Most organizing tips start with a tidy, calm room and a color coded plan. This one starts with a floor you cannot see. A mom of three boys decided one day to reorganize her kids’ bedrooms, started pulling every dresser drawer and closet rack apart, and ended up standing in a sea of clothes, toys and shoes. Her honest opening line says it all: there is a story, and they do not normally live like this.
The mom behind @baylee.michelle24 calls her approach her version of the pile method, which she describes as simply dumping it all out. She knows how it looks. She jokes that people will say she does live like that, and then she turns the question around: you cannot tell her you have never dumped out all of your kids’ belongings in one room.
@baylee.michelle24
What she pulled out of the bedrooms
She starts by showing what the room looked like after her burst of energy. She had completely emptied a dresser. There was a pile of clothes she had washed but did not want to put away until each piece had a proper home. Under a stack of Christmas toys sat a separate pile of her husband’s things that she had taken out of the closet, because she had ripped everything out of the closet while she was at it.
From there she began sorting by size. One pile held her two year old’s clothes, split into short sleeves and long sleeves. Another held her four year old’s long sleeves, and she says she may pull out all of his short sleeves because they were only taking up space and he does not need them right now. A separate stack held everything for her seven month old that was not already in his dresser.
The furniture was moving too. One dresser was headed into her daughter’s room, which is why some clothes were sitting in baskets nearby instead of in drawers. Little toys were being gathered to go into one spot, and she began tossing the ones she planned to donate, including two fire trucks.
The honest part about feeling overwhelmed
What makes her story worth sharing is that she does not pretend any of this is easy. She says her mind can feel scattered, so everything else has to be scattered for her to organize it. She admits the actual organizing part is where she wishes she could pay someone to come do it. Half an hour into the project she says she is already overwhelmed and needs a snack. At one point she loses a shoe. She says she wishes she had one of those personalities that cannot stop until a job is done, but she is more likely to want to walk out and shut the door.
If you have ever stood in the middle of a project you started with great energy and wondered how you let it get this bad, you are in good company. The funny and comforting part is that she keeps going, one pile at a time.
Is dumping everything out a good idea?
Professional organizers often recommend something similar, with one important rule: do not start a dump out unless you have the time and energy to finish it. Pulling everything out makes you face how much you really own, which is the point. But a half finished pile can leave a room worse than when you started.
If you want to try it, here are a few ways to make the mess manageable.
Do one room or one category at a time
You do not have to empty three bedrooms at once. Pick a single dresser, a single closet or one toy bin. A mom of three boys has a lot of ground to cover, so breaking it into pieces keeps the mess from taking over the entire house.
Sort clothes by size, then by season
The system she uses is a smart one for any family with children of different ages. Group clothes by the child and then by size. Within each size, separate short sleeves and long sleeves. Anything that no longer fits, or will not be needed for a full season, can leave the dresser. Kids grow quickly, so a drawer that was perfect six months ago may be full of things that are too small.
Make a donate pile early
One reason she sets aside toys to donate as she goes is that it keeps the decision simple. Pick up a toy, ask whether it is played with, and if the answer is no, it goes into the donation bag right away. Do not move it to a different pile to think about later. Stopping to debate each item is what stretches a project into a weekend.
Keep a staging spot for things with no home yet
She mentions a pile of clean laundry she did not want to put away until she had a place for it. That is a smart instinct. A basket for items that still need a home keeps them from getting mixed back in with everything else. Just set a deadline to empty the basket, because a staging area can quietly turn into permanent clutter.
Do not forget the small stuff
Toward the end she holds up a little car and wonders where to put it, noting she has a whole town of tiny toys like it. Small pieces are what usually derail kids’ rooms. Give them a single shallow bin or a few small containers with a clear purpose, such as one for cars, one for figures and one for building pieces. If a category will not fit in its container, that is a sign it is time to let some go.
Pause when you need to
It is perfectly fine to take a break, eat a snack and come back. She jokes about needing one thirty minutes in, and she is right. Set a timer for a block of work, step away when it goes off, and then decide whether you are ready for another round. Progress counts even if the room is not perfect by the end of the day.
The takeaway
Her message is a gentle one for anyone who has ever started a big project and felt the whole thing close in. Some of us organize in a calm, step by step way, and some of us have to take everything out before we can see the answer. Either way, the goal is the same: a space where your kids can find what they need and you are not drowning in outgrown clothes and orphaned toys. Be kind to yourself, work in small stretches, and remember that even the mess has a point.