Decluttering before the re-clutter. Yes, that’s what I’m doing and I’m guessing I’m not alone. If you’re like me, you’re thinking about the ‘stuff’ you’ll have to get rid of before the new batch arrives in just over a month’s time, courtesy of a lovely white-bearded gentleman on a sleigh…
So you’ve finally decided what should stay and what should go. You’ve crept out to the car in the dead of night with a bin bag full of goodies for the charity shop, only to be rumbled the next morning when your daughter spots a stray doll’s arm poking out of said bag. The school run is temporarily abandoned as you’re held to ransom and forced to surrender your haul before watching it all go back upstairs to be re-strewn across the floor.
Never mind, maybe you just need to re-think your storageoptions rather than bin the lot. In my book storage is up there with shoes, bags and laughs in that exclusive list of ‘things’ that we can never have enough of in life.
Most children’s bedrooms are not unlike that drawer in the kitchen where all manner of things reside together…crumbling elastic bands and rusty nails, old train tickets and your last but one year’s birthday cards. Useful…To add to that, children aren’t great at being tidy either, at least mine aren’t. They think that shoving everything (I mean everything) in the cupboard and jamming the door shut is enough to earn them a bit of pocket money. God help the poor soul who dares open it.
This is where our friends, storage bags and organisers come in. They are brilliant for compartmentalising little toys and games (if mum can be bothered to go in every night and sort them out!) How annoying is it when you can’t find those dolls shoes, or the missing puzzle piece?
Hanging on a wall, or the back of a door, organisers are also the perfect place to put little ballet shoes, magic wands and all those teeny tiny figures which otherwise get lost amongst the mayhem.
Laundry bags can also be surprisingly handy too. Not least when used as a pyjama case with a few teddies thrown in for good measure. I’m all for change of use. Take the bedding box for example. In my house these are most definitely not used to store bedding. If you are seeking a pillowcase in here, you might end up sleeping on a witches hat, or a tutu perhaps. These boxes have also been known to host the carpet’s waifs and strays from time to time too. You see, for all my love of compartmentalising, there’s nothing like stuffing the whole damn mess into a lovely big box and closing the lid for the night. Job done!
