How to Clean & Organize a Teen's Bedroom

The teenaged years are a confusing time in life between childhood and adulthood. Teenagers frequently struggle to find their own identity and to find ways to express their individuality. It can be a stressful time for parents, and at times, tensions between parents and teens can rise. However, the topic of how to clean and organize a teen’s bedroom need not be one of those times. With careful planning, compromise, and a cheerful mellow approach from a parent, a teen can clean and organize their bedroom in a way that makes him and his parents happy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Talk to your teen. Identify the basic rules of cleanliness for her room, and ask what things give her the most trouble in keeping her room at that level of organization and cleanliness. Try to stress to her the fun aspects of getting to "decorate" her room with more organization and storage vessels, as well as the relief of not being nagged about her room.

2. Give your teen links to and printed examples of clean and organized teen bedrooms. Many interior decorators have done shows revolving around helping a teen create his own space while making it organized and easy-to-clean. Have your teen review these links and magazines, and come up with his own ideas as well. Give him a deadline for this part of the project.

3. Ask your teen what ideas he has for his own space that will help it to remain clean and organized after he has reviewed the materials. Possible problem areas to address may be his clothes on the floor, desk clutter, or general clutter. Getting rid of items may be part of the organization and cleaning process. Sometimes clutter and disorganization are due to simply having too much.

4. Give your teen a budget and begin shopping around for the items required for her space. Shelves, baskets, bookcases, under-the-bed storage, and wall-hanging pocket organizers all are possible options.

5. Help her where necessary, but allow her to do all they can. You may wish to invite her friends over to help and make it a party with food and some form of entertainment when the project is complete such as a movie or outing to a local fun spot.

Tips & Warnings

• Upcycling is making something different out of an item. One example would be a tote bag made from placemats. Another would be a hanging organizer bag made from an old pillowcase.
• Repurposing is finding a new use for something. One example would be using a nightstand as a printer stand/office supply storage unit. Another would be using an over-the-door pocket shoe holder as storage for other miscellaneous items instead.
• The more input you give your teen, and the more responsibility you give him to handle this project (within the confines of what they can reasonably handle), the more likely it is that he will maintain the level of cleanliness and organization you require.
• Making the project fun for him is a great way to elicit their cooperation. Do all you can to stress the fun and helpful aspects of this project while minimizing the parental rules aspect of it.
• If you can afford it, add other fun items to their decorating budget for a total room makeover. Paint, throw rugs, new bedding and curtains can go a long way in making a bedroom a place a teen loves and takes pride in – thereby feeling more motivated to keep it clean and organized.
• If your teen is into recycling and creativity, she may wish to find items they can repurpose, embellish/repaint, and upcycle in order to solve their organization issues. This can make the project more fun for your teen, and can prove to be very inexpensive, as well. A side bonus is that your teen will likely be more vested in cleaning and organizing their room when she puts this level of work into the project.
• Magnetic boards have replaced bulletin boards as a great storage and display item. Creative storage such as collectible containers, teacups, and baskets are fun for teens, and can add a touch of style to a teen’s bedroom.
• This project can quickly become a battle of wills if not handled properly. If that happens, take a deep breath, give it a little time, and address the issue again in a new way. Teens should have input into their room, but maintaining a level of cleanliness for general public health (of them and the family) is an important issue, as well.

Resources

• Deserving Design by Vern Yip (some episodes with teen room makeovers)
• Creative Storage and Organization Ideas for Teen Bedrooms