Tips for keeping room organized

[melindaandrob]

With 5 people in a moderate room it can get quite crowded and messy! How do you keep control of the clutter? I found a collapsable laundry hamper that I think will help. Any suggestions or tips that you use? I'm looking for ideas to keep the kids items together (pens, autograph books etc.)

 

[MommieMommie!]

our "over the door shoe bag". We are a family of 6 and this really helps, especially in the bathroom. Last trip to Disney we took two, and used the other one for snacks!

 

[MichelleC]

I had my kids keep al of their small items, (lanyards, auto. books, pens, wallets) in their fanny packs (I found a great kid sized pack, with tons of rooms for all their stuff). And you can hang the packs on a towel hook or someplace like that.

 

[Tara]

I don't know if all of these will apply to your situation, but this is what I find helpful:

1. Unpack...assign each person a drawer...request extra hangers from housekeeping and hang up clothes that won't fit in drawers. Stow smaller luggage pieces inside bigger pieces if possible.

2. Toiletries...buy some relatively shallow, small plastic bins that can be stacked inside your suitcase and filed in with socks for travel (so they don't waste space), then unstack and assign each person one for their toiletries. Line bins up on shelf over closet bar. You could also use this idea for stuff like pens and autograph books.

3. Designate "zones"...mugs, food items, etc. go on the small table in the room; pens, autograph books, etc. go on top of the dresser/armoire; dirty clothes go in one spot only (laundry hamper is a great idea); spare change, wallets, valuable stuff goes in beside table drawer (only while you are in the room). This way everything has a home.

Hope this helps!

 

[melindaandrob]

Tara, I love the idea bringing baskets, the $ store has baskets that come in all shapes and sizes, I'm sure I could find something suitable. Thanks for the suggestions!

Melinda º0º

 

[M&C'sMom]

We just returned from a cruise and I brought a clear over the door shoe holder and it was great!! (Read about it here on the DIS!) For such a tight space we put all kinds of things in there. (tootbrushes, hair stuff, goggles, etc) I didn't even have to buy one, used the one from my DD's room that holds all her beanies. The rest of the family was most impressed!!

Baskets sound great and the laundry hamper is a must! Good luck!

 

[MELSMICE]

Another option to the laundry hamper that we use is putting one of the suitcases under a sink or in the closet. We then fill it w/ the dirty clothes. If I have to do laundry while I'm there I can just wheel it to the laundry facilities, refill it with the clean clothes & then just wheel it back. You may want to put a liner in it for the dirty clothes. A large garbage bag works well.

Even if I don't have to do laundry while there, the suitcase is already packed for the trip home w/ the dirty laundry & then when it get home, it goes directly in the laundry room.

We also used the "shoe holder over the door" idea during our CR trip & it worked great. Got the idea off these boards!!

 

[Muffy]

Great ideas! I love the shoe holder one!

 

[Tig]

Here is a tip...if you can get some small child size shoe boxes, those are great for trinkets, snacks, some toiletries...but here is the fun part...get some disney wrapping paper (get it now since it is christmas time...they have cheap 1.00 rolls in dollar store)--anyway, take the paper and wrap it around the shoe boxes, the bottom, the lid, you know, like decorating...and that way the kids will love it....use their favorite disney characters, or whatever and then assign them each boxes of their own. Great way to keep down clutter. Keep their books, pens, buttons, etc in.

Also, ziploc baggies are great to keep clutter in.

buy cheap throw away toiletries that you can throw away after a few uses...easy way to bring home lot less.

Hope this helps!!

 

[travelbug]

This is probably a dumb question, but hopefully some kind person will answer it anyway.

How do those plastic shoe bags attach on the door? Ever a problem with them falling down as they get weighted down with shoes or "stuff"? Thinking about buying one for my upcoming trip with my sis and 2 teenage nieces.

 

[MELSMICE]

The shoe holders come with hooks that will go over the door. Ours did not get weighted down. We had deodorant, sunscreens, contact solution, hairbrushes, body lotions, etc. in it.

Another tip is to buy the collapsible storage boxes. (you purchase them flat & then put them together). You can also get those at the $ store. Use them to put food in if you are bringing cereals, crackers & similiar things. This will keep them organized instead of all over the dressers or tables. They're only $1 so you can just leave them behind when your trip is over.

 

[travelbug]

Thanks, Melsmice, for very helpful information. Looks like I'll be stopping by Dollar Tree and Walmart later.

 

[Bimmy56]

We save old underwear, socks, tee shirts for p.j.'s etc. that are ready to be thrown out, and take them with us. Then on vacation, we wear them one last time and toss them in the garbage. We also save old toothbrushes when we get new ones and bring them along so we can toss them at the end of the trip and don't have to worry about packing wet toothbrushes.

 

[christibelle]

This is my kind of thread!! Just a couple of questions:

- About the collapsible storage boxes, are they cardboard?? Can you get them at Walmart? or just the dollar stores?

-Packing outfits in Ziplock baggies seems to be a common suggestion on this board. Where can you get the very large (over 1 gallon size) bags?

 

[MELSMICE]

I purchased my collapsible boxes at the $ store, but I'm sure you can find them at other stores as well. The ones I bought are not very large, but large enough that a cereal box will fit nicely.

Yes, they are cardboard. For the few $'s I spent we will probably just leave them there when the trip is over.

 

[TLinden16]

I find that there is never enough room in the drawers for everyones stuff when there are a lot of people in the rooms. I often use my suitcase as a makeshift drawer when drawer space is tight.

Sometimes, we bring our own coat hangers from home if we have room in our suitcases. You can usually get a 10 pack of plastic hangers for a dollar. This is especially helpful for kids clothes, since coat hangers in the rooms are too big for kids clothes. We usually just leave them in the room when we leave.

In the past, I have packed my clothes in pack it folders and cubes, and unpacked the second batch of clothes later in the week a day or two before the first batch of clothes were all used. (This is especially helpful if you are staying at more than one resort on the same trip).

Karen

 

[MELSMICE]

I am thinking of bringing one of those cloth hanging units for a closet on our next trip. The kind you can put sweaters in. I am going to use it for clothes, because - you're right - there is never enough drawer space & we will need the "cupboard" space in the dresser for the food we will have.