Spring is in full swing. With spring cleaning on all our minds, let’s talk about decluttering children’s closets…

I recently read Joshua Becker’s book, The Minimalist Home, and found myself inspired. Decluttering is hard work and sometimes I need a shot in the arm to get back into the swing of it.

Spring is the perfect time to start decluttering our children’s closets. The winter clothes are being packed away to make room for the warmer weather stuff. Why not go through and cull out the clothes we don’t need before we pack them up?

While our own closets can be a challenge, I find decluttering children’s closets to be a harder task. Between hand-me-downs from older siblings and friends, clothes that are not quite the right size but are being held onto for that season (i.e. the 5T winter clothes that your 4-year-old is almost wearing), and the mixing of clothes from one kid to another, children’s closets can become a mishmash of disorganization.

Are you ready to start decluttering those tilting piles, overstuffed hangers, and unmatched shoes littering the floor of your kids’ closets? Let’s get started!

Steps for Decluttering Children’s Closets

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Depending on how old your kids are, you may or may not want to involve them in this process. If you have younger kids like I do, I generally make the executive decisions while taking their preferences into consideration.

But for older kids, I’d advise bringing them into the decluttering process. If you get rid of their clothes without their go-ahead, it will create resentment and maybe distrust. The best way to avoid that is to let them decide on the clothes, but you outline boundaries on how much—such as everything has to fit in the dresser, or only a certain amount of hangers can be in the closet.

Dresser or closet?

Before we start, decide if you want to include a dresser or just use the closet for your kids’ clothes. My kids don’t use a dresser, but back when they did, it was in the closet. This kept clothes clutter out of the main part of the bedroom and limited how many hangers we could fit.

If you decide to forgo a dresser, you may need boxes to hold things like socks, underwear, and small shoes. You should also think about whether your children’s clothes can be easily hung on hangers (I found this especially difficult when they were babies because the clothes are so tiny!).

You may find that after decluttering your children’s closets, you will have room to move the dresser into the closet and open up space in their bedroom. Or, you may find that you prefer a dresser and there’s not much to hang. In that case, you could use the closet for another non-clothing purpose, such as a reading corner, toy storage area, etc.

Move out the non-clothing items

My kids’ closets are magnets for books, blankets, old school projects, trophies, and trinkets. But none of these things actually belong in a clothes closet.

Go through and take out anything that doesn’t belong and put it where it does. Blankets in the linen closet. Books on the bookshelf. Trophies and other decorative items on a shelf in the room.

I also try to declutter these things as I go. Old projects can usually be recycled and some trinkets donated (usually after some convincing of the owner though).

Start with the off-season clothes

Go through the clothes that you plan to pack up or move to the back of the closet or dresser until the weather changes again. Weed out clothes that are damaged, ill-fitting, or that your child just didn’t like or wear. Also, take out anything that won’t fit in the next year’s season. Throw away, donate, hand down to the next child, or repurpose these items.

Once you’ve done this, you can put the thinned-out, off-season clothes back in their designated place.

Declutter the on-season clothes

For my family right now, this means going through the spring/summer clothes that they’ve started to need with the warmer temperatures and purging the unnecessary.

Take everything out of the closet and dresser and separate it into categories—shorts, shirts, skirts, pants, etc.

Just as before, pull out the things that you remember as not fitting well, anything that was outgrown, and any items that were still stained after washing. Separate what you’ve removed into piles to be donated, thrown away, passed down, or repurposed.

Once the piles are manageable, put them back into the closet on hangers or into the dresser. (Notice how everything fits better without the extra clutter!)

Shoes, socks, and underwear, oh my!

Decluttering these little things from your children’s closets can be very satisfying because they easily get out of control. Kids’ socks get holes, shoes are outgrown fast, and underwear can sometimes not survive the test of the potty-training years.

Socks and shoes that no longer fit can be donated or passed on. Underwear that doesn’t fit or is stained can be thrown out. Holey socks can be repurposed, but since they are rather small, I usually just throw them away.

If you have a dresser, put them neatly inside (for folding techniques, check out Marie Kondo’s method in this video). If you have a closet, then place them in a tub or box. These are great for closet organization, and there are even some great workable options at the Dollar Tree.

Go through your stores of future clothes

I think all parents have these. Tubs of clothes that their kids will fit, but don’t fit yet. It’s time to go through and declutter them.

If you have these tubs sitting on the top shelf of your children’s closets, bring them down and sort through them. Use the same criteria as before, keeping your favorite items and taking out anything that your child won’t wear (my daughters have a thing against pants), won’t fit them during the season the clothes are for, or are not needed.

Take those clothes that have passed the decluttering challenge and put them back in the tubs (hopefully less of them) and put them back on the shelf. You can also consider storing them elsewhere if this location doesn’t really work for you, but was chosen out of necessity.

Why is decluttering our children’s closets important?

We tend to hold onto clothes and other things much longer than we should because we worry we might need them. It’s why we have 12 pairs of pants when we only wear four. It’s why we store clothes that don’t fit in case we change shape and need them later.

With our kids, we worry they’ll tear holes in the knees of all their pants, so we need to hold onto a dozen pairs—just in case. We keep a dress that is so cute, even though our daughter has never worn it and, if she has her way, never will.

Instead of letting our things control our behavior and lives, let’s get rid of the clutter and live the way we want to. Decluttering your children’s closets not only removes distracting and unnecessary stuff from the house, but it gives them a real and visible example of what a simplified life looks like.

In the future, this might lead them to purge their closets under their own initiative. And isn’t that a lasting impression worth making?

 

What steps do you take to declutter your children’s closets? What challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them? Let me know in the comments.

Interested in reading more about decluttering and cleaning your home? Check out these popular posts:

The War on Clutter: How to Create Your Battle Plan

How to Put the CLEAN in Spring Cleaning

How to Keep Your Car From Becoming a Clutter Magnet

 

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