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28. Do a Quick Clothes Change

THE PROBLEM

Clothing can be a major problem in closets and bedrooms. The problem I see with most closets and bedrooms that I organize is that people keep way too many clothes — clothes that they may wear someday, clothes that they can't bear to part with for sentimental reasons, clothes that are stained or ripped or that they haven't gotten around to mending, and clothes that they've been meaning to give to someone else. It all takes up space in their closets and on their floors. Keeping track of your children's clothing can be even more chaotic when they don't put their dirty clothes in the wash, and when they outgrow their clothes.

THE STORY

A friend of mine has three children and decided it was time to go through their clothes and weed them out to see what they each needed for the summer season ahead. She started with the oldest child's clothes. She removed all of the clothes from the closet and dresser and began making piles on the floor: clothes to grow into, clothes to give to a cousin, clothes to give to charity, summer clothes, and winter clothes. Unfortunately the mother's time was limited to less than two hours so the project did not get completed and the piles remained on the floor. By the time she got back to the project, the piles were messed up and she had forgotten where each belonged, so she had to start categorizing all over again!

THE SOLUTION

I say, if all your child's clothes can't fit in the closets and dressers that she currently has, you've got two choices:

  1. Get a bigger dresser and expand the closet, or
  2. Cut down on the amount of clothing that she has.

It's that simple. And it all starts with focused working time and decision making. Plan to spend at least two hours going through your child's clothing (based on the premise that the child has one dresser and one closet). If your child has an exorbitant amount of clothing, allow for a little more time. If your time is limited, plan to clear out only the closet or only the dresser at one time. Don't try to do all of the clothes at once. If you can't work for two straight hours, work for just one hour, sorting one drawer at a time, or break the closet down into sections and tackle one section at a time. But have a bigger plan that takes you through all of your child's clothing in a few days. Using my CPR method (see Chapters 20 and 25), sort the clothes into a few categories, purge as you go, then rearrange the piles you have made into the most logical places in the dresser or closet. Your child should be with you, making the decisions. You are the facilitator. As you go through the steps listed in this chapter, you will be giving your child options that you both can live with and letting her choose. That way, the system you develop is really designed by your child, and she will be more likely to keep up with it.

If your time is limited, plan to clear out only the closet or only the dresser at one time. Don't try to do all of the clothes at once.

Absolute of Organizing Your Family: Give your children a few options that you can live with, and let them choose.

If you follow the methods outlined in this chapter, you can clear out an average child's closet and a set of drawers in about two hours. If you have a system, and you stay focused on the task at hand with your child helping, you might even beat that time! Try to make it fun so your child stays interested. You can even let her put on music (if you can stand it) to keep up the energy.

Try to make the organizing fun so your child stays interested. You can even let her put on music to keep up the energy.

Organizing a Closet

  1. Put a sheet on the ground to keep the clothes clean as you sort, or use a bed for your sorting area. Have one bag for trash and one for donations. If handing down the clothes to a smaller sibling is an option, have a box for that child in the room, too. If the clothing is name-brand and in excellent condition, consignment may be an option for you. So the total number of sorting possibilities is five: Trash, Donate, Hand Down, Consign, Keep.
  2. Now start to take everything out of the closet. I usually start with the top shelf, then the floor, then go to the hanging clothes.
  3. Facilitate the decision making by asking your child, “Do you wear this, yes or no?” No's go in the Donate, Consign, or Hand Down pile if they are in good condition. Clothing that is really damaged should be trashed. Yes's go in the Keep pile. If she has a hard time deciding, then ask her, “When was the last time you wore this?” If it was more than a year ago, it's time to go. If she says she doesn't wear it, but wants to keep it for memory's sake, put it in her memory box. If she doesn't have a memory box, see Chapter 12 for more information.
  4. Get the Donations and Consignment piles ready to go out the door. You may even want to put them in your car. Make sure that you call the consignment shop where you are taking the clothes to find out hours of operation and what they will and won't take. Most consignment shops will only take clothes for a specific season, so if your clothes are not the right season, give them away. Hanging on to them for another three to six months does not solve your problem.
  5. Move the hand-me-downs into the other sibling's room. These can be dealt with as you organize your other child's clothing.
  6. Now you can put the Keep pile back into the closet or dresser. Ask your child how she would like to find her clothes. Does she like them folded on a shelf or hanging? You may need to add a shelf or shelf dividers in some cases. If everything will be hung up, and you have the vertical space, an easy way to get more space is to add a double-hanging bar. The lower hanging bar is also handy for small children so they can reach the clothes they wear. The upper level can be used for clothes not frequently worn or for out-of-season clothing. If you need to make changes to the closet, still put the clothes back in for now. Make a list of what you will need to improve the closet and make sure to take measurements before you shop.
  7. As your child helps you put the clothing away, ask her: “Do you like to arrange your clothes by style or color?” Style might mean sections for: dressy, casual, exercise clothes, and uniforms. Many children like to arrange by color because it's easy to find what they are looking for (i.e., my favorite pink sweater). Even though you might not think this way, remember to go with your child's preferences.
  8. If she has accessories like belts, hats, or scarves, ask your child where she wants those kept. Hooks in the closet or a small drawer are two possible options for these items.
  9. If you have a high shelf that your child can't reach, use that space for sheets, out-of-season clothes, or bins that you can easily take down.
  10. Stand back and admire your little two-hour project. Make sure your child can reach what she needs.

If you need to make changes to your child's closet, still put the clothes back in for now. Make a list of what you will need to improve the closet and take measurements before you shop.

Organizing a Dresser

If the dresser is overstuffed, then this might be the first place you start to organize clothes. Follow these steps for a quick drawer clean out:

  1. Put a sheet on the floor or use a bed to sort the clothing you will pull out of the dresser.
  2. Have bags ready for donations and trash, a box for hand-me-downs, and a box or bag for consignment.
  3. Take everything out, one drawer at a time, and ask your child, “Do you wear this?” If she answers no, then the piece of clothing goes into the Donate, Consign, Hand Down, or Trash pile. If she says yes, fold the item and make piles on the bed or floor. Keep like things together as you make the piles (e.g., shirts, pants, shorts, socks, underwear, pajamas).
  4. After you have pulled out all the clothes from the drawers and you have your piles and bags in front of you, move out of the room anything you are not keeping in there. Put the donation and consignment bags in your car or near a door to your home. Move any hand-me-downs to the appropriate sibling's room. Tuck any memory clothes (like T-shirts or hats) in a memory box, even if it's a temporary container.
  5. Take a look at the piles you are keeping and the empty drawers you have. Put small things (such as socks and underwear) in the smallest drawers. If you have large, deep drawers, you may need drawer dividers. These can be found at many home stores. You can also use shoe-boxes or gift boxes without lids as a simple, inexpensive way to divide a large drawer. This is the part of organizing that is like putting together a puzzle. Let your child make the decision about what goes where, so it makes sense to her.
  6. As you start to put the clothes back into a drawer, ask your child if she would like to break down the categories any more. For instance, shirts might be broken down into T-shirts and polos. Or your child might like to put the same colors together. Whatever works for her is OK.

Move out of the room anything you are not keeping in it. Put donation bags in your car or near a door to your home. Move hand-me-downs to the appropriate sibling's room.

Putting Clothes Away

I HAVE A SIMPLE SYSTEM for getting my kids to put their clothes away. For starters, I only do laundry once a week. So at the end of laundry day, all their individual baskets are in the family room and we each take our own basket upstairs when getting ready for bed (my husband and myself included). I have my children separate their laundry into piles on their bed: pajamas, shirts, pants, shorts, etc. Then each category goes in the appropriate drawer. My husband or I usually help the youngest one with hanging clothes in his closet. I taught the kids at age six how to do this and now it's just a weekly routine for the whole family. Once the clothes are put away, they can have dessert that night!

Where to Put the Dirty Clothes

Now that you have established a place for all the clean clothes in your child's room, you have to make sure she keeps the dirty clothes separate from clean! Common sense tells us a laundry basket should solve that problem, right? Well, not for all children. Here are a few options to consider:

  1. Keep a laundry basket in the bottom of the closet. This is always my first choice because it keeps dirty clothes out of sight.
  2. Use a decorative laundry bin or basket that is out in the bedroom. This is a good option when your closet space is limited. It also works well for kids who have a hard time opening their closet doors by themselves. If you find that your child tends to throw her dirty clothes in a certain corner of the room, then try putting a laundry basket in that space.
  3. Use a separated laundry bin. You may have seen these three-section laundry bins that work well for the whole family. There are canvas bins for darks, lights, and whites. These can be strategically placed for the whole family to use so that when it's time to wash, the sorting is already done. It's even better if the bins are color coded or labeled so that the separations are clear.
  4. Use a combination approach. If your laundry room has enough space, you can place the separated bin there and still have laundry baskets in each person's bedroom. When your children are ready, you can have them bring their clothes into the laundry area and separate it themselves. Just another life skill that they will need to know before they go off to college!

A basket in the bottom of the closet keeps dirty clothes out of sight.

The Seasonal Switch

The change of seasons is a perfect time to go through clothing, not just for children, but for moms and dads as well. Many people I know do the seasonal switch when there is not enough room in the closet or dressers to fit all their clothing. It's also very common when more than one child is in a bedroom and the closets and dressers are shared. The first thing you need is a place to put the out-of-season clothing. Some options are:

  1. In a plastic bin or vacuum-sealed bag, labeled with the size and season. These can be stored in the attic, an extra closet in the house, or (as a last resort) under the bed.
  2. In a cedar closet or cedar chest.
  3. In the back, bottom, or top of the child's bedroom closet, leaving current clothing more accessible.

Take a look at each piece of clothing before you put it in a drawer or closet. What your child liked last year may be so “yesterday” to them this year.

Once you know where the out-of-season clothes are going, go through the closet and dresser, even if you have just done this six months ago! Children grow fast, and each time you move clothing around, it's an opportunity to purge clothing that no longer fits or clothes that they no longer wear. You'll probably find that the clothes at the bottom of the drawers are rarely worn and are just taking up space. Every little bit of space helps when you're trying to organize. So categorize and purge as you go, taking out the old season's clothes first. Then bring in the new season's clothes if they have been tucked away. Take a look at each piece before you put it in a drawer or closet. What your child liked last year may be so “yesterday” to them this year. Between seasons, I suggest hanging a shopping bag in your child's closet for any clothes that they outgrow in the meantime. When the bag is full they should tell you, and then you can take it to a donation drop off, a consignment store, or hand it down to someone you know.

THREE STEPS TO ORGANIZING YOUR CHILD'S CLOTHES

  1. Set aside the time (at least two hours) to work with your child, going through every piece of clothing. Change of season is the best time to do this. Allow enough time to move out whatever is going and to put back in place whatever stays.
  2. Facilitate simple decision making by asking questions like, “When did you last wear this?” Keep it simple: Each item either stays or goes.
  3. Let your child decide where and how her clothes go back in the closet or dresser (i.e., folded or hanging, by color, or by style).