Dealing with smells caused by diapers and laundry from four boys all born in 5 years is NO JOKE.
This pretty much sums up what our life looks like right now.
Bjorne is back to sleeping in the boys' room since ongoing renovations have uprooted him from my bedside. He's the stinkiest dog on the planet, so that doesn't exactly help with the smell in here. And I can't get him to stop licking his back right paw ever since he injured it a long time ago (hence the sock that he is NONE too happy about).
You may wonder why the baby's roaming free as opposed to chilling in his crib. This guy HERE is the answer. Minion thinks that every nook and cranny of this room belongs to him, so it takes a delicately-orchestrated series of events to get them all to sleep in their bunks without totally invading each other's space. We do get it done… eventually… but this corner of the house is the source of every conceivable spill, smell, debris and mess EVER. It takes a lot to keep the yuckiness at bay and ward stench away.
I'm particularly obsessive about health and cleanliness since our third son got extremely ill with RSV as a baby, and all of our kids struggle with lung and sinus issues to some degree. 30-40% of Americans suffer from allergies and 15% are actually allergic to their pets, so I know I'm not alone in this boat! One way of stopping allergens and contaminants in their tracks is with our sponsor Amway's Atmosphere Sky Air Treatment System. We have one placed smack dab in the middle of the room, away from all the action of their bed area but prominent enough to capture a ton of would-be air threats. It removes contaminants down to an astonishing .007 microns, and is the only air purifier among top competitors to reduce odors like cooking, pet, formaldehyde, mildew, and chemicals like ozone.
When you have four boys in one room, your closet game also has to be on point! This used to be a set of Jack and Jill closets connecting two different rooms, but we walled it off to create this looooong and infinitely more useful space. Each of our kids has their own dresser, of course, and we made some shoe cubbies with old plywood and stashed some of their most treasured books in here. They all have their own small laundry basket, which also helps cut down on mess and germs.
Right inside the closet entryway, I have a small vacuum, some Magic Erasers and baking soda. This combination can tackle just about any kid mess, from grubby fingers on doorways to weird spills on the rug.
Tucked away in the corner by the changing table, we have a high-quality closed trash can that seals away ALL the diaper smells.
Quite a few people have asked about our jacket-hanging situation, so here's how we tackle that. This room didn't have a hanger, so until we install one or get a rolling cart, a furring strip and some spare nails do the job just fine.
When the kids get older and we have more time, we plan to have this morph into more of an individual locker/cubby situation. For now, the kids share a lot of their stuff so the space is divided by category: shoes, hats, laundry, baby carriers, belts, etc.
I put their really special books up top so that the baby or toddler can't rip them to pieces over in the playroom. Most of these were my books when I was a kid and some have been in my family for a couple generations, so I really like having a special place to stash those ones.
A bunch of my friends think I'm downright nuts to have all four of my children in one room, and I see how they could think that. For us, though, it's a matter of managing the chaos so we can better enjoy each other's company. Compartmentalization works well for us. My kids have this BIG place to ditch their dirty duds before hopping into a set of pajamas and cuddling up with the dog, each other, or an easy little picture book. At the end of the day, in those sweet little moments, all of the effort is worth it.
Do your kids have a well-organized space to stash away the grime from the day?