You would think with all the conveniences of modern living that our lives would be so much easier than in days gone by. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case as mums are busier than ever before. Many work outside the home and with an assortment of activities that require time spent on anything but household duties, it seems like the playroom is a never-ending source of clutter. Here are 7 easy ways to keep playroom clutter to a minimum for busy mums.
1) Built-in Wall Shelving
For mums with children who have a penchant for moving furniture around, the only solution might be built-in shelving. It is impossible to push attached shelves all over the room, so anything stored here should stay right where it is. That is, unless, they begin pulling everything off to see what’s there!
2) Colour Coordinating Bins
Another novel idea is to use colour coordinating bins. Place a picture on the outside of each bin to show your children which types of items go in which colour drawers. For example, books could go in blue whilst toy cars need to be in red bins. After a while, children will just associate colours with different toys and it should be easy to train them to keep them sorted nicely.
3) Child Tables with Storage Drawers
Many activities are done at child-sized tables such as drawing and working with clay or Play-Doh. It is possible to get activity tables that have drawers and storage space so that kids can put things away when they are finished. In reality it may be mum who tidies up, but this will provide much needed space for those art and crafts materials that never seem to find a home.
4) Cubby Bins
If built in shelving is not an option, stackable cubby bins can work well. These can come as separate ‘boxes’ or stacked together as a single unit. If clearly labelled, kids can also be taught to pick up after themselves whilst putting everything in its proper place.
5) Corner Shelves
In order to take advantage of every bit of floor space, corner shelves are a great idea. Now toys and other items can be stacked on shelves lining two walls instead of just one with a dead end at the corner.
6) Hanging Cups for Crayons
Here is a great idea many mums have had a good deal of success with. It is possible to find inexpensive coat hooks that have several pegs for hanging coats on the wall. Instead of using the rack to hang coats, hang strong plastic or metal cups to hold crayons and pencils. It is suggested that you hang these low on the wall so littler people can reach in to get crayons but to put them away as well.
7) Move the Playroom to the Garden
If all else fails and the mess is just too much to handle, move the playroom out to the garden. You can have a lovely playroom built outside in a garden room built just for this reason. Besides, as the kids grow older this room will definitely add living space that you wouldn’t have had without it. For Ideas on choices available, you can check out GardenSpaces.co.uk garden rooms.
Any of these ideas can help busy mums keep playroom clutter to a minimum. Use as many of these tips as necessary to help you stay organised whilst teaching kids to pick up after themselves. Whether you work outside the home or are a stay at home mum, keeping a playroom neat and tidy can be a full-time job. These tips should lighten your load.
Guest Post
Fab tips and love the idea of moving the playroom to the garden, I can then use the conservatory as a reading room for moi. Perfect x
Oooh a reading room, I LOVE that idea too!! Thanks for the extra tip x