Most times, one of the challenges of having a playroom (or basement, family room, etc) full of kids toys, books, and knick knacks, is how to keep it clean, organized, and looking nice, without bins overflowing or crammed bookshelves and closets.

To get some tips and tricks for combating playroom messiness, we chatted with organizing expert Darla Demorrow of HeartWork Organizing as she shared her insight with us! As a mom of 2 little girls, Darla knows how to keep a playroom organized, neat, and kid AND parent friendly! Here are her tips..

1. Go Vertical:
Darla suggests using all of your space to your advantage, and sometimes that can be tricky to do. She suggests getting tall storage containers (she loves IKEA’s selection) that are taller than they are wide, so it’s easy to store toys for older kids or with small pieces at the top of the container so they are out of reach of little ones. Secure the storage container to the wall for safety!

2. Know Your Limits

With this tip, Darla suggests keeping it in mind with books and bookshelves. Get just the right bookshelf so that books can fit on it nicely, without cramming them in. Make it easy for kids to take books in and out of the shelf, so they can put them back themselves without causing a mess! With everything having a place in the playroom, you avoid disorganization.

3. Pick A Color Scheme

Since toys and belongings are a variety of bright colors, Darla suggests combating the disorganized look that can sometimes come with that by picking a color scheme for the decor of the room to avoid a chaotic look and feel. Even simple accents like coordinating rugs and pillows look better to the eye and make you feel more organized. She suggests buying all of your bins and containers at once, so they are all coordinating and can calm the space.

4. Have Responsiblities for Kids

As Darla stated, your kids aren’t working with you in the playroom, they’re working against you – after all, it is their playroom so they are going to do just that – play and make a mess! So have structure in your playroom, such as “away” places like a bookshelf, toy bins, a container for dress up clothes, etc. so kids can easily put their toys in the same spot every time they clean up. From Darla’s own experience, at the age of 2 kids can help you put away their toys, and then by the time they are 10, it’s a routine to put everything away and leave the playroom spotless.

5. Invest in Bins and Containers

Buying functional bins and containers are essential to keeping your playroom organized. If your kids play in the family room or basement instead, pick up some bins that match your decor, so that they fit in with the rest of the room. Darla’s advice is to buy containers with lids, so that everything can fit inside and the lid can go on securely, instantly making your room look more put together. Just make sure they are small enough that the kids can’t climb in! Clear bins work well too, so that it’s easy to see inside the bins so you don’t have to take the lid off. Darla even highlighted some good options for organizing boys in a blog post, to make it easier to find a system that can keep up with little boys!

Thanks so much to Darla for sharing her great organizing expertise with us! Be sure to follow HeartWork Organizing on Facebook and Twitter for more awesome tips!