Kids Bedroom & Closet Organization Idea: Use Clothing Drawer Labels
Here's a popular kids' bedroom and closet organization idea: use dresser or clothing drawer labels for your kids' folded clothing, to make it easier for everyone to identify what clothes are supposed to go in what drawer.
Right now we're working on organizing kids' closets and bedrooms, as part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge. Organizing either or both of these areas requires us to organize kids' clothing.
A lot of your child's clothing will be folded up and placed in drawers, either in a dresser or other drawers, such as those in a closet. But the problem with drawers, of course, is that until you open them it's harder to know what's inside.
That's where labels come in.
If you label the drawers, showing what each drawer holds, it makes it a lot easier to get and then stay organized with the clothes, because you can show everyone, including the kids, where each type of item goes. All the socks here, the pants and shorts here, the shirts here, etc.
This is helpful for whoever puts away laundry, and also for whoever is helping dress the kids in the morning, be that an adult or your child themself.
As usual, there are a lot of ways to label drawers that will work, and I'll show you quite a few examples below. I do suggest that you choose labels that will not harm the surface of your drawers (especially if you have nice furniture), that are attractive, and that you can switch around or replace as your child's wardrobe expands or changes and you want to rearrange the contents of various drawers.
In addition, while I discuss this idea for dresser drawer labels mainly in the context of organizing kids, it can certainly also be used for adults. Some people really appreciate the structure this system provides so feel free to use it for anyone in the house that would benefit from it, not matter their age.
Can Use Either Words, Pictures, Or Both On Your Labels
For adults who can read word labels work just fine, but for young kids you may want to have pictures on the labels instead, or in addition to, the words. Very young children can identify to put socks in a drawer by using the picture of socks a lot easier than trying to decipher an unknown, to them, set of letters that spells the word.
Here are some examples from readers:
The photo above is from a reader, Vita. She said, "Helping my 4 year old stay organized by picture-labeling where all her clothes live."
In addition, below is another picture from a reader, Ella, who said, "I drew pictures and labeled them. Then I laminated them and taped them on the drawers!"
Computer Printed Sticker Labels
One simple type of label to use for your dresser or clothing drawers are the printable sticker labels you can get at any office supply store, that you can then print using your home printer. You can use various fonts, colors and even small pictures if you wish.
The pros of this method is that they're customizable since you control the design and printing, and are easy to apply. The cons include sticking stickers onto furniture, since they can later be hard to remove, or perhaps even damage some surfaces. You've got to decide, for yourself, if label stickers will work in your situation.
Here are examples of sticker labels on drawers:
The photo directly above is from a reader, Cameron, who said, " I have had these since before my twins were born over 4 years ago. Everyone can find where everything goes and where to find them."
The photo below is from another reader, Hilary, who explained, "I only have one child, but she LOVES accessories AND being independent. So this is what worked for us!"
Similarly, here's an example where a reader, Sally, used a label maker to create the drawer labels:
Stencils & Paint
Another possibility is to paint the labels directly onto the drawers. This can look lovely in the right circumstances (see the photo from a reader, Natasha, below who painted a dresser for her daughter), but of course it's difficult to re-organize the drawers in a different way in the future with this method without also repainting.
Chalkboard Labels & Paint
Chalkboard labels, or painting the dresser drawers with chalkboard paint, can make it easier for you to label the drawers and still give you the flexibility to re-arrange drawers at a later time. Instead of using actual chalk to write on the drawers, which more easily can smear or get chalk dust on clothing, I suggest using chalk markers for these labels.
Here are examples of chalk labels and chalkboard paint on dresser drawers, shown with reader pictures:
The photo above is from a reader, Tarnisha, and as you can see she used chalkboard labels mounted onto the dresser to help organize her child's clothes.
Similarly, here's a photo from another reader, Anna, who explained this system of labeling the dresser drawers has worked quite well for her child.
Here's some chalkboard labels and chalkboard markers you could use if you like this option:
Chalkboard Labels {Referral Links}
Even More Types Of Labels
Here's an additional example of labeled dresser drawers sent in by a reader, Adrienne. She didn't say, but I believe she may have used a Cricut or similar machine to make these letters.
Similarly, if you keep your kids' clothes in something beside drawers, such as in baskets or cube storage, you can also label those containers as well, like a reader, Taylor, did. She said, "We have this idea but with cube shelves and a Thomas Tank/Disney princess theme to match the rest of their room also in Thomas and princess :) - We love it! It makes it so much easier for both my toddlers to find and put away clothes :)"
Labels Inside Drawers Instead Of On The Outside
All of the above examples have shown these labels on the outside of the clothing or dresser drawers, which makes them visible even before opening the drawer. While this has its advantages the look may bother some people, who don't want everyone to see the labels.
An alternative you can do, if you like this idea but don't want external labels, is to add labels on the inside of the drawers. Obviously, you lose the advantages of seeing it before you open the drawer, but it will still help some. Here's examples of labels inside drawers, shown by a reader, Alicia, to see how this might work for you.
Where To Purchase Pre-Made Labels
As you can see from the photos above there are a lot of do it yourself methods for making your own drawer labels, but I know some people don't want to or can't be crafty. That's OK! There are several pre-made label choices designed just for this task that you can choose from. Here are some here:
Premade Drawer Labels {Referral Links}
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