Cleaning a bedroom and keeping it clean was something I struggled with as a kid, but there was one thing that gave me some added motivation on those days that I got sent to my room with instructions not to return until it was clean. The motivation came from a friend's mom that taught me a method of where to start and how to get it done quickly. I found myself still using this method when I was in college and it has made cleaning a bedroom much more delightful!
First, make sure when you are cleaning a bedroom that you have a room that is easy to keep clean. This includes having space to put things, a home for all of your belongings, and a laundry system that works. Without these, keeping a clean room will be a challenging task.
STEP ONE
. Make your bed, and then put everything that is on the floor onto the bed. Walking into a messy room can be discouraging, and as a kid I always felt like it was going to take me an eternity to accomplish the task. Step one is all about downsizing the mess into one area so that you don't feel overwhelmed. Now, instead of feeling like you have a whole room to clean all you have to do is clean off your bed. Starting with a bed that is made completely transforms the feeling in the room and gives an added motivation to pull your sleeves up and tackle the rest. Plus, once you put everything that is on the floor onto your bed you now have a clean floor and it feels like you are almost done.
STEP TWO
. Sort and put away laundry. Sometimes a bedroom's mess can consist of mostly laundry so this is a good place to start. Put dirty clothes in a hamper (or wherever they go) and if there are any clean clothes put them away. Once this is done, things should already be looking bright! You are almost there.
STEP THREE
Find a home for everything else that is on the bed. If nothing has a home (or a place to go) then you will always have a mess and cleaning a bedroom will be something you have to do often. This is one of the reasons I always have a mess when I travel or stay somewhere for a longer period of time: I'm away from my "system" and because nothing has a home, it ends up everywhere! Side-note to parents: Make sure your children's bedrooms do not have too many toys. Try to keep special toys in a bedroom and the rest for the toy room. If you absolutely have to have toys in the room because of limited space, make sure every toy has a special place where it belongs. If your kids have a bunch of books, make sure they have a bookshelf to keep them on. Even if you are tight on funds, you can usually find one at a yard sale or in the classifieds for very cheap (Just give it a paint job and make it look appealing to put things on!) Anything else that is remaining on the bed goes into the trash, to Good Will, or to its appropriate place in the home if it does not belong in the bedroom. Please don't throw away your mom's kitchen utensils, she won't like that.
STEP FOUR
Vacuum, dust and celebrate! It can be easy to skip this last step once everything is cleared off your bed because you may feel like you are done, but don't cheat yourself of the feeling that comes from having a truly clean room from ceiling to floor! It may be that this step is my favorite because I'm a little OCD about the pretty vacuum lines that appear on a floor after it is done, but it is an important step. Once you are done, fall back onto your bed, read a book, eat a yummy snack, or do a little victory dance; whichever suits your fancy! Celebrating is an important step, make sure you reward yourself for your hard work!
