Steps for Cleaning out your Children’s Closet

It is getting close to that time of year – Spring Cleaning.  Or if you are a parent, the 3rd or 4th time this year you have had to sort through your kids’ closet since they grow so fast.

Here are some of our steps to help you sort through the clothes and have what you need:

1. Dump it all out – Take all of the clothes out of your drawers and closets and dump them all onto the floor or a table big enough so you can sort.
2. Make two piles – Create two separate areas to pile the clothing. One for items you will keep that still fit, are the correct season, and your child will wear. (You can involve older kids in this process!) The other pile will be TO-GO for items that are too small, need repair, or are ready to retire.  Start sorting.
3. Take stock of the KEEP pile – Now focus only on the things you are going to keep.
   • Separate the items into categories (shirts, pants, skirts/dresses, socks, sweaters, etc.)
   • Take stock of what you have enough of or where you might need additional items. Open up your phone or grab a notepad to write down what you might need.
   • An easy way to do this is to think through a typical week for your child and see if they have enough to cover their normal activities (school or daycare, sports or other activities, play, etc.)
   • Double check your list of needs.
4. Put away your keep items – Now that you know what you are keeping, use this time to put it away neatly.  If you have toddlers and above now is a great time to involve them.  Depending on their age, they can learn vocabulary for different clothing, how to fold, and where all of their clothes are stored.
   • Parenting Hack: This saves time when you are waiting for them to get dressed and they know where their own socks are. Or at least it makes you feel better when they say “I can’t find my socks,” but you just put them away together the day before.
5. Extend the life of your TO-GO pile – Last, but definitely not least, what to do with all of the clothes in your TO-GO pile.
   • For clothes that are too small – Save them for a sibling, cousin, or friend’s child.  If you do not have anyone to pass them on to, you can donate those items or share in a local parent’s group. At Rent-a-Romper, we accept all children’s clothing from size 0-12, so visit us for a mailing label and you can send us your items and we will ensure they continue being loved by our community.
   • For clothes that need a bit of repair – Often there are small tears or buttons missing that could be fixed quickly with a little repair.  If you have a small sewing kit, take a few minutes while watching your favorite show to help those items last a little longer.  Or find a friend that could help you.
   • For clothes are ready to be retired – If clothes are near the end of their life, we take care to reuse or up-cycle these items with our local partners.  Visit us for a mailing label and you can send us your items.

We hope these tips help you feel prepared for the weeks and months to come as your children continue to grow.  As you fill in the gaps in your wardrobe, consider renting those items through our membership or inquiring at support@rentaromper.com if there is something you need. We appreciate your efforts to extend the life of clothing.  If we extend the life of one piece of clothing by 9 months, we can reduce the water, waste and carbon footprint of that item by 30%.

Just imagine what our community can do together.

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