Cheap and Easy: Blocking Toys from Getting Under the Couch

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Ours was once again snow-filled, so we were stuck indoors again and then Zach and I had to shovel at 5:30 this morning. Why did we move East again?

Anyway, being stuck indoors reminds me of how quickly two boys with lots of energy can destroy a long day of cleaning. It also reminded me of all those little spots that somehow seem to attract clutter. For us, it is under the sofa.

Are you like us? Do you find copious amounts of dog hair, dog toys, and kids' toys under the couch? If so, I imagine you too experience my bi-monthly ritual. You know the one. Where you lift up the entire couch only to find toys you had forgotten existed. Last month's Happy Meal toy, random tiny board books, often small cars or other vehicles... add into that Mesa's dog-hair, and our couch is a veritable graveyard of lost things. Or should I say was. Because a few months ago I stumbled upon this genius solution and it has been so great.

I wish I could remember where I first saw this idea so I could give appropriate credit. But whoever you are- thank you!! Seriously, thank you for helping me manage my under-the-couch chaos.

Here's the deal. Go to Home Depot. Spend $5 on plumbing insulation (I know. Plumbing insulation. Who would have thought, right?). Install said insulation under your sofa. This will likely require cutting a whole in the insulation to fit around your sofa feet.

 It may require copious amounts of tape to connect lengths of insulation, depending on how long your couch is...

But in the end...tada! Once installed, this is the perfect way to keep small toys, dog hair, and other miscellaneous items from getting under the couch. It totally works. Once I set the sofa down, you can't see the insulation at all because of its dark color. And it keeps all sorts of debris from sliding under the sofa more than an inch or two.

Genius, right?