“Mom, I’m bored!”
“I don’t have anything to play with!”
“Where’s my pink tea party set?”
As they sit amongst mountains of plastic toys.
For most parents, having disorganized toys is a huge pain point. But do you want to know the truth? It goes a lot deeper than this. It’s also detrimental to a child’s development. But when you learn how to organize your toys the @GoCleanCo way, you can finally gain the upper hand over that eyesore of a playroom.
(No guarantees you won’t hear the “Mom, I’m bored” line again. That one’s pretty much cemented in a child’s vocab. But at least they’ll know where everything is! And there’s less of a chance that you’ll trip over a tower of blocks in the dark hallway while trying to quietly tip-toe to bed late at night.)
The Relationship Between Organization & a Child’s Development
Having disorganized toys is not only a pain point for parents; it’s detrimental to a child’s development. Without getting too deep into psychology, here are a few specific ways disorganization negatively impacts early childhood development:
- Having too many distractions and excessive disorganization early in childhood can lead to a lifetime of perceived failure, a general lack of self-esteem, and trouble functioning in organized parts of society (like school, work, etc.).
- There’s often a correlation between the number of toys a child has and their overall level of creativity. Children who have fewer toys – or know where to find their toys – are more focused and play more creatively. This may lead to greater creativity in other areas of life.
- Children who have disorganized play areas often face challenges with communication and attention. This can impact their ability to effectively communicate feelings and emotions.
Having a set place for your child’s toys will help them learn responsibility and cleanliness, and it’s great for their overall development. Training starts early in the #cleaningarmy! PLUS, if you have a system that is easy to maintain for everyone, it dramatically lowers the risk of stepping on those damn legos in the middle of the night!
Read on to learn a few simple ways to get organized and stay organized the @gocleanco way.
Purge
The first rule of organization is to get rid of the shit you don’t use. The same goes for your kids’ toys. If your kids have a never-ending mountain of toys, not only will they always be disorganized, but they won’t play with them. Kids get overwhelmed and overstimulated easily.
The best time to purge toys (besides, you know, yesterday) is before a birthday or Christmas. Make room for the new stuff they are about to get. It may even be easier to convince them to let go of some items, with the promise of new toys around the corner. (I also like to purge while they are sleeping or away, but don’t tell my kids that!) Toss the broken toys, and donate or hand down the rest.
Pro tip: Try to eliminate whole types of toys your kids don’t play with anymore. It will be easier to organize them if there are fewer types. (e.g. If your six-year-old daughter has switched from baby dolls to Barbies, get rid of all of the baby doll stuff.)

Clean
You knew this was coming.
Toys are… yuck. Like, think about it. Snotty noses, colds, viruses, and hands that have been who knows where? If you really want to keep your house clean and sanitary, you can’t forget about all of those germs and microbes hanging out on red fire trucks and play kitchens.
Run those stuffies through the wash, and clean the plastic toys in the dishwasher or a sink full of warm, soapy water. Carefully wipe down anything with batteries with hot water and tide on a damp cloth. Move your existing toy bins and clean inside, outside, behind, and underneath them.

Create a rotation system
Too many toys equals too many options. And too many options equals stress and overwhelm.
Simplicity Parenting author Kim John Payne says, ““As you decrease the quantity of your child’s toys and clutter, you increase their attention and their capacity for deep play.”
Choose half their toys, pack them up into storage bins, and hide them somewhere for a while. Then when they get bored of their current toys, swap everything out, and it’s like all new toys!
A place for everything, and everything in its place
Utilize closets by adding shelves and bins. There’s still plenty of hanging space for clothes, and the toys they play with in their room have a place to live. (Bonus: You can close the closet door and the clutter goes away!)
Organize. Baskets and bins are your friends. Store like types together, and make it accessible for the kids. Bonus points if the kids can remove the bin, play with its contents, and put it back where it belongs. Get them to help at this stage so they understand the system and its reasons.
- If you want to go above and beyond, you can organize even further at this step. For instance, I’m that crazy person that sorts my kids’ Legos by color. It seems crazy at first, but it helps them find pieces when building their sets, and it encourages free play. Sometimes I get a little twitchy when their friends come over and play with the legos, but it doesn’t take long to sort it again.
- Make it pretty and functional. Rainbow order those bookshelves! And label the bins so the kids can help put their things away. (Pro tip: Label each container with a picture of what belongs in there if your kids are younger.)
Get creative with storage solutions. We love those bean bag chairs that let you shove your stuffies inside in place of the traditional stuffing.
Products we love:
When you buy through our links, we may earn a small commission.

- Toy Chest (USA) (Canada)
- Toy Organizer (USA) (Canada)
- Bean Bag Storage (USA) (Canada)
- Laundry basket (USA) (Canada)
- Book Cubby (USA) (Canada)
- Cube storage organizers (Canada) (USA)
- Fabric toy storage bins (Canada) (USA)
For a list of our favorite products, click here.
– Becky @gocleanco
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gocleanco
Nov 18
I circled rollerblades in the Sears Wish Book every year…and every year my mother would patiently explain that we lived on an acreage with gravel roads and rollerblades do not work on gravel…and every year I would be so disappointed when they didn’t show up under the tree. 🤣🤦🏼♀️ #nostalgia #christmastime
gocleanco
Nov 15
PSA: A lot of people don’t know you can do this when you order a gift off of Amazon. At check out, you can select that the item is a gift and then choose the option to add a gift bag and a custom message and this is how it is delivered! You don’t have to worry about the surprise being ruined if they open the box because it’s already wrapped and they can plunk it under the tree. Perfect if you have family far away that you won’t be seeing this holiday season. Saves ya time and energy in the chaos of the season. 🎁🎄🎅🏻🕰️🕰️🕰️ #christmastime
gocleanco
Nov 13
Nostalgic Christmas!!!! Bring on the tinsel and the garland. I can handle it. 🤭We have some fun things planned to take you back to the days when we made ornaments outta fishhooks, so STAY TUNED ya filthy animals! 🎄🎁 ⛄️ 🎅🏻 🤶🏻❄️ ☕️
gocleanco
Nov 12
Best part of getting my hair done is hanging with sister @hellohairhouse the results aren’t too shabby either
gocleanco
Nov 9
Just out here doing the lords work. meganrreed_
gocleanco
Nov 4
Okay my DM’s are full of people asking for this to live on the feed. Brew a cup of coffee. I use a @nespresso pod but any regular cup java will do. Add in one scoop of your fav protein powder (or do half if you find this too sweet). This-is-a-wing-it-to-how-you-like-it-recipe as most cups of coffee are. I used vanilla protein powder here with a sprinkle of cinnamon, tastes a Christmasy! My go to is usually chocolate protein because it tastes like a mocha. Froth it with frother and drink it hot or over ice. This gets me 26 grams of protein right in the morning which helps cause I’m not a breakfast person. I’m trying y’all. 💪🏻 🍑
gocleanco
Nov 1
You asked and I delivered! You have been requesting I test the viral Tineco floor washers forever so here they are! Full break down of the S5 and S3 model in my stories plus they are both on sale at Canadian Tire and Amazon! @tinecoglobal #sponsored #floorcare #evolutionofclean
gocleanco
Oct 28
Best one yet. 🤣😂🤣🤣 I told you guys he looks like @mrclean
gocleanco
Oct 25
I have shared my new BLANCO sink and faucet but let’s talk about accessories, did you know BLANCO also has under sink organization systems? I completed my BLANCO UNIT with the BOTTON II, it tidies up the mess under your kitchen sink and it pulls out like a drawer; you can store your cleaning supplies in it and also has a handy dandy little handle so you can take your supplies with you around the house. I have a post up on their blog that goes into depth about BLANCO maintenance and care, and more tips in my stories so make sure you check them out. You folks had lots of questions about BLANCO last round and I am happy to help. Plus BLANCO customer service can answer any maintenance questions you might have. #sponsored @blancoamerica1
gocleanco
Oct 22
You can’t win them all. 🐷🩰
gocleanco
Oct 20
Ghosts have chores too! #happyhalloween
gocleanco
Oct 13
It’s a blessing and a curse, really. #housework
gocleanco
Oct 11
Me for the last 24 hours straight 🥴😵💫 What didn’t you snag that you had on your heart set on for Prime Big Deals Days? Drop ONE THING you didn’t nab in the comments below and maybe we will do some surprise Amazon deliveries! 🥰 The only thing I have had time to buy for myself is a Home Alone Pillow with Kevin’s face on it and some Tide Rescue 😂 Swipe to see ➡️➡️➡️
gocleanco
Oct 9
It is the final week of the Fall Cleaning Challenge which means we are cleaning the Common Area’s in our homes (that’s hallways, closets, mudrooms, porches and laundry rooms) we are ALSO taking our buckets, Aquablades, power washers and shop vacuums outside to clean up our outdoor spaces before the ❄️ hits. This is a big week. What’s the biggest disaster area that you need to tackle this week? I’ll go first. It’s my scary linen closet which currently it has a sign on on it that says CAUTION ⚠️ 😂 I also got a new leaf blower that I am very excited to blast some dirt and 🍂 with. Pace yourselves, WE GOT THIS! 👊🏻 #cleaningtips
gocleanco
Oct 8
If you are sick of doing dishes, we got this off Amazon for Stella’s apartment cause she didn’t have a dishwasher and she would not stop complaining about it. The little window is so cute, you can watch everything that happening in it, it’s almost as dramatic as and episode of Love is Blind. 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ from Stella! #amazonfinds
gocleanco
Oct 7
Hiiiii 👋🏼 Sarah here. I’m the one behind the cleaning hacks, motivation, business tips, home design, decor and sometimes fashion advice and sassy commentary. Oh and I wrote some books in the early days too 🤓 How long have long have you been following along for the ride? Thanks for sticking with me 💕💕💕
gocleanco
Oct 6
Takes me just as long to pick a blanket as it does a pillowcase. 🫠🤣 Everything is linked up in my Amazon Store front! Link is in my bio. Reminder it’s Prime Deals Days next week so expecting lots of stuff to be on sale next week! My rug is from @ruggable and is 9x12 and called the Kamran Hazel. #falldecor
gocleanco
Oct 4
Entering spooky season but it’s just a regular Wednesday for us. Today I learned not everyone pronounces it 👻—GUR 🤣🤣🤣 #happyhalloween
gocleanco
Sep 24
Heya. 👋🏼 Sarah here. We are wrapping up Week One (Kitchen Week—the most overwhelming) of the Fall Cleaning challenge. How is it going? What have you got done? My job during these Challenges is to motivate and help educate you on the most efficient and effective ways to clean so you feel confident about moving onto the next week with us! The Cleaning Challenges get easier each time we do them as it’s a scheduled, routine deep clean that helps you stay on top of things before they get out of hand. If you deep cleaned in the Spring Challenge with us, I know (based on the hundreds of DM’s🤣) that this week felt easier because you lined the tops of your cupboards with parchment paper in the Spring! I find it hard to put into writing how cleaning can make you feel SO GOOD, satisfied and proud of your home. I can’t explain the feeling feeling until you roll up your sleeves and get to work and feel it yourself. Once one room is done, please stop and stand back and survey your work. Take a minute to feel the accomplishment in your bones. This is hard but rewarding work and you CAN do it—I will cheer you on the entire way. Keep sending me your before and afters! They make me so happy and proud of each you, I feel like I am helping clean millions of homes around the world and that’s honestly pretty cool. 😎
gocleanco
Sep 22
It’s Kitchen week of the Fall Cleaning Challenge and I can finally share my new kitchen sink from BLANCO that everyone has been asking about. I am very excited to be working with @blancoamerica1 they are THE kitchen experts and a global brand with over 95 years of experience. Head to my stories to see how I care for this beauty on the daily and how easy it is to treat stains. BLANCO is more than just sinks; they also have faucets and organizational systems (like the BOTTON) that work together as an integrated UNIT. #ad