Tips for You and Your Teen to Keep Their Room Clean.

The Basics of Keeping a Teenagers Room Clean

If there is one thing you can count on about teenagers, it’s that their rooms are usually a mess!

Moms and Dads might think it’s laziness, or perhaps it’s a way for them to assert their growing independence. I was once a kid with a messy room. I’ve had kids with messy rooms, but WHY this seems to be a universal issue I have no idea.

I think that young people might need a few tips and tricks to help keep the mess down to a minimum. This way the job won’t feel so overwhelming. I know a few simple cleaning rules to follow to keep their room clean and if they keep up with it, there won’t be much of a mess at all.

If you have a messy teenager living in your house, you may want to start a new class in your house entitled: How to keep your room clean! I’m a mom of 3; all grown now so I’ve been down this road before.

Recognize and appreciate their efforts in keeping their room clean and organized. Positive reinforcement can be motivating.

Let me share some of the basics in the cleaning secrets I’ve learned to help you teach your teenager to manage the extremely difficult task of picking up after themselves. (LOL, right?)

Teenagers can be Responsible for Their Bedroom

When handing your teenager over the responsibility of keeping their room clean, maybe start with Saturday’s and they have to clean and pickup their room before they can go spend time with friends.

You’ll most likely get the wha, why, rolled eyes and scowl looks but hey, it’s all a part of learning basic life skills and having respect for their belongings, and if you’re just passing the baton, they should feel so lucky.

When the Saturday thing becomes second nature, add in picking up their room before calling it a night. It should only take 15 minutes.

There is a place for everything and if there isn’t, take them shopping for the things needed to keep the bedroom clean and organized.

• Baskets
• Jewelry holder
• Shelves
• Storage bins
• Shoe storage
• Photo boxes
• Memory boxes

15 Minute Clean Up

Every night before bed, a quick 15 minute pick up shouldn’t disrupt life much. We asked our kids to take 15 short minutes and put away anything that was out of place. If they failed to do so, we confiscated the items left on the floor.

It’s really amazing how taking just 15 minutes at the end of the day can help keep the chaos in a bedroom (or any room for that matter) under control.

Keep Clothes off the Floor

If there is one thing that can help keep a teen’s bedroom looking better, it’s by keeping all clothes off of the floor. Get your teenager a hamper for all dirty clothes to be put into. This is an easy win.

Any clean clothes should be put away in it’s proper place, especially when they come out of the laundry, no clean piles of clothes on the floor. Of course, you’re going to have to provide your teens with plenty of places to put those clothing items in to in order to help keep things organized.

Besides having a dresser for socks, underwear, pajamas, t-shirts, etc., the closet is a great place to provide additional storage options if necessary.

• Use hooks on the walls for belts, scarves, bags, bathrobe and more.
• If space is limited, use bins (for under the bed for in the closet) for storing seasonal clothes, shoes, hobby items, etc.
• Plenty of hangers in the closet for hanging clothing.

Of course, getting your teen to cooperate may take a little ingenuity.

Here’s a tip from a Mom (Me) that got very tired of nagging: every time you walk into the room and see a piece of clothing on the floor, grab it and stow it away in a secret place. Eventually your teen will run out of clothes and come looking for those lost items.

Now you’ll have an opportunity to share that there are consequences in life for everyone. It’s a lesson that’s best learned early.

No Food Allowed in the Bedroom

From a glass of milk, a bowl of cereal to a piece of cake or a sandwich, food in the bedroom always ends up with crumbs and stains on the floor; dirty dishes stashed under the bed and wrappers tossed everywhere.

The best way to keep foodstuff from creating a mess is to not allow certain foods in the bedroom.

This may sound like a drastic move, but think about whether it is really necessary for anyone to eat in their bedrooms. Unless they are sick, most teens can survive by walking to the kitchen for a snack. Plus it gets them away from the computer screen, phone or whatever electronic device might be in their hand and gives them a little exercise and time to visit with the family.

Vacuum Weekly

There are two things that regular vacuuming will accomplish:

1. A freshly vacuumed room always looks cleaner.
2. It is impossible to vacuum the floor if it is littered with debris.

A Quarterly Deep Cleaning

One important aspect of your teenager keeping their room clean is to take time out every few months to remove unwanted and unused items.

It’s amazing how much stuff we can all collect – especially teenagers! From school papers to collectibles and stuff from friends – boy or girl it doesn’t matter; stuff seems to grow in those bedrooms.

Every 3 or 4 months, take an hour or two and help your teen do a deep clean and remove garbage, old schoolwork, unwanted or broken items, clothes that don’t fit, etc.

Remember, the less there is in the room to clean around, the neater and more organized it will naturally become – or at least it will look better to the outside observer.

Reasons for Keeping a Clean Bedroom

Here are some reasons why the practice of keeping a bedroom clean is important:

A Clean Bedroom Promotes Organization

Regularly decluttering of their bedroom helps your teenager develop organizational skills and maintain a tidy living space. It encourages them to assign a proper place for everything, making it easier to find items when needed.

A Clean Bedroom Reduces Clutter and Fewer Distractions

The accumulation of unwanted and unused items leads to clutter, making it a challenge to keep a room clean. By removing unnecessary belongings, teenagers can create more space and improve the overall aesthetic of their room and with fewer distractions, it may be easier for them to focus and concentrate on their studies.

A Clean Bedroom Encourages Responsibility

The process of decluttering can teach teenagers about responsible ownership. They learn to assess the value and usefulness of their possessions and make conscious decisions about what to keep and what to let go of.

A Clean Bedroom Can Promote Generosity

When your teenager is doing a deep clean in their bedroom, it can be a good opportunity for them to donate or give away items that they no longer need or fit into but are still in good condition. They will feel good knowing they are helping others in need.

By making decluttering a regular part of chores, teenagers can develop lifelong habits of organization and cleanliness.

Keeping a teen’s bedroom clean can be a real challenge. But there is hope! Use these cleaning tips to help your teen keep their room clean and avoid having to go in there with garbage bags and a hazmat suit.