How to declutter a child’s bedroom
Key Points
- A cluttered bedroom may be a source of stress for children.
- Involve your child in decluttering their bedroom.
- Try a reward system to help kids part with outdated belongings.
Kids can be messy little people, and their bedrooms are often where they give free rein to their untidiest impulses. Between games of pretend and pillow forts, to cheeky snacks in later years, your child’s bedroom can quickly become a disaster zone if someone doesn't stay on top of the clutter.
Why not make it a household event and declutter the entire house together before hitting their bedrooms – and once you get there, let them run the show. While it may sound daunting, getting your wildlings on board now with healthy rituals may minimise the amount of mess in the future. No guarantees though.
Ready to ease your mental load? Read through our guide to decluttering your kid’s bedroom, and soon you’ll be bonding over conversations about what they think they need, what they want to keep and things they want to donate.
Decluttering a child’s bedroom: where to start?
As children grow rapidly and their clothes and belongings become outdated, their bedrooms may require more frequent decluttering compared to other rooms in the house.
Research shows a cluttered and messy bedroom may be a source of stress for children, potentially leading to frustration, mild anxiety and overwhelm. So it’s important to clear the clutter before it gets out of hand.
How can you do this?
- Start by involving your kids. Harness teachable moments, like colour sorting and decision-making. You can turn the process into a game by setting a timer and seeing how quickly your child completes a task, like sorting through building blocks or dragging gross things out from underneath the bed.
- Put on a fun playlist. Cleaning up a room is more fun when you play motivating music. It can also make a boring job more enjoyable, whether or not your kids are helping you. So find a great playlist of bangers and turn up the volume!
- Use positive language. Parting with their possessions can be difficult for children, so try to use affirming language. Instead of saying you’re ‘getting rid of’ something, say you’re ‘giving it a new home’. (See the section below on what to do when kids don’t want to let go of possessions.)
- Do a quick sweep. Before you get into the nitty-gritty tasks, do a sweep of the room and remove all the random stuff like cups, plates, food wrappers, towels and wet swimmers.
- Get down and dirty. Sit on the floor with your child (if they’re participating) and sort through everything you can lay your hands on. Categorise each item into what you will keep, what you’ll put in storage, what you’ll donate and what you’ll throw away. Things you’ll want to toss in the bin include puzzles with missing pieces, broken toys and dried-out textas. Some toys may just need the batteries replaced, so check before you throw them away. Board games with missing pieces may be salvageable, so see whether you can replace a piece with something else that does the job.
- Sell or donate old books. We love the idea of a well-stocked library in our child’s bedroom, but they can quickly outgrow books, leaving you with bulging bookshelves. Consider selling outdated books online and reinvesting the money in new books, or donate them to charity.
- Survey the scene. Once you’ve decluttered, categorised and sorted everything, survey the room and see how well the storage system is working. If it’s not functioning well to store your child’s belongings in an organised and easy-to-access way, consider adding a new storage unit, shelves or hooks to hang drawstring bags.
- Have a ‘maybe’ box. If your child is adamant they don’t want to part with a precious souvenir or trinket they rarely seem to touch, place it in a ‘maybe’ box that you keep elsewhere in the house. If they forget about it after a few weeks, let it find its next incarnation.
What to do when children don’t want to part with possessions
Research has shown up to 70% of children become emotionally attached to certain possessions, like a toy or blanket. In addition, they may believe their toys have feelings. They don’t want to be the cause of their toy feeling ‘lonely’ or ‘sad’, so it may be difficult for them to part with it. In some cases, this behaviour can become more concerning and lead to hoarding, which may require treatment by a healthcare professional.
In more benign cases, you can reassure your children that their toys are going to a good home. You might like to try a reward system, like giving them points towards an activity they’d like to do for each toy they let go of. Explain that for new toys to arrive, they need to make space by clearing out old toys. Appeal to their kind hearts by letting them choose a charity of their choice to donate their toys to so they know that their loss is another child’s gain.
Soft toys, dolls or security blankets that have seen better days may be particularly sentimental and hard for kids to part with. Studies show they often prefer an old and tattered friend to a shiny new replacement, so consider allowing them to keep one of two of their favourites (after it’s had a nice warm bath in the washing machine).
The key to keeping a messy kid’s room clean is to invest in storage solutions
How do you keep a messy kids’ room clean?
To keep a messy kids’ room clean, it’s important to involve your children in cleaning their room from a young age. This can help them feel important and teach them valuable life skills. It also makes life easier for parents.
Kids’ chore charts
It may help to create age-appropriate chore charts and add them to the bedroom wall. Teach your children to tick off each task on their chore chart when it is completed.
Chores related to keeping their rooms clean include:
• Ages 2–3: Putting their toys away, placing their dirty clothes in the laundry basket, stacking books on a bookshelf, wiping tables and skirting boards.
• Ages 4–5: All of the above, plus making their beds.
• Ages 6–9: All of the above, plus keeping their rooms tidy without supervision and folding and putting away their own laundry.
• Ages 10–13: All of the above, plus using the washing machine and dryer to wash their own clothes.
• Ages 14–plus: They are capable of keeping their rooms clean, tidy and uncluttered without parental supervision (no, really!).
Keeping a kids’ room clean is easier if you have functional and attractive storage. Younger children need boxes and drawers they can easily open and that are labelled with the contents. Older children may baulk at anything too colourful or childish, so consider investing in more grown-up shelving or storage units for tweens and teens.
Use gentle, non-toxic cleaning products in children’s bedrooms, especially on floors where they play
Family-friendly cleaning for your child’s bedroom
Commercial cleaning products often contain chemicals that can be dangerous for young children. Sprays and disinfectants may contain chemicals that can lead to adverse respiratory effects, among other health risks. Please check the label of the product you are using for more specific details.
A Canadian study found that children from homes that frequently used cleaning products during their early life had an increased risk of childhood wheeze and asthma at 3 years of age.
Opt for gentle cleaning products that are non-toxic and safe for the entire family to use, especially on floors where children play. There are many eco-friendly and natural cleaning products on the market that are suitable to use around children. If they don’t take your fancy, try making your own.
What cleaning products are suitable to use around children?
One in 10 household poisoning cases involves the use of bleach and other cleaning products. Children have thinner skin and a higher breathing rate than adults, placing them at a higher risk. For this reason, it’s essential to store cleaning products on a high shelf, out of the reach of children.
Suitable cleaning products to use around children include:
- bi-carb soda
- white vinegar
- plant-based products containing natural ingredients
Set aside time to regularly declutter your child’s bedroom before the clutter gets out of control
Keeping clutter under control – it’s a never ending story
Children’s bedrooms sometimes resemble the Bermuda Triangle – a place where things go in but never seem to come out. If you don’t keep an eye on it, chances are it will descend into chaos all too soon.
Setting time aside to regularly declutter your child’s room is a win-win. You get to walk into the room without random toys attacking your bare feet and your kids get to relax in a calm, ordered space and grow into their best selves.
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Reviewed by the healthylife Advisory Board May 2023. This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should consult with a healthcare professional.