Clutter-free is the latest buzzword. We’re doing our part to get rid of things we don’t use, put things away that we use. But a little clutter never hurt anyone.
But let’s face it. Most of our homes are a little bigger than 440 square feet (the average size of a room at the Grand Floridian, a deluxe resort.) Squeeze that down to the 260 square feet of the average value resort, and you can get downright claustrophobic. Even the simplest “clutter” can be intolerable.
To save a bit of money, our family of 5 stays in one room. With one bathroom. And with three “boys” and two “girls”, the bathroom storage situation is not ideal.
And the clutter? Drives. Me. Crazy.
Here are some tricks we’ve learned over the years to help you save your sanity. Read on to stay organized in tight quarters and declare your Disney resort room a Clutter-Free Zone!
Tips and Tricks
- Unpack your suitcases and place clean clothes in a dresser drawer (after wiping with a Clorox wipe.) Stand the empty suitcase on its end, unzip partway and it’s a hamper. Once it’s full, simply zip and take home. If you are opposed to using the dresser drawers, use one suitcase for clean clothes and one for dirty, hanging up what you can for more space.
2. Hang up what you can but don’t forget to leave a few hangers to finish off drying damp bathing suits. (You can get more hangers from Mousekeeping if you need them.)
3. One gallon or the oversized Ziploc bags are the perfect vessels to pack one outfit, per person or each day. And, some people might feel better about tossing Ziploc bags in the drawers rather than clothes. One reader told me they do the opposite, clean clothes in the suitcases, dirty in the drawers and then just empty the drawers at the end of the trip. Hence, my compulsion to Clorox wipe the drawers beforehand.
4. Hampers for dirty clothes (collapsible ones to tote laundry – you can find these at Target or The Dollar Store.)
5. A couple of detergent pods for a load of laundry or two (or three?).
6. Two words. Dryer sheets. These beauties play double duty. One, for the obvious load of laundry you may have to tackle. Two? To slip into your sneakers at the end of the day. (Moms of teen boys know exactly what I’m talking about. Ahhh, it smells better in here already!)
Props To Help Keep You Organized
7. Over the door shoe holder for toiletries and other small items.
8. If you’re not going to hang up many clothes, set up the ironing board in that area. You can use this extra space to place your toiletries, everyone’s rapid refill mugs and lightweight bags to keep the counters clutter-free.
9. A collapsible bin by the door to toss keys, spare change, park maps, lanyards, and magic bands.
10. A collapsible bin in the bathroom to keep drink mugs all in one place.
11. Collapsible shoe rack to hang on clothes rod for extra storage and minimize clutter.
12. Give each family member their own lightweight bag or backpack to store personal items such as phones, chargers, reading material, etc.
Now, we’ve never employed EVERY trick listed here at one time. If we did, we’d need another suitcase for all of our clutter-free props. It all depends upon the type of trip we’re taking.
The Ziploc bag trick was especially helpful when the kids were babies and toddlers. Using extra hangers and over the door organizers were instigated by our daughter in her pre-teen years – and beyond. You get the idea!
Figure out where your family’s trouble spots are and choose the tricks accordingly.
And have a magical (and clutter-free) time!
