As the first signs of Spring are starting to be seen with the beginning of March, windows are being opened for some fresh air and thoughts of dusting, de-cluttering, organizing and Spring cleaning are not far behind.

From the Butterfly Pavillion

The starting point for my current spring cleaning is my son Colin’s room.  It’s been neglected.  It needs some upgrading to his current age, some organizing, lots of purging, and cleaning.  He has not kept up with the cleaning and the cleaning lady we recently had was being challenged figuring out her way around enough to clean.  She gave me the homework assignment of getting some bags of stuff out of there, which I had not completely complied with.

I have started by moving his bed to a different location – that always lends a different, refreshing perspective to a room.  That meant discovering a whole world under his bed.  Often, de-cluttering and cleaning for Colin has meant shoving as much as he can under the bed.  I’ve been pulling things out from under there, so it wasn’t too bad this time.  So initially, I cleared and cleaned the area his bed was going to cover and then put everything questionable to one side of his room, once the bed was moved.  This looks more cluttered than before.  But trust the process!

I’m trying to create “homes,” for his stuff, which I still need to do.  He has a big plastic tub (can’t have too many plastic bins!) that fits under his bed, which is now a home for art.  I have to find homes for all the other stuff piled to one side of his room.  Things gradually start to find groups and then you find a container to put them in and a logical place for the container.  As you create the homes and move stuff out, you see more and more space (and feel lighter!)

I am starting to learn some lessons, especially for getting together a preteen boy’s room:

• Clear, covered plastic containers of all sizes solve many problems.  They keep dust at bay and keep things separate and easy to see.  I need a bigger one for his legos that no longer can be covered in the current container.  There are an abundant amount of small stuff to store and keep separate – pens, markers, etc.
• Keep stuff to a minimum.  Colin’s room is not very big, so taking out unecesary stuff helps a lot.  This meant taking out a shelf that was only holding clutter.  Moving the bed to one side also freed up valuable playing space.   I have the vacuum handy to clean any new space as I go along.  With Colin’s help, we’ll go through his books to weed out those he’s read and outgrown, toys he has outgrown or doesn’t want to play with, and clothes that he no longer fits in.  These will be donated.
• Every room needs some nature and greenery.  There are some small plants that I will put into a big pot to put in a corner of his room.  It should also help the air in his room.
• Maintain the space regularly. A kid’s room needs constant maintenance to purge it of stuff that’s been outgrown.  With my 1 year-old, I keep a bag near her changing station to keep putting in clothes that no longer fit.  It’s a much more frequent process than with my son.  A preteen boy needs to be reminded regularly to maintain his room.  We’ve tried to have a set time, 8pm, when he needs to wind up his day, including watching TV, and take some time to get his room straight before retiring for the night.  This is still a work in progress.

He is very happy with his space once it’s done.  What needs work is having that pride stay long enough to keep maintaining the space to keep it in top condition.  What I find is that if the “vision” for the room strays too much, I have to go in there and re-haul it so he has an idea of what to work towards, which is what I am working on right now.  Hopefully, when he comes home from school today, he will have a wonderful surprise when he opens his bedroom door.