Tips for Cleaning a Child's Bedroom

It is every parent's nightmare and the bane of every home with young ones: The child's bedroom. Once your kids are old enough to have their own space, you can rest assured that space will most likely become a den of iniquity and chaos as the little creatures have the chance to create havoc. I chose to tackle the bedroom that my daughter's share and I barely made it out alive, so I thought I would share a few of my own survival tips for cleaning a child's room.

Cleaning a Child's Bedroom: Don't Do It

Allow me to give the first tip and just say up front: Don't do it. Don't venture near that black hole lest you lose your mind, your shoes and your dignity. I made the mistake of thinking "Hmm, it's Saturday - the husband is working and the kids are gone. What should I do? I'll clean that bedroom."

That was my first mistake - thinking that I alone, armed with my wits and my determination, would be able to conquer the madness within those four, small walls. The better choice would have been to choose another task for my Saturday and simply pretend that the mess does not exist. It seems to work well for my daughters.

Many parents will also argue that kids need the responsibility of keeping their own rooms neat and tidy. While I agree with that, there are time when this idea is bunk and must be stomped upon by the mom who is sick of the stench coming from the child's bedroom.

Cleaning a Child's Bedroom: Clean Without Distraction

Since I trudged on, throwing myself wholeheartedly into the path of destruction when deciding to clean that room, I will share the best tip for cleaning a child's bedroom: Do it alone. As I have already mentioned, I managed to get a whole Saturday with everyone out of the house. While it would have been wise for me to have someone at home and on standby to help in case something pulled me under the bed, instead it makes a parent's job easier when there are no distractions.

Kids and husbands can turn a mom's quick cleaning job into a long, torturous nightmare. Between the calls of "Mom - I need you" or "Honey - I need you" there are also the bedroom dwellers (those would be the children) who are constantly saying "No! Don't put that there!" or "Don't throw those shredded pieces of construction paper away - they go with the stuffed kitty that I can't seem to find. When I find her I'll need those shredded thingies for some reason."

When there are no children present, Mom can easily determine which items have outlived their usefulness, which ones are broken beyond repair and which ones just need to leave the premises. Case in point: My youngest daughter had a Barbie guitar which was the most annoying toy any girl could bring home. She never, ever, touched it. Instead it would occasionally get turned on and I would hear that horrible racket from deep within her closet. While I could never find it buried in the closet to shut the darn thing off, the batteries did eventually die.

That guitar was relegated to the giveaway bag and I can guarantee she won't even notice it gone. Perhaps when she is 20 years old, she will ask about the Barbie guitar and wonder what happened to it. My simple answer will be "What Barbie guitar?"

Cleaning a Child's Bedroom: Put Things Away

As I was cleaning this vile cave from Hell I found a number of things that needed to be dealt with. It seems as though my daughters have raided my desk and took pencils and Sharpies into their room - which explains why I have lamented that all of my stuff disappears.

It is important to take the time to gather up such things and put them away. If you simply set them aside for later, they might get lost. This works for pens, scissors, books, dishes (yep, found my missing dishes too), and any other items that belong elsewhere, which brings me to my next tip.

Cleaning a Child's Bedroom: Use Small Boxes

This is a handy tip that is quite helpful. Gather up laundry baskets or cardboard or plastic boxes of any size. As you are cleaning and finding items that don't belong, sort them into boxes as you go. With my girls' bedroom I had one box for Lego pieces, one box for hair pieces and barrettes, one box for ink pens/markers/crayons, one box for dollhouse stuff, one box for makeup items, and even a box for rocks (my youngest daughter collects rocks and I find them scattered everywhere). When the boxes are full, grab one and put away everything in it.

Cleaning a Child's Bedroom: Take Breaks

It's overwhelming to try to accomplish such a large task, so be sure to take plenty of breaks. Grab a snack to keep your strength up because you'll probably need it before you tackle the closet - which is another story altogether.