How To Declutter And Organise Your Playroom Before You Move
Moving house is a mission. Moving house with kids?
A whole different challenge.
And then there’s the playroom, a Bermuda Triangle of games, puzzles, long-lost LEGO, and the occasional sticky mystery object.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you declutter and organise your playroom efficiently before moving day.
Before you dive into decluttering before moving home, have a plan in place.
- Timeline: Start at least a few weeks before your move to avoid last-minute stress.
- Sorting system: Use categories like keep, donate, sell, recycle, and bin.
- Storage solutions: Get boxes, bags, and labels ready for sorting items efficiently.
1. Start with a Ruthless Toy Purge
The first rule of packing? Less is more. You do not need to take every single toy with you—especially the ones that haven’t been touched in months.
What Needs to Go?
🤔 Broken toys – If it’s missing a head, a wheel, or a vital piece… it’s time to say goodbye.
🤔 Outgrown toys – If your child is now in secondary school, that stack of baby rattles is just taking up space.
🤔 The “never played with” toys – You know the ones. The ones they had to have, played with twice, and then abandoned.
🤔 Random puzzle pieces – If you find one piece with no puzzle, bin it. If you find a puzzle with missing pieces, also bin it. No one enjoys an incomplete puzzle!
🤔 Excessive soft toys – Unless you’re running a teddy bear sanctuary, it’s time to downsize.
📦 Pro Tip: Donate good-condition toys to charity shops, nurseries, or friends with younger kids. The ones in a questionable state? Straight to the bin.
2. Sort & Organise
Now that you’ve decluttered, let’s get what’s left into some kind of order.
💡 Sort by category – Keep board games with board games, dolls with dolls, and train sets with… well, trains. Future-you will be grateful.
💡 Use clear labels – Instead of "Miscellaneous Chaos," label boxes properly: “LEGO & Bricks,” “Soft Toys,” “Games & Puzzles,” etc.
💡 Bag small pieces – Pop small puzzle pieces, Barbie shoes, and Playmobil accessories into zip-lock bags. This stops them from mysteriously vanishing mid-move.
💡 Limit the keepsakes – A few special drawings and craft projects? Lovely, some of these touches will make the new house feel like home.
3. What About Screens & Electronics?
Kids these days have more gadgets than we ever did!
🔌 Wrap cables properly – Nothing is more frustrating than a tangle of wires. Use cable ties or elastic bands to keep things neat. Add a label to the plug and the wires too.
🖥 Backup computers & tablets – Moving is risky business. Make sure all important files and games are backed up before you move.
🎮 Keep controllers & chargers together – No one wants to unpack a PlayStation without the power cable. Using a simple plastic bag to hold the whole playstation set up is a good idea!
💾 Check for old devices – That ancient Nintendo DS gathering dust? If no one has used it in years, consider donating or recycling it.
4. Storing Important Paperwork & Keepsakes
Ah yes, the unexpected paperwork that always seems to pile up in a playroom!
📌 Certificates & school reports – Keep these in a labelled folder and store them separately from toys.
📌 Photos & artwork – If every scribble your child has ever drawn is still in a pile, take photos of them and create a digital album instead. (Keep a few favourites, but not all of them.) Try and name and date for reference.
📌 Instruction manuals for toys & gadgets – If you still have the manual for a toy that no longer exists, bin it! Keep only the ones you actually need for devices you still use.
5. Packing Smart
Label “Open First” boxes – Pack a small box with favourite toys and books to keep your child entertained while you unpack.
Get the kids involved – Let them help choose which toys to keep and which to donate. This makes parting with things slightly easier.
6. The Last-Minute Playroom Survival Kit
Before you seal up the playroom, pack a small essentials kit with:
A favourite soft toy (for bedtime!)
A few books
A colouring set
A small bag of LEGO or a toy car/train
A tablet (if all else fails!)
Snacks (because moving is exhausting)
