10 easy steps to deep clean and organise your baby’s room

If you’re anything like us, it’s probably been a while since your bub’s nursery got a really thorough clean-out. 

Sure, you might have rotated the clothes a size up, and given it the usual once-over that the rest of the house gets, but a well-cleaned and functioning baby’s room makes those quick changes and long nights a lot easier to deal with. 

If it’s a task you’ve been putting off for a while, consider this a sign. Our guide makes it as painless as possible and it only takes 10 steps … and one of them involves coffee.

1. Start with a complete room and furniture clean

I know … I’m groaning just thinking about it. But this is the worst step so it’s best to get it out of the way first. Take everything out except the really heavy items. Make a huge mess in the hallway.  Then shut the door to your nursery and start scrubbing.

Wash the walls. Vacuum the floor. Clean the baseboards. Wipe down the windows. Pull the heavy furniture out and clean the dust that has built up underneath the glider, the change table and the cot.

Have three coffees before you do it. That should give you enough energy to finish the job.

2. Swap the seasonal clothes

Before you put everything back into the cupboard, weed out the clothing that doesn’t fit or isn’t suitable for the changing season. There are plenty of ways you can store these items if you want to have another baby down the road or if you are not ready to give them away yet. Vacuum bags work well and you can fit an entire baby’s wardrobe into one small box.

As you are doing a full clean, you might as well organise the baby’s clothing in the closet by colour or by outfit, just to be extra pedantic. Take a photo, Instagram it and remember how it looked. Because my guess is, it won’t stay this organised for long.

3. Clean all blankets, sheets and fabric items

Choose a sunny day so you can air them out on the line.

4. Vacuum your baby’s mattress

You may be surprised how dirty it can get so give it a good clean when the sheets are off.

5. Disinfect and clean all the toys

Fill your bath tub up with hot water and cleaner of your choice. Dump all toys that can get wet in and let them soak. Set up a blanket outside and transfer the toys out to dry before putting them away.

6. Avoid having to do this often by creating a sanitation station

Keep the nursery clean and germ-free by storing sanitation supplies at arm’s reach and cleaning up every time you leave the room in the morning. Do a simple wipe down of the cot, the toys, the door knobs to prevent germs from lingering.

7. Declutter while you clean

Put any clothes, toys, blankets, bibs and other baby items that are no longer in good condition or you don’t want anymore into two piles – a toss pile and a donate pile.

When decluttering, make sure your children are nowhere in sight. As soon as they see an old toy they haven’t touched for eight months go into the donate pile, they will suddenly grow extra fond of that toy.

8.  Get storage savvy

Once you’ve done the hard work, it’s time for the fun bit – organising! There are so many ways to contain the clutter and organise your child’s wardrobe, toys and change table area.

Toys boxes can be great but often they get messy fast. After all, it’s easier to simply throw the pile of mess on the mat into the toy box at the end of the day. Everything should have a home to keep things organised for longer. Personally I love the look of baskets of all shapes and sizes but this will depend on your style and the look of the nursery.

9. Think outside the organisation box

Ikea spice racks, for example, make excellent shelves for books, craft material and even shoes.

10. Shut the door

Once you’ve cleaned the nursery, shut the door and avoid the urge to go in until that night. That way, it will stay perfectly clean and tidy for at least a day.