How to Get Teens to Organize and
Clean Their Room
by Barbara McRae, MCC
These tips are in response to the many frustrated parents
who have emailed me for help about how to get their kids
to clean and organize their room. Often parents get tired
of nagging and decide to wait it out, hoping their teen
will get to cleaning before it becomes a hygienic necessity!
Of course, simply keeping the door closed doesn’t help your
teen to organize their clutter. So, don’t get mad, don’t
do it yourself, and don’t ignore it; instead, coach them
how to do it!
Plan ahead
Some parents make the mistake of thinking that teens ought
to be able to organize their room, or clean a neglected
room, without help. That’s an overwhelming task for any
one. Even adults need help. Organization or cleaning isn’t
everyone’s strength. I suggest you model the process by
first partnering with your teen, chunking the task into
manageable pieces; it’s faster and a lot more fun. Here’s
what you’ll need to get started:
- Schedule a couple of hours with your teen in advance
when you are both available to work together.
- Have the following supplies ready: dust cloth, hamper,
plastic storage containers, spray cleaner, garbage bags,
trash can, and vacuum cleaner.
- Label boxes: “Storage” for items to be kept elsewhere
and “Donate” for items to go to your favorite charity.
Work the plan
Now that you have your supplies ready and you’ve scheduled
the time, you can use this quick method to clean up. If
you have preteens and you have never demonstrated how to
quickly organize and clean a room or your teen is not organized
by nature, I suggest you do everything together. If your
teens are more experienced, you can let them choose what
they will focus on from the list below (i.e. fold clothes
or vacuum).
- Grab all the dirty clothes from the bed and the floor
and put them in the hamper (or laundry basket). Do the laundry
when the hamper fills up and keep a hamper in the closet
at all times.
- Take a garbage bag and pick up all obvious trash and
place the bag in the trash can. (If your kid’s room is in
bad shape, then this is not the time to go through storage
items and the closet; do it another time.)
- Collect misplaced items from the floor, bed, and other
surfaces and place into boxes or plastic containers. (Put
items that belong to another part of the house aside for
now.)
- Make the bed. Don’t turn it into a storage area.
- Gather all the clean clothes, fold or hang them now.
- Clean all surfaces and neatly arrange decorative items.
- Stack plastic containers, take the trash out, and return
items to appropriate rooms in the house.
- Vacuum the room; move furniture, if necessary. Dust furniture.
- Put away your supplies and any other miscellaneous boxes.
Celebrate
After you have successfully completed this project together,
take a moment to reflect on how much nicer the room looks
and feels. Congratulate yourselves and celebrate. (Go out
for ice cream or decide on a more meaningful reward).
If your teen did not show up for your clean up date, showed
up late, or refused to participate, you need to coach her
about cause-and-effect. For example, if your teen had plans
to meet with friends afterwards, she can go out after the
room is organized and clean. Depending upon the specific
circumstances, he may end up having to do it without your
assistance. (Remember, it’s your responsibility to teach
your teen to become accountable!)
Know that by coaching your kids how to competently handle
basic household responsibilities you are teaching them life
skills. Each family member ought to have regular household
responsibilities. This not only helps the household function
smoothly, but builds community within your family. Start
early and don’t make the mistake of linking fundamental
chores with an allowance.
© 2005 Barbara McRae, MCC
Barbara McRae, Master Certified Coach, Parent/Teen Expert,
and Founder of www.teenfrontier.com, "A Neon Whispers
™ Company", is the bestselling author of Coach Your
Teen to Success . Barbara coaches internationally, facilitates
workshops, and has been featured in various media outlets,
including radio, TV, national magazines, and newspapers.
