Is Your Home Taken Over By Toys? An Expert Shares How to Declutter

Thomas Riley, the managing director of Kidscar.co.uk, shares his expert advice on tackling the common issue plaguing many households: an overabundance of toys. Riley, drawing on his extensive experience in children’s entertainment and practical living solutions, outlines seven essential steps to declutter your home and create a more organised, enjoyable space for both you and your children.

Gather All Toys in One Place
Riley suggests starting the decluttering process by collecting every toy from various corners of your house into one central location. This startling visual representation of the quantity of toys can be an eye-opener and a critical first step in tackling the clutter.

Categorise the Toys
Once all the toys are gathered, Riley recommends categorizing them. This can include sorting them into piles such as broken toys, toys no longer in use, passive toys, disliked toys, and high-quality toys that are favourites.

Assess and Reduce
The next step involves assessing how many toys are genuinely necessary. Riley advises that often, children play with a fraction of what they own. He suggests reducing the number by focusing on keeping those that are most loved and used, thereby promoting quality over quantity.

Designate Appropriate Play Spaces
Riley emphasises the importance of defining specific areas in the home for play. This approach helps in organising toys efficiently and also encourages children to play in designated areas, reducing the spread of toys across the house.

Display Toys Effectively
An effective display of toys, according to Riley, can encourage children to engage with them more. He suggests easy-to-access and well-organized displays, like cube organisers, where each toy is visible and inviting.

Consider a Toy Rotation System
Riley understands that keeping all toys out at once can be overwhelming. He suggests a rotation system, where a set number of toys are available to play with at any given time, and the rest are stored away, to be rotated in later. This keeps the play area fresh and engaging without being cluttered.

Plan for Future Toy Acquisitions
Finally, Riley advises parents to be mindful of future toy acquisitions. This involves communicating with friends and family about gift preferences and focusing on experiences or educational toys rather than adding more to the existing pile.

By following these steps, Kids Car store owner Riley assures parents that they can reclaim their space from the toy takeover, creating a more organised and stimulating environment for their children to play and grow.