(StatePoint) Parents can do everything in their power to provide children with the proper tools and supplies to stay organized this school year.  But when their kids get to school, all preparations can easily get thrown out the window—or, into a messy locker.

As the one piece of real estate students keep without regular parental review, the locker is often a place of disorganization and a pitfall in the path to being and staying organized.

To help students get their lockers in order and, in turn, keep them functional and organized for efficient learning, follow these quick tips:

Shelving

Notepads, pens, papers and other everyday items tend to get stuffed in the bottom of lockers without arrangement, leading to wrinkled assignments, smashed food, and lost books.

Use durable, long-lasting locker shelves, like the Five Star Stackable Shelf or Five Star Top Shelf Extender, to create additional space for school supplies. These locker shelves hold up to 100 pounds, so books, binders and other supplies can quickly and easily be stacked or thrown into the locker.

Keep personal items and academic supplies separate for quick and easy access to both. With an organizer like the Five Star Hanging Locker Shelf, students can store a makeup bag or running shoes in the top compartment and textbooks, folders and binders in the bottom, creating an easily accessible space.

Easy Access

Books should sit upright in the locker to maximize space and be displayed with the spines facing out so it’s easy to see which books are needed. Arranging books to align with their class schedule also makes it easy when students have just a few minutes between classes.

Save locker space and time between classes by magnetically storing pens and pencils on the locker door. The Five Star Neo Storage Pocket has industrial-strength magnets that ensure no matter how hard the locker is slammed, the pocket will securely stay on the locker door. Contents stay in place for an easy grab-and-go at the next locker stop.

Set a Schedule

Even with an organization plan in place, it doesn’t take much for a locker to get cluttered all over again. Create a cleaning schedule — either weekly or even once-a-semester — to straighten up and reassess the contents of the locker.

Include a weekly locker purge where all unnecessary items are removed and all missing supplies are replaced.

For more ways to organize a locker, visit www.MeadFiveStar.com.