How to Organizing Children’s Clothes: Step-by-step Guide

Here are steps for organizing children’s clothes:

1. First, clean the closet properly with water and a soft fabric. Use a glass cleaner for glass surfaces.   
2. Then, declutter the clothes and get rid of unnecessary items that don’t fit your kids anymore.
3. After that, if you find any minor issues like damaged buttons or tears you can quickly fix them using a needle and thread.
4. Then, wash the clothes properly. 
5. After washing, make sure the garments are completely dry. 
6. Lastly, choose the most appropriate storage option for your children. You can pick boxes, bins, shelves, hanging organizers etc.

I start every morning with “Mommy, where are my socks?” “Mommy, where has my black tee gone?” If you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes, it feels like an endless task to me to keep up with my kids’ clothes. Every morning becomes chaotic with piles of laundry and outgrown clothes. In addition, my kids always need something specific. Whether it’s lost socks or misplaced shirts, the daily wardrobe chaos can make mornings more stressful than they need to be.

One day I made up my mind that I have to find some solutions to keep my kids’ clothes in place. After taking advice from my Mom and from Google, I’ve found some easy solutions to organize my children’s clothes. I realized that with a clear system in place, I can transform my children’s closet into a well-ordered space. My organizing techniques have made it easy for my little ones to find what they need, and helped me avoid the daily clothing hunt. 

In this step-by-step guide, I will reveal useful tips and hacks that helped me before. I believe these hacks will also work for you and you can get your kids’ clothes under control in no time.

How to Organizing Children’s Clothes: Easy Steps

Step-1: Clean the Closet

The first step is cleaning the closet, because you can’t simply store your children’s clothes in a dirty place. To clean my kids’ closet I use soft hand towels to wipe the dust off. I bought them from a super shop and they were quite cheap.  

After wiping the dust, I use a damp cloth to wipe away the rest of the dust, dirt, and any other unwanted stuff. I clean every corner of the shelves, drawers, and cabinets carefully. Then, I use a dry cloth to clean water residues. Moisture can damage the closets and clothes, so don’t leave any water leftovers on the closets.    

If there are any glass surfaces on your closet, then use a glass cleaner and soft hand towel to clean them. Always use water or mild cleaning agents to clean closets to avoid damaging the surfaces.  

Step-2: Get Rid Of Unnecessary Clothes

When I was organizing my children’s clothes I found tons of outfits that my kiddos don’t wear anymore. Some of them were outgrown or damaged. Whatever the reason is, I simply don’t want my kids’ closets overflowing with outdated clothes. So, I arranged 3 boxes and labeled them as, Keep, Donate, and Trash.  

Tips on Sorting Clothes into Three Categories

1. Keep: I set aside clothes that currently are in good condition and fit my kids perfectly. I made sure my children reached for them most often. I put those clothes in the 1st box that would work fine for the current or upcoming season.

2. Donate: I made the 2nd box for donation. Clothes that were still in good condition but no longer fit my kids, I put those clothes in the donation box. I found some local shelters and charities online and donated them those clothes. Donation is always an environmentally friendly way to give the clothes a second life. 

3. Trash: I made the 3rd box for the clothes I was going to get rid of completely. I put the worn out and stained clothes in this box that were way too damaged out to be fixed. Because, keeping these clothes in the closet would add clutter and my kids could face difficulties to find the clothes that matter.  

Step-3: Fix the Minor Issues

I don’t throw away my kids’ clothes with minor issues, like broken buttons or teared pockets. I easily fix them with my sewing kit. I suggest you look carefully if there are any minor damages like missing buttons, stains, or small tears, before you start organizing. I learned that from my mother. She never threw away her children’s clothes with slight damages, I do the same for my children. I take the time to fix these minor issues that save me from dumping perfectly good clothing.   

Here’s how to handle it:

1. Missing Buttons: Keeping a small sewing kit always comes handy for me for any quick fixes. I gather my kids’ shirts, jackets, or pants that are missing buttons and sew them back on. It takes me 2 minutes. 
2. Small Tears or Loose Seams: I use a needle and thread to fix any minor tears or loose seams before deciding to keep or donate the item.
3. Stains: To treat any stains on clothes that are still in good condition I use a stain remover. Sometimes I use homemade remedies like baking soda or lemon. I make them as good as new for children again. 

Step-4: Wash the Clothes

I never put my kids’ clothes in the closet without washing them. Dirty clothes can easily attract pastes and create molds as well. So, before spring or organizing I give the clothes a good wash. After washing the clothes, dry them in the sunlight properly.  

This step is especially important when packing away seasonal clothes or hand-me-downs for future use.

If you still think kids clothes seem clean and don’t need to be washed, let me break it down for you why you should wash them. 

1. Remove Dirt and Stains: Clothes can have hidden dirt or stains and still look clean. So, I always wash and dry them properly before organizing to keep them fresh. 

2. Prevent Odors: If you store unwashed clothes it and develop musty odors. So, always make sure to wash them before storing. 

3. Hygiene: I always ensure proper hygiene for my kids. Especially for toddlers and young kids, it’s important to store clothes that are free from germs to prevent any disease. 

Step-5: Choosing the Right Storage Solutions

Next, you have to find out the storage that works perfectly for you. I usually use drawers, boxes, and hanging organizers, but there are other organizers that you can use as well. If you can select the storage solution properly then it will save you a lot of space and next time your kids will be able to find their clothes easily. 

Drawers

I use drawers for storing smaller items like underwear, socks, and pajamas. Sometimes, my kids feel getting lost in the drawers while feeding any item, as they are quite big. So, I use dividers to separate categories and it makes it easier for my kids to find specific items. You can even label the drawers for each type of clothing, so your child knows exactly where everything goes. 

Shelves

You can store folded clothes such as t-shirts, pants, and sweaters on the shelves. Shelves are great options for bulkier items or everyday essentials. Shelves can be messy at some times, so you can use stackable shelf organizers or baskets that fit neatly onto the shelves.

Racks

You can hang clothes on the racks that your kids use frequently. The best part of racks is it keeps the dresses wrinkle-free. That’s why I prefer them to hang my kids’ dresses, jackets, and coats. 

Boxes

I use boxes for storing out-of-season clothes, hand-me-downs, or items that my kids don’t use often. I suggest you use clear plastic boxes so that you can see what’s inside. You can also label the boxes like drawers. 

Bins

You can store everything in bins, especially shoes and accessories. I use bins to store my kids’ hats, scarves, and gloves. Bins are a huge space shaving. I place bins on closet floors or under the bed, so that my kids can easily access them. 

Hanging Organizers

If you have a small closet you can use a hanging organizer to hang some clothing pieces. You can use them to store everything from folded clothes to shoes and accessories. Some even come with pockets or compartments where you can store small items like socks or undergarments.

How to Organize by Summer & Winter Season?

I face the most difficulties while the seasons change. All of sudden my children feel the need for some specific seasonal item that I struggle to find. So, I rotate the clothes as seasons change and it helps a lot. It helps keep my children’s wardrobe manageable and I can avoid the clutter of out-of-season items.

Separate Seasonal Clothing

I start by going through my children’s wardrobe and separate clothes into two main categories: summer and winter. I place lightweight fabrics like t-shirts, shorts, and sundresses in the summer pile, and heavier items like sweaters, coats, and thermal wear in the winter pile.

Store Off-Season Clothes Away

I store off-season clothes in a way that keeps them out of sight but easily accessible when needed. I usually store summer clothes in a box and winter clothes in vacuum-sealed bags whenever my kids don’t need them. Make sure to wash and dry everything before storing.

Rotate Clothes as Seasons Change

When seasons transform from one to next I rotate the clothes in my child’s wardrobe. I bring out the summer clothes when winter is over, and pack away the winter clothes until we need them again.

Keep Essentials Available Year-Round

There are some specific items, like jeans, long-sleeved shirts, or light jackets that my kids can wear year-round, so I keep these essentials accessible for all weathers.

Children’s School Clothes Organizer

In the morning, my kids go crazy trying to find their school socks or shirts, and in turn, they make me go crazy too! The morning rush to get everyone ready for school can feel chaotic when school essentials are scattered all over the place. So, I found some solutions to help organize their school clothes and accessories. Here are some specifics that work for me.

Make a School Section

I make a specific section in a corner of the drawer just for school clothes. This helps avoid the daily scramble by keeping uniforms and accessories in one place. 

Use Hanging Organizers 

I use hanging organizers to keep school socks and shirts. This makes it easier for my kids to grab what they need without digging through piles of clothes.

Label Drawers or Bins 

If you want to store the uniforms in a box or bins, you can label them to find them easily. This way, even if your child is in a rush, they’ll know exactly where to find their things.

How to Organize Kids’ Shoes?

I invest in a simple shoe rack that’s perfect to organize my children’s shoes. I keep it near the entrance of our house. This ensures that shoes are kept in one place and don’t end up scattered around the house. 

For more flexible storage, you can use baskets or bins that work well for smaller shoes, flip-flops, or sneakers. You can place these in the closet or under the bed and your children can easily access them.

I keep school shoes in an easy-to-reach spot, higher spot of the rack most of the time. During the morning rush my kids can find their shoes easily as they are in a visible spot. I store sneakers and sandals in a separate lower shelf. I put the formal shoes or special occasion accessories in separate boxes and keep them in the children’s closet as they don’t use them often.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

I had my struggle with organizing my kids’ clothes and I found some solutions to keep them in place. I tried to easily explain how to organizing children’s clothes step by step, and I hope it will help you to declutter your kids’ closet.