Keeping bedrooms tidy with clever storage ideas
We all know how hard it is to keep children's bedrooms tidy, Often one of the smaller bedrooms, with limited space for storage, and with all those little clothes, books, special toys, bedding, and medical bits to keep tucked away, it's an ongoing battle. However, it's so important to keep their rooms free of clutter to help them to relax before bedtime.
Wardrobe tricks
- Expandable shelves
Handy expanding shelves can add major space in a cupboard where there aren’t enough, or the shelves are spaced too wide and piles get out of control. With tension rods, and no screws, they are great for light-weight items like clothes and soft toys. - Hanging shoe storage
Make the most of that long hanging space with vertical shoe storage, narrower than the full size clothing version, these shoe stores are great for rolled up clothes. Or add in a few long thin boxes to keep small toys tidy. - Magazine files
These are a great trick and are perfect to keep books tidy either in the wardrobe on shelves or out on show as you can easily turn them around to hide the contents.
Tidy drawers, tidy mind
Drawer dividers
Organised drawers are so satisfying, and Marie Kondo swears by boxes to keep everything tidy. But, for kids, the way to make it work is by getting hold of the smallest and lightest boxes you can so they don’t add too much weight to the drawers. Folding fabric ones are great, and fit them two deep in the drawers, with less worn items at the back.
It pays to get into good tidying habits early too! As kids get to about 3, they love to start to dress themselves, so put socks, underwear in the lower drawers so they can find clothes easily. And another quick tip is to add labels with pictures of each item to the top of each box to help little ones learn to find their own clothes in the morning.
Hidden storage space
- Over the door shoe storage
Depending on the layout of the room, it’s a great idea to make the most of that big space on the back of the door. Usually it’s reserved for dressing gowns or towels, but the whole space can be taken advantage of by adding some hanging shoe storage. Perfect small compartments for teddies, clothes, toys, shoes, all off the floor and out of the way. And combined with an extra long over the door hook, there’s still room for a towel and dressing gown.
One thing to think about when using the back of the door for storage is whether it’s in the eye line from the bed as it could be distracting as children try to get to sleep, so it’s a good idea to think about that before you commit to it.
Make the most of the space you have
Wall and ceiling storage
The huge space above their heads is really under-used, but anything near or above the bed is a bit of a no no as there is a risk of items falling onto the bed. Even light-weight canopies over the bed should be avoided as there’s risk of suffocation, however cute they look.
But, with some clever planning, it’s pretty easy to use the corners to find extra areas for storage. A reading nook with wall-mounted shelving to keep books tidy in magazine files or a white board, or board painted the same colour as the room with space to put favourite photos or pictures creates a cosy welcoming area.
Hanging storage
A small screw in the ceiling can create a great place for storing toys. Hang the storage in a corner out of eye line of your little one when they’re in bed so they can't see it when they're going to sleep.
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Movable storage
- So many kids have the box room in a traditional house, and in rented homes, especially, it’s pretty hard to fit decent storage in a room, as large wardrobes and drawer units should be screwed into the wall to stop them falling.
Freestanding hanging rail
There are some really cute hanging rails available for kids as they grow up. These are ideal as they take up very little room and it’s easy to see what’s there. The only problem with them is that everything is on show to see, which doesn’t look great and could be distracting for little ones trying to get to sleep. What we’ve found, though, is that a blanket or sheet over the top really keeps everything covered and dust free at night. It doesn’t look the best but take it off in the morning, and it’s all ready for a little fashionista to choose a new outfit of the day!
