To say that kids are capable of making messes would be an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, they are also a great help around the house and in the kitchen, but the sheer nature of having 4+ people in your home means you have to deal with a lot of dust, little pieces of paper everywhere, and other small items on the floor constantly.
Many days, you'd feel like you're losing the battle against an endless pile of little items on the floor, any parent knows that kids create clutter like nobody’s business.
It’s enough to drive you crazy. Still, with a little diligence, it’s possible to have a simple, (relatively) uncluttered home as well as peace of mind.
Let me first state the obvious: any life that includes children is going to be complicated, at least to some degree. You’ll never get an absolute minimalist lifestyle with kids, and you have to learn to accept that.
Here are my tips for simplifying your home with kids:
Identify the important. The first step in decluttering is identifying which toys and other possessions are truly important to the kids. What do they play with, what do they love? Then get rid of as much of the rest as possible, keeping only those they use and love.
Purge…ruthlessly. Every day, ask yourself, “What am I willing to let go of today?” Put one item (or more) into a box to give away. Have your kids do the same. Put a smiley face on the box, and tell them that every item that they put in there will make someone else happy.
Leave space. When you put the important stuff back, don’t try to fill up each drawer, shelf or closet area. Allow there to be some space around the objects. It’s much nicer looking, and it leaves room for a couple of extra items later if necessary.
Bins. These are the best type of containers for kids stuff, in general. Bins or baskets. The key is to make it easy for the kids (or you) to toss their stuff into the bins, making cleanup simple. Label each bin, if possible, with the type of stuff that goes there (blocks, stuffed toys, Legos, instruments of destruction). If your child can’t read, use picture labels.
Cubbies. We had a small plastic 3-drawer organizer (we call them “cubbies”) for each child. They don’t take up much room in the closets, and it allows them to have a place to put their little odds and ends that would otherwise be all over the place.
Organize like with like. Try to keep similar things organized together. So, one bin for stuffed toys, another for sports stuff. This makes it easier to remember. Same thing with clothes: underwear and socks together, shirts, shorts, pants, etc. All video game stuff in one place.
One place for school papers. Similarly, you should have one place to keep all incoming school papers. We had an inbox for all incoming papers in our house, but we also keep a folder to store school papers, so we never have to search for them.
Teach them to clean. So, instead of continually stressing out about the messes, you just ask them to clean up now and then. Sure, things will get messy again soon. But at least the kids are doing the work cleaning up, not you. :)
Allow them to mess. Kids are not perfect. They will inevitably make a mess. You have to allow them to do this. Then, when they’re done, ask them to clean it up. No harm, no foul.
Clean as you go. Learn to clean up messes as you go (or ask the kids to clean up their mess), so that the house is never a wreck.
Clean before bed. Do a quick clean-up right before you go to bed, getting any little things the little ones forgot to put away. It makes mornings much more pleasant.
30-minute cleanups. On Saturdays, do a “30-minute cleanup”. This means that every child (over 5 years old probably) has a chore, and the whole family (including parents) pitch in to clean up the house. Set a timer, and see if you can do it all in 30 minutes. That’s much easier for your family to accomplish, as you have the little people (including two adults and a teenager) pitching in to finish quickly. This gives a clean house and the rest of the day to have fun.
Prep time. This isn’t so much to do with clutter as with general simplifying your life with kids. It helps to have prep time each evening and morning to prepare the kids’ lunches, clothes, or whatever is needed for whatever you’re doing that day. This means you get the soccer gear and drinks and snacks ready on soccer days, or whatever gear is necessary for the activities of the day. It saves a rush when you are trying to get out the door, and saves you from forgetting stuff later.
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