloween- kids with food allergies will especially be grateful. 

Set up rotations. 

Kids can get overwhelmed with the number of toys they own and the clutter can keep them from actually playing. Set up a system where toys get rotated in and out of storage. Do the same thing with wardrobes. Only having seasonally appropriate items that currently fit in their dresser and closet will promote independence and confidence in dressing themselves. 

We hope these tips will help you turn your Sussex County storage unit and home into a place with plenty of room for playing and growing and fewer struggles over clutter.