How to Organize a Teen’s RoomBy: Merle E. Givens
An area hard to keep organized, many parents say is a teenager’s room. You look at all the clothes, school supplies, electronics and gaming clutter, and more.
With modern society, we have so much more stuff to deal with in a teen’s room today. There are the updated and outdated electronics and pc gaming devices, games and other software, cell phone and charger. More and more added to the pile.
Also, you have all the new clothes they want to wear for the season that is so in trend. Or the clothes found on the floor or in bottom of closet. What do you do? Sometimes you may feel like erupting as Mt. St. Helen’s did. Do not worry, with using these basic tips you too can have peace of mind with your teen and their clutter.
Get your teen involved
Ask what is most important to them in their room. This is the beginning of knowing where to start with clutter magnets. Sometimes just having a specific place to put their items can make it easier to keep organized. Take these important areas and start sorting them in categories. See if some things are items they no longer use. Remove the old items such as outdated games, clothes, sports items and the like. Also make your organizing to their style somewhat. This helps make them want to stay organized and gives them a choice too.
Containerize items
Gaming equipment
‘Nintendo’ makes a tower that you can buy and use for ‘Wii’ and other games. Other popular gaming companies have equipment too that helps in this area. For a more frugal method use, clear plastic stackable boxes for different gaming equipment.
Clothing
Give your teen a hamper or put a medium sized trashcan with or without lid, some teens like to basketball the clothes into it and it looks cool in the room. Having a close place to put dirty laundry makes it easier to keep off the floor. Put a cloth, pull string laundry bag inside hamper or trashcan for easy to carry laundry hauling when it gets full. Or use a collapsible mesh laundry basket instead of the above idea. This folds flat when not in use.
For keeping shoes organized, use clear plastic boxes, or use shoeboxes, that have, photos placed on front. Stack these on a closet shelf. Or another option for this, buy a shoe rack that fastens over the top of the closet or back of bedroom door.
Accessories
Use a jewelry caddy or box made for this purpose or set up hooks on a wall near dressing area for necklaces and such like items. For rings, earrings and other smaller jewelry use a real small tackle box and put inside a drawer. This can work great for make-up also. Spray paint the box to match your teen’s décor for an added flair. Line the inside with felt or velvet material to protect jewelry that might get ruined or scratched.
Sports Equipment
For the teenaged sports enthusiast in your family, use a metal or plastic trashcan with a lid and drop equipment inside of it. Spray paint trashcan or use decals for the modern or urban look that a teen might like. Making something fun to look at makes it more enjoyable to use. For some equipment, use special attachments that mount to wall for sports items, such as a skateboard rack. This is one example. This gives the room a sport like feel and keeps room organized too.
Gaming, Music, Movie DVD’s and Digital Video on DVD
Use special DVD/CD holders for this use. Or, if you prefer make one by using a three ringed binder and put inside clear plastic pages made to hold DVD’s. Take cover and sheets out of jewel case, place behind DVD or CD if needed for later use. This saves space from all those jewel box covers being in the cabinet or on dressers. Now your teen can grab the folder or binder with ease. Make different color binders, one binder for each group or use a wider binder to separate groups into movies, computer software, games, and other. For gaming, booklets you can make a binder especially made to hold them too in the same manner. Just use clear plastic sheet protectors to hold them inside the binder.
School papers, artwork and hobby papers
Every teen needs to have a file cabinet. Yes, this is a good way to tame their school paper clutter or favorite articles or artwork. Buy colored folders and pick categories for favorite hobbies they like. Sort papers into the folders and place inside file holders for later use. Or use an accordion type folder to sort papers.
Books, Crafts, and Hobby
Use a cubbyhole that stands on top of a dresser or a stand, use for separating artwork supplies, such as pens, pencils and markers and papers. These come with divided shelves that come out and adjust to the height you need for items. Put pens, pencils, etc. in specially made dividers that you can slide into each slotted area. Great to organize magazines, printer or photo paper, stationary, homework, and even small paper back books.
Food and Beverages
Hey, if a teen wants to eat in his or her room, that is fine, but make sure a trash can for after use is near by the eating area. Most teens like to feel like an adult and have their own space at times to entertain friends. Just make sure they use paper plates and such plastic ware for eating in their rooms. You have fewer dishes to wonder about, and looking for. If they want their own mug or glass then they must wash it themselves. Other wise it is much easier to keep it simple by using picnic type ware.
The start begins by using these few tips in keeping things organized in a teen’s room. Soon, you will have a nicer and more peaceable life with your teen and have an organized teen room.
Look at videos in side bar for more teen inspirations.
