If you have a lot of boxes, or large furniture, some organizations will pick them up, so take advantage of that. Does your community have a day for putting out large items at the curb for pickup? Make sure you use it!

Instead of piling boxes by the door to take outside, take them all the way out to the car so that next time you pass the thrift store they are ready and waiting to be dropped off.

• Stop rescuing them as far as practical - don’t find their keys when they lose them, or wait for them when they can’t find a clean pair of pants. Maybe, just maybe, they may get motivated to deal with their own stuff.

• Detach your stuff from theirs - declutter your own stuff, and have spaces which are “yours” (clear and organised) and “theirs” (cluttered)

• Be pro-active - agree ahead of time whose spaces are whose, how you can deal with their mess (bag or box it up, throw it out, move to a specific room…)

• Prepare for chaos - decide how you’ll deal with it when their clutter encroaches on your space, or causes you problems.

• Model decluttering – but don’t force it on the other person: when they see how positive the effects are for you, they may join in.

The LEGO company used to produce an item which is perfect for this situation -a large circular playmat with a drawstring round the edge.

When it’s time to play, the pieces (well, most of them!) stay on the mat, then at the end of the session, it’s easy to scoot any strays back onto the mat, draw up the edge string to turn it into a bag, and hang the bag from a hook.

You could easily make one of these from a bedsheet cut into a circle, with a casing sewn around the edge, and a looooong string run through the casing.

If your kids need to keep some parts separate from the rest of the collection, use clear screw-top plastic jars (like peanut butter jars) or other sturdy containers with lids that won’t come off inside the bag. The kind of plastic boxes with multiple compartments inside are really great for storing lots of tiny detail parts, or LEGO people – look for well-made fishing tackle or tool boxes with positive locking clips instead of just a lip to hold the lid closed.

Resources:

The LEGO Company Shop-at-home service: more LEGO pieces than you could ever need (don’t show your kids this site!)

Lions Gate Models custom LEGO city and town models – free building instructions for LEGO cars and trucks and a huge hospital, and many more instructions to buy.