Three Steps to Reducing Back-to-School Time Wardrobe Clutter

I must admit that it's likely some genetic quirk of my own that gave my daughter her unreasonable aversion to keeping anything cleaned or organized. When, as a teenager, I crafted a sign for the front of my bedroom door that shouted, "I'll Clean Up the Planet ... But Not My Room", it was a great joke for the whole family - because it was only too true.

Whether your child falls under the "never gonna clean it" category or is actually much happier about working with you to keep their rooms neat and organized, back-to-school time puts a special strain on bedroom cleanliness - especially when it comes to clothes. Suddenly, we're faced with the task of weeding out all the old clothes, sprucing the wardrobe up with a fun new school wardrobe, and manage to keep everything in its place while we keep an eye on our budget.

This year, my daughter and I are working together to establish a routine and organizational habits - before school even starts - that will make the rest of the year more painless for both of us.

Step One: Make Organization Possible

One of the most time-consuming things for kids getting ready for school is finding an outfit that the parents will approve of. My daughter usually hits the mark, but there are sometimes hysterics involved when I point out that the pink shirt she's wearing with lime green pants just really, really doesn't work.

So, this step actually saves time on a couple of levels. Every back-to-school season involves a wardrobe overhaul - we're just going to take that a small step further and include the closet in the process. And seriously , this process shouldn't cost you a penny. Most people will have the needed items lying around the house already.

First, get three large trash bags and a marker - a Sharpie will work best. In large letters, label each of the bags.

One bag should be for clothing that can't be salvaged because of irremovable stains or holes - in my case, this bag is the "Craft" bag, because all those little bits of clothing will be cut up and used in later sewing projects. This could also be the "Trash" bag if you don't plan on recycling the bad clothes somehow.

The second bag should be for clothing that is too small and must be passed on. Make sure that these pieces of clothing have little to no wear, and spend a few moments the next time you're running around in town to donate these items. Or, if you have a younger family member that can wear the clothes soon, pass them down. Remember, these are the nice clothes that have nothing wrong with them but that they're too small. No harm, and the recipient will be more than happy for new-to-them clothes.

Lastly, the third bag is for clothing that still fits, still looks great, and can be worn to school this year without a second's hesitation. I'm very careful about this bag, though. My daughter tends to hit a growth spurt right before school starts, very near her birthday, so if clothes are fitting too well right now I usually have her toss them to the second bag. There's no way she'll be wearing them long enough to justify the hassle of keeping them around only to repeat this whole process in three months.

Make sure that all the clothing you keep or will be donating or handing down is freshly cleaned. Take the time to spot treat any small stains you find, and examine clothing for loose threads or other faults that will either need to be mended or will relegate them to the first bag of clothing. When everything's clean and dry, place them back in the trash bags - don't put them in the closet or drawers just yet.

Step Two: Weekly Planning

One tip that will help your child look - and, more importantly, feel - confident during those first trying weeks of school is to plan the week's wardrobe ahead of time.

First, make sure you have enough hangers - about 8 - to create one week's set of clothing (just Monday through Friday is fine), and about 3 extra hangers for "alternative" outfits. You never know when the outfit you planned for a sunny Wednesday afternoon will suddenly need to be changed to a warmer one fit for chilly fall rain.

Next, cut and label 8 cards sized 3" high by 6" long from patterned scrapbooking paper. Get crafty with it and layer papers for a really nice look. They should be labeled Monday-Friday, and at least three Alternative.

What you choose to attach the cards to hangers with will depend on the child. My friend's son was thrilled at the "cool" look of cable ties holding his cards in place, while my daughter squealed with delight at the ribbons that, with her black hangers, matched her room décor. Think about what will work best for you and attach the cards to all 8 hangers.

Now you're ready for the fun stuff. Work with your child each weekend - Sundays seem to work best for most people - to choose the outfits they'll be wearing the upcoming week. Make sure that you coordinate some of the "old" clothes that you've kept for this school year into attractive outfits with the "new" clothes. Make sure that all items are hemmed, pressed, cleaned, etc. Also choose the three alternative outfits for out-of-the-blue weather. Then, place each outfit onto their hangers in the front of your child's closet. The day tags should hang out in front of the clothes so that it's easy to tell, at a glance, what outfit is for what day.

Step Three: Organizing the Rest

This step really depends on how you prefer to store clothing. I have this natural aversion to dresser drawers (don't ask, I really don't know) so all of my family's clothes are either hung or are folded neatly and stored on clean, open shelves inside the closet.

Regardless of the method you use, you can help further reduce clutter through the coming year by taking a couple minutes to label the shelves, drawers, or bags you store your children's other clothing in. These can range from play clothes to school clothes that will be rotated into next week's hangers. Try to be as specific as possible with the labels, using pictures for smaller children just learning to read. In my daughter's closet shelves, there is space for T-Shirts, Nice Shirts, Pants, Skirts, Nighties, Underclothes, and Play Clothes. She also has a shelf delegated to all her sports-related clothing.

One thing that will definitely help is to use a box or purchase a larger clear bin and designate this as the "out of season" box. If your child has clothes that will be brilliant in the spring, they belong in this box. If your summer/fall season tends to stretch on so that you only have a couple months of winter, all the sweaters and too-warm clothes can also go in this box. Doing this will prevent mounds of clothing forming in the closet, on the floor, and around or even under the bed as your child rummages through things when you're not looking, discarding the things they know are too hot or cold to wear.