Boy’s Closet makeover

This month for the Point of View we took on CLOSETS! so head on over and link up your closet projects and don’t forget to check out the other hosts, and our guest, projects!

back when all the kids shared the one room there was no closet, so we had all their clothes in dressers and a freestanding hanging rack. it was TIGHT so when we got the second room to split them up and the closet got added we all of a sudden had ALL THIS SPACE! it was great.

But over the last few years the lack of organization has led to poorly used space and simply put a mess.

This is the before, boxes full of books we never unpacked, broken drawers, with things just tossed in, dirty clothes and half dirty clothes all over the floor and dresser and shoes everywhere.  Don’t forget the top of the closet, which is basically a random pile of things that don’t have a place.

So the first thing I did was cut out vinyl.  The key to all organization, right?  Since we’ll be adding Baby Boy to the boys room soon we not only need to keep it clean (safety) but also need to make room for more “stuff” and it needs to be easy to find.

My husband already messes up the older boys pants and shirts, I certainly don’t need the 10 YO trying to fit into 18 month pants (you laugh, but I bet both he and my husband would try, and not stop to consider the size) so I assigned each boy a color.

I also finally added a project I’ve been wanting to do for a few years, add hooks for  Tomorrow’s clothes to be laid out.  I’m hoping it will streamline the morning “I can’t find any pants” problem we’ve been having lately.

I found these great pant hangers with hook on the front that hold the shirt hanger, EASY, now the just have to remember to lay out the clothes!

AND one of the big issues in the boys room is dirty clothes on the floor, so we got this door laundry basket.  IF it works I’ll get a second one for color separation, but I just want them to use it at this point.

For the dresser we assigned each boy a row.  In the left drawer we have pj’s and underwear on the left and sweaters or other tops you can’t hang on the right.

In the right drawers pants and shorts.  And we hang all shirts.  Notice the blue hangers in the middle?  I couldn’t find yellow hangers, so for now Lego boy gets the blue hangers to mark an obvious separation between the 2 sets of white hangers.

And my new favorite thing?  The three “not quite dirty” baskets.  The boys have been wearing their pants and sweatshirts ONCE and then not knowing what to do with them (because you CAN’T put worn pants back in the nice clean drawer) they’ve ended up on the floor, and once on the floor they get dirty and mixed in with legitimately dirty clothes…

So I have been washing a LOT of clean clothes.  And it drives me nuts.  SO I’m hoping these baskets will help, give the boys a place to put their jeans/shorts etc… for a few wearings and get them good and dirty before moving on to the next pair and putting these in the dirty hamper! 

We unpacked the books, FINALLY, and added this awesome rotating shoe rack in that newly blank space!  With boots on the floor, and room in the middle for random knick knacks.

And finally on the shelf above, boxes for the sizes they are growing out of and into for swapping!    And with that we’re done!  Now taking bets on how long it actually lasts?