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Creativity, effort can help control kids' clutter, experts say
Rod and Candy Hill turned an attic into a playroom that houses their kids' toys
Christopher Horner, Tribune-Review
Evan and Bryan Hill play in the spacious toy closet
Christopher Horner, Tribune-Review
"I've heard the best way to deal with clutter is to avoid it," she says, with tongue tucked firmly in cheek.
A noble goal, but parents who live in the real world have learned that clutter is a fact of life, especially after their children's holiday haul starts to pile up.
"If you open the Sears catalog and go to the toy section, I think we have two of each," says Rod Hill of Conway, Beaver County. "When it gets really bad, we just open up the windows, and start tossing things out."
When you find yourself stepping on Legos and sitting on Barbie heads, there are some practical ways of dealing with the mess, er, creative play atmosphere.
Professional organizers say it's possible to control clutter with a little effort and creativity.
Instead of stuffing new clothes into crammed closets and squeezing all those toys into overflowing toy boxes, the pros suggest that parents and kids take a day to sort their stuff and find everything a home — using an out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new philosophy.
In the end, the time spent getting organized will make it easier for kids to find things and keep their rooms — and the rest of the house — clean. That can add up to a lot of stress relief for parents stuck inside on cold winter days.
Patty Kreamer of Green Tree, a professional organizer who wrote the book, "… But I Might Need It Someday!" says people are buried under mountains of clutter for two reasons: no time and no space.
Kreamer, who helps businesses as well as individuals get organized through her home business Kreamer Connect Inc., says clutter is nothing more than a bunch of decisions that need to be made.
"But everyone puts off those decisions; it's easier to do nothing," she says. "Plus, we all fill our lives so full of stuff, that it's only natural that our houses and cars are full, too."
Kreamer says to get organized, you first need to make a real commitment and then some tough decicions.
"You have to stop making excuses," she says. "Start thinking about what your life would be like without all of the clutter, and I gurantee you'll feel your shoulders start to go down and a lot of the stress subside."
Parents say it's important for toys, art supplies, stuffed animals and sports equipment to have a proper home — a desk, toy box, storage container, or peg on the wall that kids can reach.
That way, even the little ones learn where to put things when they come home from school or when it's time to clean up.
One basic organizing principle is to keep items in an area where they will be used. For example, move the dresser next to the closet to create a "dressing zone." Likewise, create a "homework or study zone" centered on a clean desktop near shelves, a bookcase or filing cabinet.
Kristen Marshall, the mother of 2-year-old twins and a 5-year-old boy, has provided a special box by the front door for all the boots, mittens, hats and scarves, and also put up low-hanging coat hooks. She recently bought her son a grown-up desk with lots of drawers. "He loves to put all his stuff in it," she says.
Other parents say the key is to rotate toys from upstairs to downstairs, or from basement to toy box, on a regular basis.
"Every two weeks or so, I go through the toys in an area like our family room," Marshall says. "I organize them into baskets and plastic containers and take a bunch of them to the basement for a rest."
Then, Marshall brings up other toys that the kids haven't seen in a while, and "you'd think it was Christmas morning!"
Debbie Williams, author of "Home Management 101: A Guide for Busy Parents," says keeping back some Christmas toys and re-introducing them throughout the winter is a great idea.
"Weeks will go by before they play with all the toys they got," she says. "Staggering it a little helps a lot."
To organize all those little dollhouse parts, blocks, and game and puzzle pieces, experts suggest taking them out of the original boxes and placing them in smaller shoe boxes, zipper-lock bags or plastic containers, and labeling them with titles such as "Fisher-Price people," "Legos" or "Play-Dough."
Be creative when it comes to containers, experts say. Some kids really like fishing tackle boxes for storing collectibles such as rocks or trading cards. Inexpensive dish pans can be purchased at dollar stores and shoved under beds.
Connie Bugrin of Shaler Township says she and her daughter like to decorate Rubbermaid containers with stickers. For example, bins for Barbies get Barbie stickers, bins for toy trucks and construction equipment get truck stickers, etc.
"It makes for a great rainy day project," Bugrin says.
When kids get too old for Thomas the Train and SpongeBob, it's time to organize a neighborhood toy swap or garage sale, or donate gently used and clean items to a charitable organization such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
Parents say encouraging your children to pick out a few treasured toys and donate the others teaches important life lessons.
"We had a garage sale, and I told the kids whatever they sold, they could use the money to buy something else," Candy Hill says. "I also encouraged my 10-year-old daughter to give some of her dolls to younger children so that they could enjoy them."
Extremely lucky parents with lots of extra space say the key to controlling clutter is creating an entire room or closet for your kids' stuff.
Lisa Cubellis of Sewickley says when her family moved into a new house, she turned the fourth bedroom into a playroom.
"Our previous residence did not allow for this type of space, and the clutter was everywhere," she says. "We had toy boxes in the family room and easels in the dining room. It was terrible because we were always tripping over toys."
Now, Cubellis says her 3 1/2 year-old twins are allowed to bring toys down to the family room, but they know that they have to clean them up by the end of the night.
Setting firm rules about cleanup is important early on.
"We have established rules that before they get something new out, they have to put whatever they were playing with back," Candy Hill says.
The Hills also designed a new addition to their house with their four children in mind.
Hills' husband, Rod, helped turn the attic — 34 feet long and 18 feet wide — into a special area for the kids, big enough for a computer, television, toy closet and lots of room to run around.
"It's nice when you're having company over because all their stuff is up there, and they can play and not bother anyone," Rod says. "It keeps everything out from under your feet."
The Hills have also improvised other options for eliminating clutter. For example, they put inexpensive plastic tablecloths on the table or floor toprotect surfaces when the kids play with modeling clay, crayons or ink stamps.
"There are lots of inexpensive and fun things you can do to control the clutter," Hill says.
| Cut down on clutter |
Patty Kreamer, author of "… But I Might Need it Someday! How to Organize Your Life and WIN the Clutter Battle Once and for All" (First Books Library, $17.50) says you know it's time to get organized when:
Kreamer, who offers professional organizing services, says the most important thing to remember about getting organized is to make it fun. "Look at organizing as an exciting adventure," she says in her Top 10 list on how to get organized and simplify your life.
"If you think it will be a boring or grueling chore, you'll hate every minute of it," she says. "Envision the end results: no more stress; no more piles; setting a good example for others; being able to find things when you need them, not by accident three days later."
Details: www.kreamerconnect.com.
| Kids 'Hop To It' |
Other experts say it's easy to help kids get organized by making a game of cleaning up.
A new video from Disney Playhouse featuring the animated character Stanley does just that. Stanley searches the animal world to learn about how things work, and learns important lessons along the way.
In "Hop to It," Stanley learns how to clean his room by acting like a kangaroo. At the same time, he discovers interesting facts about the Australian marsupial. Most especially, he learns to solve problems and clean up the mess he made by himself.
"Hop to It" will be available on VHS ($12.99) and DVD ($19.99) in video stores in March.
