A child's room can become cluttered quickly, whether or not the parents are packrats. But for parents who tend to accumulate clutter in other rooms of the house, a child can acquire the habits that lead to clutter. Decluttering is not the same as cleaning. A child's room can be cleaned and still have excessive numbers of toys, knickknacks and other items that fill up empty spaces. Helping a child to declutter the child's room can help start a new trend in the home, clutter-free rooms. But first, the room needs to be decluttered, which can be accomplished in a few easy steps.
Step 1
Set four large boxes outside the child's room. If there's enough free space in the room, the boxes can be placed there. Use a marker to label the boxes "keep," "donate," "throw out" and "save in storage."
Step 2
Dump everything in the child's room into the middle of the floor. Include everything in the room, emptying closets and drawers. It may seem an unlikely step in decluttering a room, but making a mess will help the sorting process.
Step 3
Go through the pile and begin sorting items one by one. Place them in the appropriate box. If a child has not used a toy in recent months, put it in the donate box. Clothes that are outgrown can also be donated. For now, clothes that the child wears go in the keep box. If a box becomes full, replace it with a new box and label it.
Step 4
Put as many items in the discard and donate boxes as possible. For clothes that are kept, organize them by placing them in appropriate drawers or in the closet.
Step 5
Take the items in the throw-out box to the garbage, whether it's a trash can outside or to the curb. Items that are in the save box can be placed into storage bins and moved to a location in the house for storage. The donate box can be set by the door so it can be taken to a donation center such as Goodwill or The Salvation Army.
Step 6
Place the remaining items neatly in their places in the child's room.
Tips and Warnings
- Remember that there will be items the child will want to keep but will most likely not use again. The child may protest, but keep in mind that decluttering is the goal.
- The act of decluttering may cause a child to act out against authority.
Things You'll Need
- Boxes
- Marker
- Storage bins
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