After Mardi Gras, many Baton Rouge families end up with bags of beads, costumes, throws, and souvenirs, and suddenly there’s no clear place to put any of it. The good news is you don’t have to keep everything, and what you do keep can be stored in a way that doesn’t take over your home. Here’s how to handle it without creating more clutter.

Begin With a Simple Sort

Before storing anything, take 10–15 minutes to separate items into simple categories:

• Keepsakes such as favorite beads, special throws, or costumes
• Donate or share items like extra beads, toys, or accessories
• Trash or recycle broken items or damaged packaging

You’ll usually be surprised how much smaller the pile feels after this step.

Give It One Place to Live

The easiest system is also the simplest: one Mardi Gras bin. That’s it! You can do one per child or one for the whole family, depending on how much you keep. When the bin is full, you’re done. No extra containers and no overflow bags. This makes it much easier to keep things from piling up year after year. Clear bins are also super helpful because you can see what’s inside without digging.

Costumes Don’t Have to Be Packed Away

It’s easy to pack Mardi Gras costumes away with holiday decorations, but kids usually enjoy them long after parade season is over. Keeping costumes with dress-up clothes or in a play bin makes them easy to grab throughout the year instead of forgetting they’re stored away somewhere. They get more use, and you don’t need extra storage space!

Choose a Spot That Works for You

If something is hard to reach or hard to see, it likely won’t get used. Here are some good places to store Mardi Gras bins:

• Closet shelves
• Playroom storage
• Garage shelving
• Hall closets

The goal is just not having it floating around the house.

The Secret to Less Clutter Next Year

Before the next Mardi Gras season, take a few minutes to look at what you already have. If you already own beads, accessories, or costumes, you can be more selective about what comes home from parades. Most clutter happens because things keep coming in without anything leaving.

Donate Without the Guilt

If you have extra beads or throws, there are local organizations that reuse them for events, crafts, and community programs. Letting them go doesn’t mean the memories are gone. It just means your house stays easier to manage.

The Real Goal

Mardi Gras is meant to be enjoyed, and the cleanup afterward doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. You don’t need a perfect system or anything fancy. Having one simple place to put the items can make a big difference, so they aren’t sitting around the house for weeks. When you know where everything goes, putting things away is quicker, and next year usually feels a little easier too.

Olivia Parks, Owner of Professional Organizers Baton Rouge