From cluttered to calm: A guide to decluttering toys
Toy clutter can quickly take over your home, one minute the floor is clear, the next you’re stepping on sharp blocks! However, with the right approach, decluttering toys doesn’t have to be stressful or time-consuming.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by toy clutter and don’t know how to declutter toys easily, then this guide will walk you through simple, realistic steps you can follow to go from toy chaos, to a calmer, more manageable home.
You’ll discover why decluttering toys is important, uncover some simple, realistic steps to declutter toys fast, get ideas of the types of toys you can declutter, and come up with a plan on how to keep on top of toy clutter for the long term.
If you’re ready to create a calmer home that actually stays that way, this guide will show you how, one toy at a time.
Download your FREE declutter checklist with 100+ items to declutter here
Bookmark this post for future reference on Pinterest. Thank you!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
The benefits of decluttering toys
If you need to find the motivation to declutter toys, here are some of the benefits of doing so:
- Less toys makes a kid’s bedroom declutter super simple
- Play time increases when kids have less choice
- Tidying and organising toys becomes quicker and easier
- Fewer toys in shared family spaces allows your home to be enjoyed by everyone
RELATED: How to achieve a decluttered living room without stress
How to declutter toys
Here are some simple steps you can take to start decluttering kid’s toys.
Declutter toys on your own
Toy clutter is one decluttering job that I do solo, and that I recommend you do when your kids are out of the house.
The reason for this is because it’s near impossible to get kids to declutter their toys, there’s always a broken toy, toys with missing pieces, or toys they never use that they just can’t commit to decluttering.
So, if you think your kids will impact the number of toys you can clear out, then consider doing this decluttering job solo.
Take everything out
The first step to a toy declutter is to get all of the toys out of their hiding areas, which may feel overwhelming, but once they’re out, you have no choice but to finish this often dreaded decluttering project.
Taking all of your toys out of their hiding places also enables you to see how many toys you have, and if you have any duplicates, making the decision on what to keep and what to declutter easier.
Sort into piles
Once all the toys are in sight, it’s time to start decluttering them, which is best done by creating these piles:
- Keep – toys that are in working order and are played with
- Store – toys your children will play with when they’re older
- Sell – toys in working order you don’t want, that you can get good money for
- Donate – toys in working order you don’t want to sell
- Recycle – toys that don’t work, or aren’t played with, and can be recycled
- Trash – non-recyclable toys that aren’t worth keeping or donating
Ask simple questions
Here are some questions you can ask about each toy, to help you decide what pile to place it in:
- Do my kids play with this now?
- Is it age appropriate?
- Is it broken or has missing pieces?
- Would my kids notice if it disappeared?
If you answer “no” to most of these questions, then it’s time to let the toy go.
Put toys away in groups
For the toys left in your keep pile, it’s time to put them away.
My favourite way to put toys away is by groups, which makes putting toys away easy, and prolongs the amount of time my kids play with their toys.
Here are some groups you can store your kid’s toys by:
- Blocks
- Board games and puzzles
- Building sets
- Cars and vehicles
- Dolls and figures
Toys to declutter
Here’s a decluttering checklist with some ideas of toys that you can declutter from your home.
Broken or incomplete toys
- Puzzles with missing pieces
- Games without all the parts
- Toys that no longer work
- Worn or damaged soft toys
Outgrown toys
- Baby toys
- Toddler toys
- Toys your children haven’t played with in months
Duplicates
- Duplicate cars or figures
- Toys that are similar
- Party bag toys
- Excess soft toys
High stimulation toys
- Toys that make loud sounds
- Toys with flashing lights
Fad toys
- Character or fad toys your kids no longer have interest in
Single use crafts
- Dried out Play-Doh
- Dried markers
- Half-finished craft kits
How to keep toy clutter under control
Once you’ve decluttered your kid’s toys, here are some ways to keep them clutter free.
Use a toy rotation system
A toy rotation system is my favourite way of reducing toy cutter in my home, which is regularly changing the toys that your children play with.
It means that instead of having all of your children’s toys available for them to play with, you divide their toys into sets, and periodically swap the sets around, so only a selected number of sets of toys are available to play with at any one time.
The benefits of a toy rotation system are are:
- It helps make decluttering bedrooms easier, because you have less toys available to create clutter
- It’s a fast way to declutter because you can clear away many toys at once
- New toy sets feel like new toys
READ MORE: How to use a toy rotation system to tackle toy clutter
Use simple storage solutions
Storing toys in storage solutions that kids can use is a great way to teach them to tidy up after themselves, as well as helping to significantly reduce toy clutter.
Here are some toy storage solutions I use in my home, that my kids can easily use as well:
Do daily resets
Doing a quick 5–10 minute reset at the end of the day, where you put toys back where they belong, helps to keep your kid’s bedroom floors from being a toy dumping ground.
RELATED: The ultimate Sunday reset routine for busy mums
Declutter regularly
Decluttering toys isn’t a one time job, as toys constantly enter your home as your kid’s interests change, and when they’re given toys as gifts.
Therefore, to keep on top of toy clutter you’ll need to declutter your kid’s toys regularly, which you can do by decluttering toys:
- Every few months
- As part of a Christmas declutter
- Before birthdays
- As your children grow
- Using a decluttering schedule to prevent overwhelm
Decluttering toys – a recap
Decluttering kid’s toys means you’re keeping toys that your kids actually play with, and you won’t feel overwhelmed by clutter every time you walk into your kid’s room, or shared family spaces.
Reducing the number of toys in your home makes everyday life easier, tidying up becomes faster, playtimes are more focused, and your home feels more peaceful for everyone.
With simple steps like decluttering toys solo, creating piles, and storing toys by type, the process of decluttering kid’s toys becomes less daunting than it first appears.
One key thing to remember is that decluttering toys is an ongoing process. Children grow, interests change, and new toys will make their way into your home regularly, which is why a toy rotation system, simple storage solutions, daily resets, and regular decluttering sessions are needed.
With a few simple habits you can move from toy clutter to calm in no time, and enjoy a home where toy clutter is maintained over the long term.
In case you missed it, here’s your free printable declutter checklist to help you make decluttering your entire home easier.
When will you schedule your next toy declutter?
Love this post? Share it with others on Pinterest – Thank you!
