TSD Cleaning Articles

Cleaning And Privacy

When it comes to cleaning our kid’s rooms, we often vacillate between needing the room to be clean and not wanting to invade their privacy. Cleaning and privacy can make for a dicey combination; we want to clean, but we’re not sure we’d like what we found along the way.

Especially with teenagers; developmentally, they’re right where they are supposed to be when it comes to wanting privacy and choosing to spend most of their time at home in their rooms. Unfortunately, this also often means that their rooms are a terrible mess, and what is that smell?

So, cleaning and privacy; when to take on the job yourself and when to let them take on the responsibility, that is the question. The answer is simple, if your teenagers don’t know how to clean a room, they probably won’t do it. Also there is the distinct possibility that they couldn’t care less what their room looks or smells like. The best idea would be to start cleaning their rooms with them while they are still too young to consider it an invasion of privacy; going through your child’s clothes, old school papers, and toys with them once a month and showing them how to organize a room is very beneficial, but what to do if they are already fourteen years old?

Cleaning and privacy–too bad. The best way to handle it if the kids are older teenagers is to simply put your foot down. “We will go through your entire room on Saturday from 1-3 p.m., and the better it looks when we start, the less time I will be in there.” You can make it easier on them if you have enough drawers, shelves, and closet space for them to keep it clean, so think about what you can bring to the party rather then just sitting on the edge of the bed and griping at them. As a parent, a good attitude and a sense of humor can make this chore less of a contest of wills and more into quality time.

There are a few rules that you can set down as far as cleaning and privacy go; if they want their privacy, they need to follow the rules. The first rule of cleaning the room is always No Food, No Exceptions. This eliminates wondering where your dishes and glasses have gone to and really, seriously will eliminate that smell.

Speaking of the smell, number two cause for that is stinky clothing. Rule number two is dirty clothes need to be brought into the laundry room and put into the hamper, or they don’t get washed. If your teenager says that they don’t care if their clothes get washed, let them be. The other kids at school will change their mind…

Last but not least, as a parent, be realistic. Cleaning and privacy, yes, an issue that all parents of teenagers need to deal with. Work through it knowing that A) how many people go into that room? And B) chances are that circumstances will force them to grow out of it.