Two questions that I am always asked as a Professional Organizer

When I am out and about these are the two questions that I am always asked.


1) What are the basic steps to cleaning a child's messy room?

The first step for organizing a child’s messy room is to decide the all the functions the room has to perform. It is to be used for sleeping, playing, reading, studying and socializing? In addition to the bed, what other furniture is required in the space?

Does the child need a dresser and if so do all the drawers function, can they slide out easily for the child to use. Go through the clothes and ensure that all clean clothes can fit in the dresser. If they do not all fit in the dresser, there are too many clothes. Routinely go through clothes to see if they fit and if the child actually wears that item. If the labels scratch or armholes are uncomfortable, chances are the child never wears that article of clothing, time to pass it on. Hanging clothes need proper sized hangers and rods at a level that the child can reach. Need extra storage under the bed, use an old dresser drawer and attach castors to the bottom of the drawer.

If the child likes to read and owns many books is there enough space for the books. I routinely see piles of books in children’s room with out enough bookcase space. Only have enough books that will fit in the book case(s). Use containers or baskets on the book case shelves to hold a group of books. That way when a child takes a book out all the books do not slide and slip of the shelf. Regularly donate books or use the library.

Decide if toys are to be stored and/or played with in the child’s room. How are they going to be stored? Make the storage easy for the child. Open storage with pictures or labels help the child return the toy to the correct area. Rotate toys so there are only a few toys out at a time.

2) How can parent’s best make sure that the child's room stays clean and organized?

One of my best tools for keeping a child’s room organized is by having the parent’s set a good example that organization is an important part of life. This is accomplished by setting up daily routines that follow the natural rhythms in your home. Teaching them to be organized is teaching them to value their belongings and space. Taking pride and being grateful for what they have.

If the parent’s room is messy how do they expect the child to have a clean and organized room? Also reduce the amount of items going into the room. The room is a fixed space and not a balloon. I regularly have the child sign a contract with parents/grandparents/aunts/adults that states “instead of buying …. (the child) a new toy, game or cute object, I (the adult) will apply the same amount of money to the child’s education fund.

Find out and use what organizing style the child has (visual, spatial, sequential) and use strategies best suited for the child’s organizing style. This may be a far different style than that of the parent’s and parents need to recognize that fact.

Ensure that everything that enters the child’s room has a home. The item can only go away if it has a home.

My final comment is to make organizing fun, easy and effortless.