You know how this goes. With the first snow accumulation, the entire family starts digging through closets, bins, and storage in the hunt for cold weather gear. The time spent prepping to go outside doubles the amount of time actually spent outdoors. Minutes later, or at least it seems, it’s time to come in for the first cup of hot cocoa. And then…. your floor looks a bit like the picture above. Knowing I wasn’t the only one with this problem, I headed over to Pinterest for some pinspiration to Eliminate Snowday Clutter! There are some brilliant moms out there with the most amazing hacks. While at Kroger that afternoon, I spent $30 investing in a few recommendations to help with this dilemma. Quite possibly it may have been the best $30 I have ever spent.
Eliminate Snowday Clutter with these Organizing Snowgear Tips!
Let’s take a moment to remind you about the snowy clutter and how it can run your day. If your kids are like mine, one minute they are playing and having fun and the next someone is whining at the door that they are cold, hurt, someone won’t share their favorite sled, hungry, thirsty, have to go to the bathroom…you know where I am going with this. Next, they need to undress several layers while the snow starts to melt all over the floor. So, here’s my first tip, prior to heading out with the kids, or if they are big enough to head out on their own, get your doorway ready! That way, when anyone returns you will be prepared. If you don’t have a large rug already there – simply bring one over interim. Or, grab a few old towels. There’s nothing worse than multiple bodies trying to awkwardly undress at the door. An argument is inevitable when there is limited space and an imaginary race to get their cumbersome gear off!
Next, get the necessities, here’s a link to some great pinterest ideas. For me, I found that a foldable drying rack and mesh drying rack would be perfect for our space. I added a few extras for organization: a few hangers, clothes pins (or chip bag clips), and another towel. We have a bench and chairs near our back door, but if you don’t a step stool generally doesn’t take up much space and may come in handy for draping or sitting. We have 7 people in our family and the two drying racks were all that was needed for our entire families gear!
A few tips that I learned while getting my ‘snow gear stations’ setup!
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Foldable Drying Rack:
- Great for hanging coats (use hangers that have a hook that twirls for easier hanging), draping snow pants or hooking on the four corners, hanging scarves (the middle rods work best – leaving the ouside for items that can be pinned, larger items or laying beanies and large gloves on top!
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Mesh Dryer Rack:
- Great for a single layer of gloves, mittens, socks, beanies, etc.
- We simply moved our over our register for better air circulation. They were dry & warm when the kiddos went back out