Clothes Clutter: Organizing Kids Clothes

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It’s officially the middle of August which means the start of a new school year is just a week or two away {I even know of a few schools who have started already!}

And even though I’m not quite to the back-to-school stage of life yet, {we’re still dealing with little baby clothes} I’ve worked with enough moms of school-age kids to know that they WILL most definitely have outgrown some of their clothing from last year, and they will probably need at least a few new items for school.

Since I’m right in the middle of a mini series on “Clothes Clutter”, I figured now would be an excellent time to talk about ways you can tackle your kid’s clothes clutter!

Here are a few tips to get you started — and I have a couple more links to helpful information down at the bottom!

1. Get Your Kids Involved.

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Just because you’re the adult doesn’t mean that your kids can’t get involved. I know everything always takes longer when kids are involved, but this is a great way to SHOW and TEACH them how to organize their things.

Plus, they will be MUCH more likely to keep things neat and organized if they played a role in the organizing process.

2. Make it FUN!

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Yes, it IS possible to make organizing fun — and if you are going to involve your kids {see #1 above} you’ll HAVE to make it fun!

My favorite idea {which I’ve probably mentioned before} is to host a mini fashion show. The kids can take turns trying on their clothes and then “strutting their stuff” up and down the hallway. This will give you a great opportunity to see what fits and what doesn’t.

Some other ideas are to offer incentives for the child who gets through their clothes the fastest; offer to buy one new article of clothing for every 15 they get rid of; or even allow them to help YOU purge your closet after you help them {seriously, some kids think that is so fun!}

3. Love it or Lose it.

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As you go through your kid’s clothes clutter, keep in mind that if you don’t love it, you should lose it… period. There is no point in keeping anything that isn’t loved or valued {yes, this will work for your closet too!}

Love it = Clothes and shoes that fit, clothes that they will actually wear, a variety of outfits that are appropriate for school, play, church, etc.

Lose it = Clothes and shoes that don’t fit, clothes that they won’t wear, and anything with obvious stains, large rips, or in ratty condition.

4. Save, Store, Sell, or…?

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If you’re like me, then you most likely purchased your kid’s clothes from a garage sale for less than $0.50 — which means you are probably willing to donate them to a local thrift store and get them out of your house!

However, I know lots of people who want to save certain items for sentimental purposes, store items for the next child, or try to sell them at a garage sale or consignment store. If this is true for you, then you’ll need a system.

I like using clear plastic bins with clearly visible labels. You should have bins for items you want to sell, and other bins for items you want to pass on to the next child {label those bins with the size, season, and gender.} Then, create a separate location for anything you want to save as a keepsake — like a cedar chest or special storage box {and don’t get too carried away!}

5. Donation or Trash the Rest.

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Obviously, there will be some items that simply need to go in the trash {we use junky t-shirts to make rags} but you should definitely find an appropriate place to donate the rest. This is also a really good learning opportunity for your children as they can see how their unused items benefit people in need. Oh, and it’s the fastest way to clear the clutter from your house!

More Kid’s Clothes Tips:

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Here are a BUNCH more tips for sorting, purging, and organizing your kid’s clothes clutter.

Here are a few tips to keep your children clutter free.

Remember that YOU are the adult, and even though you should try to involve your children, YOU have the final say. Don’t let them guilt you into keeping their favorite shirt that is 5 sizes too small. Some kids want to keep everything, and if you let them, they won’t learn the valuable lessons of purging and organizing!

What are your best tips for organizing kid’s clothes clutter?