Playroom that's not a wreck?

amother

Brunette

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 8:31 pm

We have a 2-family house that we are converting to a 1-family. The two houses are side by side, not upstairs and downstairs.

Right now the first floor on each side has an adjoining LR/DR and kitchen. When we take over the other side I plan to have one big dining room on one side, and make the current DR into a playroom.

The problem is that despite the best intentions I don't see a way to keep the room from looking messy all the time. Right now the toys are mostly in our (unfinished) basement and they bring up 1-2 toys at a time to play, and we recycle them periodically. If all the toys are upstairs I'm afraid it will just be one huge wreck all the time.

We have no plans right now to finish the basement and it's not fit for the kids to play in. For those of you who have playrooms on the first floor, how do you keep them neat or at least basically presentable? I'm okay with it not looking like a museum but I don't want pandemonium either.

saw50st8

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 8:51 pm

We have French doors to the playroom off our living room. Even if it's a mess in the playroom, I close the door and pretend otherwise :-)

Avoid toys with lots of small pieces that are hard to clean up.

Install closets so even if the toys aren't organized, you can shove everything inside and feel like it's peaceful and calm.

Have bins for the kids to put toys in.

Get rid of toys that just make a mess but don't add much value to your kids lives.

Our playroom is usually ok unless we have a lot of company on Shabbos. Then it's a wreck and takes about an hour to clean up.

gp2.0

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 8:52 pm

Small containers, medium containers, large containers. Shelves. A closet. Don't bring up all the toys, keep some in the basement and then switch them around.

SingALong

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 9:28 pm

I have a huge closet in my playroom and I keep the toys organized in bins in the closet. Some large toys like the kitchen and dollhouse I keep out along the wall. I try not to let more than 2-3 toys/sets out at a time.

I do have a door to the room so I can keep the room closed when it gets too much.

amother

Babypink

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 9:52 pm

you should still keep a lot in the basement. Bring up toys/games that are easier to clean up and still rotate. A large closet with lots of shelving in the playroom is very helpful. Also doors to the closet and a door to the playroom. The problem is not only the playroom. My playroom is right off my kitchen so I end up with toys in the kitchen all the time. When the playroom gets too messy or some kids are not getting along with each other while playing, they tend to take toys to other rooms of the house. As a kid, my toys were mostly in the basement so I though a playroom on the main floor was great. Now I'm wishing that I can keep all the toys in the basement which I can't do since we rent our basement out.

amother

Brunette

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 10:03 pm

Unfortunately there is no door separating the living room from the playroom, just a large archway that is open. There is a door closing it off from the kitchen. I was planning to buy a few toy closets but I'm more worried about toys not being put back in the closets if I'm not always on top of it (which let's face it, I'm not).

amother

Babypink

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 10:06 pm

so you realize that your living room will just be an extension of the playroom - right?

(unless you are a super organized person or have lots of cleaning help)

amother

Brunette

Thu, Jul 21 2016, 10:12 pm

amother wrote:

so you realize that your living room will just be an extension of the playroom - right?

(unless you are a super organized person or have lots of cleaning help)

Neither!

familyfirst

Fri, Jul 22 2016, 1:04 am

Home Depot sells stackable shelving units by KETER. Very easy to assemble ( no tools needed). Line the walls with a few of these units. Fill the shelves with bins.
Large bins for large toys on bottom shelves
Dollar store sells small bins with lids. They stack beautifully. Label every bin so easy to clean up.
Very large toys can be arranged against the wall, not on a shelf.
Our playroom is IN the living room. These tips work for
Us.
Good luck

Raisin

Fri, Jul 22 2016, 4:54 am

Look into something like trofast bins from ikea. They come in 3 different sizes of bins and lots of sizes of shelving units. There are other units ikea sells which might also work. If you can have several cupboards with doors that shut for games and so on.

I have trofast and my only issue is the few toys that are too big to fit in it like garages, etc.

workaholicmama

Fri, Jul 22 2016, 5:50 am

I recently installed a lock on the toy closet so I am (hopefully) more in control. I left outside 3 sets that they currently play with (magna tiles, menchies, and little ppl park)+ the 2 big containers of lego and cars/trucks that do not fit in the cabinet, and the rest is locked up. When they will get bored, we will iyh switch.

Rubber Ducky

Fri, Jul 22 2016, 7:30 am

amother wrote:

Unfortunately there is no door separating the living room from the playroom, just a large archway that is open.

Why can't you put a door there? Why not French doors or doors with side panels? The arch can be sectioned and the top part can have glass panes.

amother wrote:

I was planning to buy a few toy closets but I'm more worried about toys not being put back in the closets if I'm not always on top of it (which let's face it, I'm not).

Containers, labels, adequate storage shelving or closets, and some basic house rules will help. Or a maid. Wink

Fri, Jul 22 2016, 8:04 am

Along with the wonderful ideas goes a rule that they can't take out another toy until the first, 2, or 3 are packed away, and stick to this rule unless you don't mind walking on toys all over the place.

pinkbubbles

Fri, Jul 22 2016, 8:40 am

My only solution was getting rid of 50% of the toys. My play room looks so much neater, the kids are happier to spend time in there, and they more satisfied with less toys. They have Playmobil, Clics, Magnatiles, puzzles, board games, and some cars. Now when they get a gift its replacing a current toy that goes for donation.

Optione

Fri, Jul 22 2016, 1:48 pm

Large closet(s) for the bins,
uniform bins for each size,
Labels for each bin.

If a toy seems to basically never be played with, I take it and hide it for 2 weeks. I don't tell them that I'm doing this. If they ask about the toy, I happily give it right back to them. If they don't ask and 2 weeks go by, I give it away.