Hi Not-So-Neat Freak,

Okay, I feel like I should be completely honest here before I answer this like I’m a pro at cleaning or something, but um…my room is a MESS. My mom doesn’t take away allowance, but BOY does she flip out over it!

So to help us BOTH, I did some research and figured out some tips. I’m going to give this my best shot!

1. Get rid of stuff you don’t need: If you’re like me, you probably have WAY too much stuff you don’t ever use cluttering up your room. Some of it is straight-up junk like old, broken toys, candy wrappers or a moldy pizza box from your last sleepover. Some of it could be given away, like clean, unbroken toys, books, or clothes from two years ago that are way too small. But seriously, it sounds like a really good idea to do a big clean-out of stuff you can get rid of. WARNING: This might make your room worse before it gets better. But if you explain what you’re doing, I bet your mom will fully support it!
2. Have places to put stuff: For example, have a laundry hamper in your room. In case you’re wondering, a laundry hamper is a bin where you keep all of your dirty clothes. If you don’t have one, your clothes end up on the floor, which means MORE MESS STRESS AND LESS ALLOWANCE! If you have a hamper, just put the clothes there. It’s not hard! The same thing goes for other stuff. A bookshelf for books, a toy box for toys, etc. If you don’t have space, ask your mom for storage bins (or even big cardboard boxes) to go under your bed, where you keep stuffed animals, school supplies, sports equipment, or whatever needs a specific place.
3. Pace yourself: When you’re getting a super messy room clean, try tackling one thing at a time. For example, do all the clothes first. Then books. Then papers. Then dirty socks. You get the idea, right?
4. A little each day goes a long way: After you’ve done a big clean-up, it’ll be a lot easier to keep it clean if you do a little every day. This doesn’t have to be hard, seriously! Pick a time of day, like as soon as you’re done watching your fav TV show, right after dinner, or whenever. Set a timer for FIVE minutes—that’s it!—turn on your fav song and rock out while you put stuff where it goes, throw stuff away, take dirty clothes to the laundry room, or empty your trash can. If you do that, your room will stay clean! Five minutes! It sounds SO FREAKIN’ EASY that I’m going to try it after I finish this letter!

I hope this advice helps you (and me too, honestly !!)

Hey everyone, tell us all about YOUR tips for keeping your room clean in the comments!