I'm a Mom of 5, and These Are the Organizational Products I'm Relying on This Spring Cleaning Season
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People / Reese Herrington
It's practically spring and you know what that means — spring cleaning time. Which, as a mom of five kids aged teen to toddler, means I'm currently on the hunt for ways to better organize and Khloé Kardashian my life. And while I will say that when you have a larger-than-average family or kids that feel like they make larger-than-average messes, staying organized can largely feel like a losing battle. But not this year.
This spring cleaning season, I'm researching and scooping up the best organizational products for parents that can help make our lives just a little less chaotic.. It's us vs. the kids and these organizational products are definitely on our side — and even better, they're all on sale with prices starting at just $10.
Organization Must-Haves Starting at $10
7-Tier Paper Organizer, $29.99 (orig. $35.99); amazon.com
mDesign Water Bottle Organizer, $22.99 (orig. $27.59); amazon.com
Hotor Car Trash Can, $9.99 (orig. $24.99); amazon.com
Magnetic Dry Erase Fridge Menu, $15.99 (orig. $17.96); amazon.com
Multi-Bin Storage Unit and Cubby, $99.99 with coupon (orig. $119.99); amazon.com
Large Utility Basket $19.99 (orig. $38.99); westelm.com
Mother-Son Back and Forth Journal, $11.99 (orig. $14.99); amazon.com
Bagsmart Electronics Organizer Bag, $18.99 (orig. $21.99); amazon.com
Underbed Storage Bags with Handles, $11.99 (orig. $15.99); amazon.com
Write-On Cable Labels, 36-Pack, $14.99 (orig. $19.99); amazon.com
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As soon as my fourth child hit school age, I knew I needed help dealing with the massive amounts of school paperwork they all brought home. I also had several young kids that were still in the stage of wanting to hold onto every precious piece of paper they scribble on, so I needed something very substantial for storage.
I finally came upon this countertop shelf unit that I could customize with the number of shelves I would need and it's been the perfect solution for our family. About once a month, I declutter the shelves but the best part is, anything important they need always stays in "their" shelf, so there's no more frantic, "Mom, have you seen my [insert random piece of paper here]?!"
Amazon
Buy It! 7-Tier Paper Organizer, $29.99 (orig. $35.99); amazon.com
After opening our cupboards to be met with a cascade of water bottles, insulated thermoses, and random cups one too many times, I finally picked up this best-selling water bottle organizer thanks to a tip from a TikToker. Our cupboards have shelves, so I chose one that fits two layers, but you can go up to as many layers as you'd like. I also prefer the curved design because it keeps each water bottle in place. Amazon shoppers agree, with multiple raving about how much space they save and finally being "able to take advantage of the vertical space" in their cabinets.
Amazon
Buy It! mDesign Water Bottle Organizer, $22.99 (orig. $27.59); amazon.com
I am every cliché of a mom in a minivan, right down to the ground-in Cheetos and decades-old french fries. I try to keep it clean, I really do, but it's a Sisyphean task. I just picked up this best-selling trash can, and I'm hoping against hope it helps me at least maintain the mess a little bit.
Amazon
Buy It! Hotor Car Trash Can, $9.99 (orig. $24.99); amazon.com
I've long given up fighting making a meal plan for our family — meal planning is the only way I can have any semblance of sanity to get through our evenings. Even if the plan changes, having a basic meal plan helps me, a mother who hates cooking, immensely. This particular one has over 3,500 five-star ratings on Amazon. One of the happy reviewers shared "it's the perfect size and it sticks to the fridge with no issue," and a fellow parent revealed "the shopping list is super helpful for the family to let me know what they need."
Amazon
Buy It! Magnetic Dry Erase Fridge Menu, $15.99 (orig. $17.96); amazon.com
I bought this bookshelf specifically because I wanted a piece of furniture for my shared daughter's bedroom that would double for both book and toys storage and as a bonus, have a flat top that could be used for a bedside table if needed. I've owned this exact piece of furniture for over five years now and it's held up beautifully. It's one of my favorite multi-use pieces, especially if your kids share a room.
Amazon
Buy It! Multi-Bin Storage Unit and Cubby, $99.99 with coupon (orig. $119.99); amazon.com
My kids make fun of my love for baskets, but I don't care because they work. One of the best organizational tips I've heard is not to fight where kids and partners naturally stash their stuff, but to house it where it organically lands. That means that I stash baskets wherever clutter seems to accumulate in my house. I have a basket on the counter for random stuff and phone chargers, a basket for library books so we always know where they are, and a basket for tablets where I also keep — and this is key — their corresponding chargers.
West Elm
Buy It! Large Utility Basket $19.99 (orig. $38.99); westelm.com
It's up to you whether this counts as an organizational hack, but in my mind, organizing the emotional needs of my family is also something I need help with. So many years ago, I invested in getting each of my kids a corresponding mother-child journal.
The idea is simple: anytime they have something they want to talk to me about that goes beyond our bedtime chats, they can write in the journal and leave it on my desk (and yes, I also bought a special basket just for the journals too!). I will write back to them and slip it under their pillow. They've been a great tool to connect and stay on top of which kid may need a little extra attention.
Amazon
Buy It! Mother-Son Back and Forth Journal, $11.99 (orig. $14.99); amazon.com
My parenting life has recently evolved to include travel sports, so part of my goal this year has been to get more organized for weekend trips and endless tournaments and practices. I picked up this travel organizer with some of my Amazon points, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much I loved it. No more searching through my bag for random chargers, medications, or my Kindle to get me through long lags. I'm even considering getting one for my kids to keep their own electronics and miscellaneous items tidy on road trips.
Amazon
Buy It! Bagsmart Electronics Organizer Bag, $18.99 (orig. $21.99); amazon.com
Unless you're someone with a dedicated linen closet, you may feel my struggle of keeping track of extra sheets, spare blankets, and pillowcases for kids (especially through stomach bug season, yay!). I'm still constantly working on this challenge, but as part of my efforts to get organized, I made sure each child has a dedicated spare set of sheets, stuffed all extra blankets in one closet, and bought these for under our bed so I knew which sheets were ours, and ours alone.
Amazon
Buy It! Underbed Storage Bags with Handles, $11.99 (orig. $15.99); amazon.com
We are constantly losing cords and chargers in our house and somehow random wires show up and remain useless for months until I finally throw them out, only to immediately realize I actually needed that cord, so anything that can help with that is a win in my book — especially as our kids get older and just need more cords.
Amazon
Buy It! Write-On Cable Labels, 36-Pack, $14.99 (orig. $19.99); amazon.com
Chaunie Brusie is a mom of five and ecommerce writer for PEOPLE.com who writes about her favorite parenting and home finds.
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