Cleaning Kids’ Rooms: Tips for Conquering Clutter

Children’s bedrooms are not the part of the house that tend to stay the neatest, are they? From toddlers to teens, kids are notorious for making messes and not adhering to the neatness standards that apply to the rest of the house. Part of the problem is that children have short attention spans, and another is that kids often lack the organizational skills that adults have learned over time. The good thing about getting your kids organized now is that these strategies will last them a lifetime. Here are some great tips on helping kids take control of their bedroom chaos.

• 1. Purge their belongings.
  Unless your children are very small, it’s almost always better to do this with their help and input. Make sure they understand that getting rid of unused belongings is not a punishment, but a tool that will help them keep their rooms cleaner. It might help to let them know that their unwanted toys and clothing will end up going to some other child who will give them a good home and enjoy them. This does not apply to broken toys and unsalvageable clothing; these items will be going in the trash. For a walk-through on how one mom purged her kids’ belongings with their help, check out The Year of Less.

• 2. Make liberal use of containers.
  Bins and boxes and baskets, oh my! Containers not only contain stuff neatly, but they can also hide it if it’s not stored in a neat and tidy fashion. Opaque baskets in your child’s favorite color may inspire her to stash her treasures out of sight. She can also use them to organize her hair accessories, nail polishes, stickers, jewelry, rock collections or whatever else she has cluttering up her room. Here is one children’s organization system that features bins and pull-out racks that make it simple for its owner to keep her supplies organized.

• 3. Pretty it up.
  Kids want to have attractive rooms, just like you want to have a nice-looking house. New accessories can go a long way toward inspiring neatness. If you can, invest in a comforter set, a new lamp, or a stenciled dresser. Roll a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Help him pick out posters or pennants to go on the wall, and be sure that there are plenty of easy-to-use and attractive storage areas to keep all of his things. Before you know it, your formerly messy child may find pride in his surroundings and surprise you with his newfound sense of style and cleanliness.

Teaching your child how to keep his or her bedroom neat and clean is not a one-time fix; it takes years of modeling and explaining before most kids are able to clean their rooms on their own and keep them neat and tidy. If you start while your child is young, you’ll have an easier time when he or she is school-aged, but even if your little “messie” is already a teenager, you still have time! Good luck with teaching your kids to conquer their clutter.