Sadly or happily (depending on who you ask!), The end of summer is here, and the fun to-do lists are drawing to an end. Hopefully, your family packed in lots of memories and smiles over the break.
Or, if you survived another PCS over the summer, you’re probably craving routine and looking forward to your home finally coming together with everything unboxed and in its place. Well, at least most things— we all know about the stash of boxes in the garage that never gets opened!
Photo from iStock.com/monkeybusinessimages
A Back-to-School Kids’ Closet Redo
When the weather is hot, hot, hot outside, a lot of families like to tackle home improvement projects in between beach vacations and long days spent at the pool to spend quality time together in the glorious AC.
A back-to-school kids’ closet redo is the perfect project to plan and execute together. You can spend an hour or two or a whole weekend creating a picture-perfect, perfectly functional closet space to send your kids back into the school building in style.
By August, everybody is tired of the heat but not bored enough to work on flash cards or summer school workbooks, so take advantage of helpful hands to clean out, recycle, and renew closet space. There isn’t anything better than starting school completely organized and ready to go, so let’s make a plan.
Photo from iStock.com/Kostikova
4 Cleaning Items You Need to Get Started
1) Fresh box of heavy-duty garbage bags.
Garbage bags are perfect for sorting the closet contents: donate, trash, giveaway, and consignment. Before adding to the landfills, find your local Buy Nothing Group online to post your items as a gift to neighbors. Or, contact your school and ask if they participate in a clothing donation fundraiser. Schools earn money by the pound.
2) Cleaning products.
Collect a broom, vacuum, duster, and cleaning solution to clean walls and shelves. If you have a spare outlet in the closet, use a plug-in type scent or a standalone scent diffuser/deodorizer to keep the space fresh even when stinky shoes and dirty clothes make a home on the floor. Boxes of open baking soda help deodorize, too.
3) New hangers.
Gift or donate the small baby ones you’ve been holding onto, and discard the wire and broken hangers. When you use the same type of hangers, they consolidate space and make the overall appearance look neat and tidy.
Choose a combination of notched and smooth varieties to accommodate all kinds of hung items. For the ultimate in organization, hang each hanger in the same direction; they slide better this way, too.
4) Organizational tools.
Over-the-door shoe hangers hold more than shoes. The small pockets are excellent for undies, socks, tights, bathing suits, and anything else roll-up-able if space is tight. Plastic bins and buckets are also helpful, especially for grab-and-go items like sports uniforms and winter accessories.
If you’re inspired to organize another space in your home, check out Home Organization: A Beginner's Guide for helpful tips.
5 Extras You’ll Want to Add Finishing Touches
1) Pretty paint in secret spaces.
Closet walls and inside shelving gaps are a great start. Who wouldn’t want a sky-blue ceiling and sunshine-yellow walls? Limits are only in your imagination. Use patterned contact paper to create the same color burst without permanency.
2) A replacement light bulb and fixture.
There’s nothing worse than needing a headlamp to search through mounds of socks, so increase the light bulb wattage for the best illumination. Why not add more whimsy with a fancy chandelier or specialty fixture to go with your pretty paint? Bare bulbs and bowl-style fixtures with ancient dead bugs inside are never good.
Photo from Canva
3) Decorative storage bins and baskets.
Nothing complements a closet redo like matching accessories. Use coupons and military discounts from stores like Michaels, who always have a wide variety on hand for great deals. Choose from woven, felt, plastic, or wooden types.
4) A new rug.
A fun burst of color makes everything better. Plus, a rug feels comfy on your bare toes and warms the space in the cold months. If you’ve chosen color on the walls, go with a neutral rug to keep your eyes on the paint. Plus, if you go neutral, you can reuse it in a new room in a future house.
5) Stool or chair.
The kids might need help reaching high shelves or need a place to put on shoes. A stool encourages them to hang up clothes and try to stay organized. Height-help also gives you time to work on school lunches instead of retrieving every closet item they need each morning.
Organizing and cleaning closets is the perfect home improvement confidence builder. For reluctant DIYers, the satisfaction of a finished project is achievable in minimal time with little investment. You’re also likely helping your community with donations and can earn yourself a shiny gold star for trying something new, like a paint project, which might just encourage another home project.
Pantry, master bedroom closet, garage, porch—don’t worry; if you happen to catch a wave of decorating or DIY inspiration, MilitaryByOwner is here to guide with a collection of how-tos and motivating blog posts!
