Mine do–and it drives me crazy.
We live in an area where winter gear is more than a wardrobe accessory.
When I found eight gloves on my daughter’s desk–and not a matching pair in the bunch–I knew we needed a better way to keep track of all the hats, scarves, gloves and other winter clothes that seem to be draped over every chair, spindle and doorknob in our home.
I thought about putting bins or shelves in the front closet or letting their little fingers and noses turn blue and fall off, but none of those ideas went over well. I really wanted a solution that would be simple and seasonal. After all, we don’t’ need storage bins in the front closet in summer and that would just invite clutter to pile up.
And then I was at the store one day and found this.
For just a few dollars, I found this great over-the-door shoe organizer. I was looking for one with the pockets for each shoe, but this one–designed for pairs–works even better. There are enough pockets for each family member to store a hat, scarf and gloves in, plus extra pockets for heavy-duty ski (or shovel-the-front-walk) gloves.
I didn’t have to build shelves, find room for bins or make any permanent changes to my closet. When winter’s over, I can store it in the same bin as all the winter gear.
We have come to use shoe organizers for many things at our house. We’ve never used them for shoes, but they are handy for all kinds of other things: art supplies, hair accessories, neckties, jewelry. See-through small pockets and the ability to put them on the back of doors, utilizing otherwise unused space, makes these perfect for organizing.
Next year, I might even write names on the flaps so there’s no question about whose gear goes where.
How about you? Have you got a favorite organizing tip to share or an organizing challenge you’d like help with. Please leave your ideas, questions and suggestions in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.
4 Comments
I love that idea, Marie. It was very creative and would have come in handy when I was raising my boys and we lived in New England. I will have to share this article with my sister, as they always have mittens and hats here and there. Thank you for sharing this.
Susan Preston recently posted..How To Continually Believe That You Are Enough
It has certainly made my life easier, Susan. I have no problem keeping track of my winter gear, but my kids are forever hunting down gloves and hats when they need to go out.
I sewed a length of thin ribbon to each of Ash’s mittens, and strung them not just through the arms of his Winter coat, but through the hanging-loop at the neck. This way they can be removed for washing, but only with effort….they can never simply get lost. There’s just enough extra length that he can take them off and put them on by himself while they are still strung up, and if they are off, they are really only just barely dangling from the sleeves, so they aren’t in the way.
Rhiannon Fieri recently posted..Who are you, and what have you done with my child?
That’s a great idea for the little people. I’m not so sure it would fly with my teenagers, though.