How to Help Children Clean Their Rooms

One of the biggest frustrations as a parent is having to constantly ask your child to clean his bedroom. He either becomes bored with the tedious activity or overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done. Using the steps below to create a new cleaning routine with your child will prove easy, effective and fun.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Vacuum cleaner
• Duster
• 3 large boxes
• Packing tape
• Laundry basket
• Garbage bag

1. Pick up everything off the bedroom floor and put it on the bed. Pick up all mislaid toys, clothes and trash on dressers and in closets as well, piling it all on the bed.
2. Vacuum the bedroom floor. Be sure to clean the corners of the room and under the bed.
3. Dust the tops of the dressers, the windowsills and all stationary electronic equipment. You want to have clean places to which you'll return the items on the bed.
4. Set up three large boxes at the foot of the bed. Label them "Toys," "Charity," and "Trash."
5. Place a laundry basket and garbage bag near the boxes. Now you're ready to separate the load on the bed.
6. Tell your child that the "Toys" box is for playthings he wishes to keep, the "Charity" box is for toys he has outgrown and would like to give away, and the "Trash" box is for broken toys that need to be thrown out. Have him put all the dirty clothes into the laundry basket and the paper trash into the garbage bag. Your child should enjoy going through his belongings and choosing their rightful container.
7. Make the bed. Instruct your child on the proper technique and remind him that it should be completed every morning. (See "How to Make a Bed," under Related eHows.)
8. Remove the box of trash and the garbage bag from the bedroom. Transfer the dirty clothing from the laundry basket to the washing machine and seal up the "Charity" box to take to a local center.
9. Sort through the "Toys" box with your child, finding special homes around the bedroom for each toy your child has chosen to keep. Make the home a permanent place the toy will be stored after each playtime.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow 2 to 4 hours to clean the bedroom depending on the level of disarray.