Kid's Room: Easy Organizing and Decorating Tips (ZT)

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Secret Storage
Try this tactic the next time your tween or teen gripes about having to clean her room: "Hey, if your space weren't a mess, you'd be able to find stuff faster and sleep later." Then hope the message sinks in for the new school year. Some storage-smart solutions: a headboard that stashes bedtime reading and treasures (this one is from Raymour & Flanigan, or DIY with a wall-mounted bookshelf) and under-bed bins for putting away video and board games.



Tack It On
A corkboard gives your child a place to post her favorite magazine clippings, photos, and ticket stubs ? and keeps you from filling in a bunch of holes in the wall when she's, like, totally over her Zac Efron crush. Also, cut a piece of Plexiglas to fit her desk, so she can slip memorabilia underneath (plastic is cheaper and safer than real glass). Stop magazines and notebooks from littering the floor with a hanging rack.




Drop Zone
Hooks mounted at her eye level give jackets and bags a home, while a bin (we painted a simple baking pan) does the same for shoes. Repurpose an over-the-door shoe holder to hold things she'll grab and go, from sunglasses to her iPod. Also, you may not know how to run all of your kid's electronics, but you do know you don't want them to short out or harm your child. Pick up surge protectors, like the PowerSquid models.




Keep vs. Toss
Toss the too-small laundry hamper, and replace it with something that won't overflow in a day (face it ? your kids are getting bigger, and so are their clothes). Corral dirties in a hamper large enough for a week's worth of clothing, and line it with a drawstring bag that's easy to tote to the laundry room.

Keep their hard-earned trophies and well-loved figurines ? just not scattered around the room. Display them on shelves mounted on little-used wall space (over a window or dresser).

Toss outgrown toys and clothes, but give your child a say in what stays, lest you throw away a shirt he or she still adores. Encourage the purge by explaining how the donations can help those in need or a younger family member or friend.

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Really cool!