CLEAN TIDY HOME with kids.... | Decluttering Kids Toys

How can you keep a clean minimalist space with kids?

We have two kids and two dogs, which used to mean that we had more stuff and toys than we could handle sometimes.  

While I love our kids to play, explore and learn, I also like to keep the house sparkling clean, which means keeping their toys out of view when they are not being used.

Update: this post was written a few years ago, but I know that cleaning & decluttering is always relevant, so I wanted to share it again today. 🙂

I've accomplished keeping our space clean and minimalist by putting most of their toys in their rooms and hiding all of the other kid-things behind doors and in boxes.

I just don’t like the look of things everywhere especially if it's kids toys. You might be wondering how on earth we have managed to sell everything and live in a van.

So- I have certain spots in the van where I hide them when they AREN’T BEING USED.

(I’m all for forts being built, toys being brought out, obstacle courses being made… but I just want them “hidden” (put away) at the end, because I also like our home to be kept neat and clean.)

My goal is to have a good balance - a clean home and a kid-friendly home where your kids WANT to be and appreciate the atmosphere.

Here are my favourite toy-hiding storage ideas & some of the affiliate links to find them. 🙂

Cleaning tricks and short-cuts:

I have had my kids use bags and anything that can be pushed like carts to clean up their toys. Now that we are living on the road they are limited to their backpack to hold toys and once we ask them to clean up for third time they are usually pretty quick and picking it all up and packing it away.

Ottomans:

We used to use beautiful ottomans for our kids to fill up with their toys. from the outside you would never what type of disaster is hidden within.

Make kid-items prettier! You can make so many kid-items pretty!  Wooden tables, old-fashioned wooden train tracks, and trains, even plastic picnic tables.

Turn a closet into a playroom. A closet being converted into a playroom is a great efficient use of space.

The clothes are hanging up top, and with an added second shelf for shoes, etc…

At the bottom, they have all of their toy cars and baby dolls.  They can sit in that closet and play for hours (literally) with friends, parents, or just by themselves.

It is their own mini playroom and they might even enjoy it more!

Hide Toys in a beautiful basket! Have a bench that can double as a storage spot.  

You can hide toys in the seat, but you can use the rest for decorative items.  You could have it in your mudroom or living room and it will look beautiful.

If you need help getting started, you can join my waitlist for the Minimalist Living Course.

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