How to get a 15yr old to clean his room?

Question

It really is disgusting, im frightened to go in there!

Answer 1

No Pocket Money
No Friends over
No T.V

seriously if its that bad do that if not give him a break its him that has to stay in there, maybe you could say we'll tidy it together he will probably do it himself cos he will be scared of what you find lol

Answer 2

LOL, I have 5 kids, one a 15 yr old and I've found that "compromising" is one of the few ways I can "bribe" them into doing their rooms. As this is their "space" after all, some level of self is needed for them to feel as though they have a place they can go and be alone when they want to.

I allowed each of the kids the opportunity to "decorate" their rooms as they wished provided they didn't go over the top on things...then I promised them that I wouldn't enter without knocking first (although I've always had this particular rule in place even when they were small) and wouldn't demand they pick up their things in their room unless company was coming or it was a holiday. I do insist that the entire house be nice and neat for those two things tho.

Further, I told each of them that they were responsible for their own laundry, yes even the 15 year old...if I had to show them how to do it a few times (operate washer etc), then that was fine by me but as they all have clothing that they have bought and therefore really treasure...they actually prefer to do their own laundry anyway.

As well, I stipulated that whenever they were unable to locate something within the room i.e. a CD, book etc., then they would have to "straighten" things up to the point where they uncover that item...that would mean picking up and either laundering or putting away clothing from the floor, picking up books or whatever, papers etc. Usually by the time they have found the item they've done a reasonable clean up.

Don't tell anyone, but sometimes, if things are truly out of control in their room, I'll actually go in and place a favourite CD, book (school related usually), somewhere in the room where they likely won't locate it for awhile...perhaps behind their computer desk, in a drawer beneath a few things or in the closet on an upper shelf etc...(sneaky I know but gets the job done fairly thoroughly usually)...

Our oldest son is a pepsi freak so we came up with a solution to his pop cans strewn all over the room...we told him to place a recycle bin in the closet, throw his cans in there and when it was full...he is responsible for ensuring it gets to the curb. It's worked out quite well and the rest of the kids have now adopted similar routines with whatever garbage they accumulate.

They are usually good at voluntarily cleaning up when they are having friends over and sometimes I can even get a cleanup when they want something like a show, clothes, or whatever.

The one rule I have that is unbreakable is that if a dish, food or snack of any sort enters their room, it MUST be brought out and disposed of properly. So far, we've had no problems with this routine and now the kids actually prefer a cleaner room to a disastrous one. We've been on this routine for about 5 years now and hopefully they will be pretty neat when they move to their own places, whenever that might be :)

Good luck with your son.

Answer 3

Yeah I hear ya there, I have a 14yr old and a 10 yr old and I tell ya there room was beyond disgusting! I had to clean it, it took me 4 YES 4 hours to clean, I found all of our spoons and cups with "science Projects" growing in them...

I went in there, got rid of almost everything except the furniture, when I was done there were 4 bags full of garbage. Now 2 weeks later the room is a mess! I dont really think there is a way to get them to clean their room... They are at the age where they really dont care..
I GIVE up! Now I just shut the door so I don't have to look at the crap hole....
If you come up with anything let me know...

Answer 4

Clean it for him.... only with a catch. Clean everything out of it. Remove all electronics(TV, DVD, phone, computer), remove any toys or anything that could be amusing. Leave him only a bed, dresser, and alarm clock. Also go through the clothes and leave only the ones you approve of, ie. the dorky clothes. Tell him that if he can keep this room clean for one week then he get something back, and each week that he follows this he gets something back, but when he doesn't do it, it all goes away again. And if he dog cusses your name up and down, you know you've done the right thing. Stay tough!

Answer 5

My parents tried a few options with me:

1. My mom gathered up all the stuff off my floor, put it into trash bags, and told me that I had until trash day to put everything away.

2. My dad said that I could keep my room in any condition I wanted as long as I paid rent.

3. My parents told me that they wouldn't buy any more clothes for me. They said if I wanted new clothes, I'd have to clean up the clothes on my floor so I'd know what I had and what I needed.

While none of these kept my room clean for extended periods of time, it was a good short term fix. I cleaned my room and usually kept it fairly clean for a few weeks.

p.s. I'm 30 now, and my wife still struggles to get me to pickup my clothes. :)

Answer 6

Mum, does it really matter at the end of the day? Make a rule no food or drink gets left in there but his "stuff" and clothes are his problem. Either make him agree to clean it once a week himself or say you will do so if he has CLEARED it first. My son was just as bad he now lives with his girlfriend and is surrounded by mess still. Decide with him what is mess and what is dirty (food drink smelly socks) get rid of the dirty things and leave him to deal with the rest or live in it. It's not worth getting in a tizz about.

Answer 7

We had a teenager that would not clean their room. We gave them a "final" warning and then went in while they were at school and put everything out of place in a box and hid it. After a couple of "sweeps" they noticed a lot of their things were missing. They were give a choice of some organization or next time the box would not be given back. Did the trick.

Answer 8

i think that raising a child comes with the child having responsibilities that is having a list of chores around the house to do,small jobs should be assigned to the child from a tender age so getting older there should be no problem cleanining his/her room at age fifteen it would be a routine . all you have to do is let the child no that the room should be clean or else he/she will be grounded from something they love doing,it will be a hard task for u because we all know how teenagers are be cool about it,talk to the child the best way u can without getting in a fight.

Answer 9

Very tricky question.

You need to lay down the law. Presuming this 15 year old is your child, you have to understand that you pay his rent, provide him food, and essentially work your job so your child can have a good life.

One way to do it which doesn't involve anger is to ask him politely, giving good reason why he should clean his room. Tell him you're worried about his hygiene, and to please think about doing it to get it over with.

Also, you have to realize that if this 15 year old isn't cleaning his room, this may become a bad habit in his/her adult years, and you want your son/daughter to grow up with the responsibility to keep things clean. Try and talk it out with him/her.

Answer 10

You may find this a bit harsh, but I once saw a programme or film and the woman put prawns under the bed and eventually it left a bad smell!! maybe that will make him have a clear out as the smell will get soo bad he won't even want to sleep in there!! good luck