Storage for large families

[busymum1985]

Hi, We have 7 children,
I'm after some advice on storage for clothes etc, we have bought at Least 4 new sets of drawers in the past year as they just keep collapsing!
Of course having to replace these all the time is very expensive.
Does anyone with large families have any good storage ideas for clothes?

Thanks Jo x

Clear out your clothes so you don't have so many

Have regular clear outs

Buy second hand quality furniture that is well built

We have pax wardrobes with hanging space, drawers, shelves, trouser hanging rails, shoe storage.
my eldest has a double pax wardrobe and 2 singles but all next to each other, second has a double and single, youngest has just a single pax. But they’re very tall and deep and can get a lot in them.
The other kids have a closet in their room so use that for clothing with a chest of drawers.
My husband and I use Kallax units for our clothes.
7 of us in a small house and the pax has definitely been the best for us.

Our ikea drawers lasted when others failed.

Alternatively, like a PP suggests, buy some charity shop old ones that are better made. Uou can always upcycle them.with paint.

How are they collapsing? Out Ikea drawers are at least 15 years old.

If the bases of individual drawers are falling out, you can get supports that screw in underneath.

We have built in wardrobes and instead of just using the rails for hanging, I used IKEA Boaxel to put wire shelves and mesh basket drawers in. Really easy for the children to put away and see their clothes at a glance. (Only 3 children though.) The system is wall mounted and really flexible. I also use it in my laundry room for drying/ storing and sorting clothes.

Pax wardrobes here. We have the taller ones and they fit masses in.

DC1 and DC2 each have one 100x60 with 4 draws at the bottom plus two shelves at the top.

DC3 has two 75x60, one with four drawers at the bottom and both with two shelves at the top.

DC4 has 100x38 pax with four drawers at the bottom and two shelves at the top.

The shelves at the top are used to store the next size(s) of clothes for that child, and the family bag of Christmas jumpers/pjs!

All the drawers are Ikea Boaxel, which are strong and roomy.

Try not to ram too much into any drawer.
Buy quality solid wooden drawers; second hand ones that you can see in op shops.
Metal shelf units can be strong, pantry style.
Portable hanging rails/shelf combos can be space saving if you can't fit in full wardrobes.
Pigeon hole type storage units can be useful- don't over load though.

I only have one DC but we live in a quirky old house that’s quite small in some ways. lots of odd shapes meaning you can fit in tall furniture or rooms that lack width. We’ve sometimes had to make a decision between study space and useful storage chest of drawers type stuff. One of the most successful ideas was to get a pop up ottoman in which a lot of stuff can fit. It’s also a seat for when his mates come round. In our hallway we have 2 tall and narrow fabric laundry hampers. One has sports bits and beach shoes, the other all the scarves, hats, gloves. They sit either side of the shoe rack and coat pegs. The dark grey shade means you don’t even notice them. I have another one upstairs beside my wardrobe and I keep my work laptop and backpack in there.

Can you provide a link to the type of hampers you mean please?

https://www.roselandfurniture.com/products/farrow-blanket-box?variant=39900652306509&currency=GBP&utm_id=18206904844&gad_source=1

I don’t understand why this is a larger family issue. Are you buying cheap furniture? I get the appeal, I buy it myself. I literally bought the cheapest sofa in the store because i knew my household would beat it up. But something like a child’s dresser is going to get a lot of wear and tear. Investing in solid wood is going to be cheaper in the long run.

We have Ikea kallax and the boxes instead of drawers. You get loads in them and the units are solid.