To ask for the simplest way to organize a fuckton of lego?

[WickedWytch]

Personally I’m in favour of building a house from lego at the bottom of the garden where all the stuffed toys can live but the dc aren’t appreciating the genius of this solution.

In the meantime is there some kind of logical and simple way to organize it all that 3 unmotivated dc and an adult who can’t distinguish ninjago from chima can all manage to follow?

We’ve tried the Oh FuckIt (trademark) system of leaving it all over the floor. But despite the obvious advantages of free burglar proofing, it feels time to try something a bit more sophisticated.

So what works? Sorting by colour? By stud combinations? Filling a skip?

The theory: one of those "Really Useful" 8 drawer units. Group by category. Bricks. Flats. People/ animals/ accessories. Vehicle. Angles. Large Random. Small Random.

The reality: a special Lego dustpan and brush. Sweep the fucking lot up and dump it in a trunk. Kids play with the top 3 inches.

I use to sort by colour, into plastic boxes.

Right, we are deep in this same crisis. We have done colour but it wasn't actually all that helpful to building. So now we have brick types: flat, one up many alongers , two by ones, standard bricks, windows, wheels and their fixings, oners, flat oners, we have a six by four section box with 34 categories of specials, people, weapons, and a processing tray.

It is now my expert opinion that this is stupid - it's too complicated to tidy quickly. I think a hybrid system where you keep your specials more or less organised but everything else goes in a giant box you top out first thing in the morning and quickly dump everything back in at night with built items placed carefully on top at the end, wpuld be ideal. I will enforce it when DP eventually gives in and agrees, but he is hanging on to the full-sorting system for reasons of personal pride atm

We have an orange trug. Friends have a very organised system that is 90% of the playroom. But I suspect that the main child who plays with it is in his 40s.

I can commend tool boxes - the type that fold out many shelves- as a storage medium for sorted bricks

I have one of those bags that doubles as a play mat and then you just tighten the string and hide it all somewhere

I bought a stackable thing from amazon.

It’s got 36 compartments but prob won’t hold three child and a husband’s worth.

I do however have it all sorted by colour.

Erm. One box. It just has to be big enough for all the bricks.

Proper sets - a tupperware box each set (or gaffer taped up box if ds hasn't destroyed it) with the instructions.

Everything else 8 draw towers with rough system by brick type or figures, wheels etc.

Ds has a stupid amount of Lego, but fortunately quite enjoy sorting it!

Big box, Lego dumped in, job done.

By colour. It's not a perfect system but mostly works. We have a box as well for people and accessories e.g. money, flowers, animals etc

I sorted our (literal 😉 ) tonne weight into sets. It took weeks to do it, but if dc want a particular set they can find it.

If they want to free style there is a full six drawer chest of drawers of lego from when my OH was a kid.

I also have a massive box full of odds and spares from the dc sets.

Ours was sorted by the small bits that go up the hoover and then into the bin - to those that are swept up to go into the bin .

Send it to me!! That will keep your house much tidier!

Supply a compartmentalised box into which you sort it by type. If they make a mess, put whats on the floor into a large box using a dustpan and tell them to sort it again.

Provide the means & method, not the labour!

Ds has his own system, which I don’t understand (or want to) but storage wise, he uses old sma formula tins painted the colour of the generic bricks that are inside. The ones not sorted by colour are just painted white with whatever the fuck is inside written on the lid. His sets are either on display or disassembled and put back into the box in ziplock bags.

I only have the special ‘ideas’ sets myself and they’re displayed up high on shelves in the hallway.

Fools we are, we sorted lego for years.

Then just chucked it into one gigantic crate and that made everything so much simpler.

We have plastic draws. Each draw is different colour. Smaller bits and men are in a huge plastic tool box thingy with small draws. We have yet to start the great rebuild - this is phase 1

I sorted ours into colours in different Tupperware boxes. I enjoyed doing it . DH thought this was stupid and dumped it all into one big box . He says that is better for creativity. I like following instructions.

Chester draws?

Ikea drawers on wheels. Randomly shove in each drawer. OCcasionally we separate the people parts

The key part to storing lego is that it is easy to clean up. The hunting for the right bits is half of the fun of building it

Trofast from Ikea!!! Then separate however you want or just fling it in the drawers.

I did have all sets in individual plastic shoe boxs or larger. Then they threw them all on the floor one day in a fit and that was end of that

Oh, I feel your pain! I've had MANY storage systems over the years, but as the kids & the bloody Lego sets have grown, I've ended up with 2 (yes, 2!) of those 2by2 square Ikea units with 4 boxes in each. It JUST about holds it all - unless you count the various creations liberally dispersed all round the house that I'm forbidden to touch! We have a sort of half assed system where different types/ranges/sets are in particular boxes with a few that are just random build what the hell you like. I've obsessively kept all the instruction books in the ridiculous hope that one day I'll be able to sort it all out & sell it on...yeah, that'll never happen, will it?!