Where to put all the school stuff?

Save space with sliding wardrobe doors from DIY Homefit

So here we are: Back to School again! Like every other parent in the land you’ve probably been running yourself ragged trying to get everything ready in time. Children grow so fast that uniform, PE kits and shoes almost always need replacing before the start of a new school year. Then there are all the new stationery items that they need, and new school bags to put everything in. The list is endless!

September always feels like a fresh start, and that feeling can persist for years: long after our school days are over. We can feel even more inspired in September than January’s New Year resolutions. We are determined that this year will be different: we will be more organised and on top of everything. Every day we will get the kids to school on time, looking clean and smart and with everything they need for the day.

But unfortunately all these good intentions soon disappear and we are left with the usual chaotic muddle. We all sleep in, uniform is stained and crumpled, PE kit damp and smelly, and homework and dinner money get left at home more often than they actually make it to school.

So how can you try and make this year different? Try the following five tips:

• Out with the old, in with the new

A really good old-fashioned principle is to get rid of something old every time you get something new. So if you are replacing items of uniform that no longer fit, why not pass them onto someone else? That will save storage space and also avoid the potential waste of time caused by your child putting the old uniform on by mistake. Similarly with stationery items: if you are getting something new then get rid of the old.

Anything you no longer need can be passed onto others either in person or via a recycling website (eg Freecycle) or a charity shop.

• Make space in your wardrobe

Your child’s uniform will never look its best if it is crammed into an over-full wardrobe. So as well as getting rid of old uniform why not do a big declutter and get rid of everything in the wardrobe that is no longer needed?  

Also consider adding more storage capacity into your wardrobe. For example DIY Homefit’s range of wardrobe storage solutions includes items such as hanging rails, sliding racks and shoe racks. All of these can give you lots of extra storage space to fit in everything that you need to.

But if doing both the above still leaves you short of space then maybe you need a bigger wardrobe? Check out DIY Homefit’s extensive range of wardrobes that come in all shapes and sizes – and can even be custom-built to make the best use of every inch of available space.

You may also find that having sliding wardrobe doors can help you to fit a larger wardrobe into a room because it does not need additional space in front of it for the doors to open.

Why not browse through our gallery of bedroom pictures to get some ideas for how good a new wardrobe could look in your child’s bedroom?

• Add some new cupboards

The older your children get, the more books, folders and stationery items they are likely to have. So if they do not already have a place to put these things then now is the time to fix that.

If you have invested in a new wardrobe then maybe there will be room in there, but another option is to have a separate cabinet or drawers for their stuff. Take a look at our bedroom cabinets and drawers to see if there is anything there that might fit the bill. Also see the example below from one of the customers on our Testimonials page.

• Organise your drawers

We all know how frustrating it is to be scrambling around to find pens and other essential items at just the very time you need them. Most children don’t need much incentive to give up on homework, so make sure that they always have the right equipment at hand by helping them to organise their drawer space well. At DIY Homefit we have a variety of drawer boxes, cutlery trays and utensil organisers which are ideal for fitting into a desk drawer and helping to organise all your son or daughter’s smaller items.

• Get ready the night before

This is a really good discipline to get into: and there is no better time than the start of a new school year. Every night before bed, get the children to lay out their uniform and pack their bags for the next morning. Make sure that everything they need is in those bags so that there will be no major panic the next morning. This can also be incredibly helpful at highlighting any last minute homework that hasn’t been done and enabling children to gradually become better at organising themselves and planning their time more carefully.

It will take a bit of time and effort to get into the routine but will be well worth it and keep everyone’s stress levels down!

Good luck with the Big Back to School from all of us at DIY Homefit. We hope that it all goes smoothly and that some of our products may prove to be just the very storage solutions that you are looking for.