Strategies / systems for coats, shoes, bags etc etc

[3maybe4]

Now that the weather is changing I can tell I need a strategy or some new storage for all the things that come with rubbish weather (the hall is currently strewn with Welles, wet coats, book bag, rain cover..,)

Do you have any good ways of storing coats, shoes, bags, gloves, scarves etc?

Thanks!

[purpleroses]

Big plastic crates/boxes with lids that stack. In different colours - one for wellies, one for hats and scarves, etc. And most shoes kept in bedrooms

[purpleroses]

And lots of pegs for coats, bookbags, etc. Pegs in cuboards (eg under stairs) too if possible for the things you don't use so often.

[MoominMammasHandbag]

There are 6 of us; all this kind of stuff is kept under the stairs. I have three lots of 6 hooks under there, and a three shelf shoe rack. Hats and gloves go in a big hessian bag but tend to be kept in pockets.
I also have a two coats, two pairs of shoes rule, the rest to be kept upstairs in wardrobe. I have a cull every so often.

[Annunziata]

Thread the gloves through the sleeves of the coats for as long as possible, or train them to stuff them in the pockets as soon as they get inside.
Make sure everyone has their own peg, and their own space on the shoe rack.

I had 6, I did used to get up early and sort everything out so we would leave for school in time.

[plum100]

Five of us - we have 20 high coat hooks, 8 child height hooks, a little wicker basket each on shelves for individual hats scarfs shades etc, and a 2 shelf shoe rack , which including the floor space underneath gives us 18ft in which to store all our shoes - and its still not big enough!!!!!

[LongStory]

seven of us here - simple tip but I recently did a severe cull and now we have only one of each item per person and the hallway storage works!!! person.

Also have just introduced new system of large "sports direct-type" themed bags which I keep accessible in the garage and saves loads of time faffing about, i.e.

• one for raincoats
• one for cycling helmets / bike lock / pump
• one for riding hats and boots (kept in the vague hope that we can afford lessons again one day)
• one for tennis rackets & balls
• badminton rackets and balls etc
• one for shopping bags

[LongStory]

oooh stray 'person' crept into post, sorry!

[harrygracejessica]

I've got the ikea expedit units and each child has a storage tub for book bags, lunchbox, hats, gloves etc then coat rack for all the coats. Wellies go on the shoe rack underneath the adult coat rack

[imip]

Six here. Six hooks for winter coats, rain coats and gilets. Not really enough space, bike helmets sit on top of these hooks, placed down the staircase. Another five hook rack for cardigans, random bags, library books. Big basket for hats scarfs and gloves. Beautiful custom made cupboard full of pigeon holes for shoes for the whole family.

Last winter I feared that I may not have emerged from the pile of coats, shoes and accessories at our front door. Got a brilliant carpenter to make a lovely cabinet to store all our shoes, wonderful!

[RandomMess]

Each child has a trofast box for their shoes, we have a clear plastic drawers unit for the gloves/hats etc, lots of coat hooks. My shoes live upstairs.

[TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos]

We recently re-did the passage that counts for a Hall (6 here). Two shoe-racks underneath adult-height coat pegs, with 1 1/2 coat pegs per child underneath. Rucksacks for school, swimming, gym, etc. are stacked on the shoe racks. Each child has a daftly named Ikea box (Klappit?) in which their hats, gloves, stuff without hooks like gilets, sunglasses, etc. are kept. Even the 2 year-old can manage it!!

[3maybe4]

Thanks everyone. Think half my battle is going to be getting my DC to actually use whatever system I create. My DH can still struggle with the colour coded 3 pocket washing basket : )

[eightisseventoomany]

buy another house for storage xx

but if thats out of reach .....our system is:

we have 2 huge metal shelving systems (for industrial use !!) holding no less than 18 giant tuff crates each. Inside each tuff crate is : shoes for summer , shoes for winter, Shoes for school, wellies, hats & gloves for winter, hats for summer, swimwear for summer, bike helmets, knee pads & shin pads etc ect ( & lots more!!) you would think this is going well,

.....until you then add the fact that age range now comes into it !! shoes for under 5s, shoes for age 5-10, Over 10, then i seperate into girls / boys !! then i have the crates filled with yet to grow into / just grown out of......doing this with everything from clothes/ coats/ footwear/ equipment & its still impossible.

I did used to have a crate (or 3) for each child to have just their items, but when you think they grow at such an alarming rate, and every few months Im having to rearrange what no longer fits & passing down to the next, i felt i was forever having to rearrange, & then we had the upset of someone saying "why is my coat in your crate, why have you got my shoes etc & tears because my 2 year old now has my 3 year olds once favourite hello kitty coat in her box :( so that didnt work very well....

I always wonder how families larger than mine manage ?? !!

I have 8 children, & a husband who has lots of coats & shoes for every occasion too !!! agghhhhhh

dont get me started on clothes ( even I have.. clothes I fitted in pre pregnancy, clothes for pregnancy, clothes when i am no longer the size i wish I was and these too are arranged in winter wardrobe / summer wardrobe !!!

[imip]

I have an overwhelming sense of awe for your system of organisation. I have slowly started collecting plastic crates for storing unused items (only four dcs here). You're system sounds amazing

[imip]

Grrr mumsy I mean....

[Smugfearnleyshittingstool]

We are seven, and I'm desperately seeking a good solution for coats/ shoes and bloody crocs!
DP however has built us a fabulous BIKE SHED, a proper one like at school fixed to side of the house, with a metal rack to push six bikes in to, space for scooters, basket for gloves and lights and hooks for helmets. It has a roof shelter keep them dry and they love it! No more bikes lying all over the floor in the rain as nobody ever out them in the garage! Im far too excited about this shed as you can tell!

[RandomMess]

I am in awe of your bike shed, sadly out garden is too small for such a thing

[purpleroses]

Random - we don't have space for a bike shed either, but I have round these metal stands - only about a foot high but they hold the front wheel of a bike, and don't take up much room. You can buy them at Halfords, and just need a bit of concrete patio or the wall of your house to attach them too. Each stand takes 3 bikes. Work well for us.

[RandomMess]

We don't even have room for that unfortunately - scrub garden and insert yard and main entrance to the house. 50% of the space is taken over by the rotary washing line...

[throckenholt]

we have a small cloak room - which is

a) totally inadequate
and
b) only used by me

Our family strategy is to leave them wherever you happen to take them off, followed at some later stage by me yelling at everyone to put them where they belong. In theory gloves and scraves go in a box - in practice rarely. Mine are 10 and 12 now - but it has been the same for about 8 years !

Not necessarily a strategy I would recommend.

[throckenholt]

We have a bike shed built by DH a few years ago - it is now full of other stuff and the bikes are scattered around outside or partially under cover.

We decided to build a leanto boot room for wellies and wet coats - it has morphed into a fully blown conservatory (thanks to a timely inheritance). But I fear it won't solve the welly problem and I will still crave a boot room. We are a family of 5 but for some reason at least 4 of those people have multiple pairs of wellies (ok, ok - I have 2 pairs as well). Plus mulitple pairs of walking boots - in various stages of outgrownness.

I am disappearing under a mountain of wellies.

[NAR4]

There are 7 of us and I only have a tiny porch to keep coats and shoes in, with no hallway. We have 4 coat hooks and a couple of plastic boxes lined up on the floor underneath, for shoes and boots. Hats and gloves get kept in the owners coat and only school shoes and boots stay in the porch, all other footwear is kept in a box in each wardrobe. One coat rule also applies and other coats are also in wardrobes. Book bags, PE bags etc are kept in the bedrooms. The only bag allowed downstairs is the nappy bag. If we had enough money I would get a boot room built on the front of my house for the convenience and storage of outdoor wear.

[accessorizequeen]

I'm going to look up those Halfords bike stands, excellent!
We are 6, dc all under 10 and 2 with attention problems. Coats are impossible as they all have several (plus hoodies) and keep bringing them downstairs but I keep sending them up! But think we have shoes, gloves etc cracked. One medium size basket for kids plimsolls, trainers, slippers (I go thru weekly) plus double height rack in the porch for welllies, boots & school shoes. Dp & I have our own double height rack
I bought a Cotswold-company-like wooden drawer unit with 5 pull out wicker baskets 3 years ago & it serves us well. Each dc has their own & dp and I share. Hats, gloves, scarves, waterproof trousers all go in there. I'm quite pleased with that one as all the dc use them & know where to look if a glove is missing. I swap over once a year and keep out of season stuff in an under bed box.

[accessorizequeen]

Should say that the drawer basket thingy is tall, takes up very little space. I mention my kids' attention problems because they cope with that system and like it.