Desperate Mum Shares: "My Teenagers Room is Disgusting. What do I do?"

Mum fed up with the mess turns to the internet for help.

The desperate mum shared, “My teenage son’s room is DISGUSTING!

“It’s so smelly and is probably harbouring old food and other unidentified revolting things.

“Besides burning it down, how can I get rid of the stench? Any ideas for getting rid of the mess?”

Mums share helpful advice

One mum shared, “You don’t need ideas, he does. Take away all of his electronics, and he doesn’t get them back until his room is clean. Open his window, and tell him to change his bed…the smell will go away.”

Another said, “No food, etc in room. Make HIM clean once a month and do HIS washing etc. Otherwise close the door and walk away.
Mums house rules and my brothers and I survived.”

“Make him clean his room! It’s your house and you’re the parent, you only lent him his room, he doesn’t own it unless he pays for the electricity, food and board. Regardless of that, he needs to respect the rest of the family and clean up after himself”, wrote another.

“No anything until he respects the roof you put over his head, the bed he sleeps in every night & the clothes you have bought to cloth him. Its quite easy taking control of lazy dirty teenagers. You are the boss & his mum but you are not his slave”, said another.

We loved Jen’s answer, “I got sick of asking, nagging, and screaming one day so I just casually dragged the wheelie bin the long way through the house and parking it in his doorway. I told him he had a 10 minute headstart while I had a cup of tea but after that anything on his floor was considered discarded and would be dealt with. You’ve never seen a quicker moving kid. But I don’t bluff so that probably had a lot to do with it. I’ve thrown them out of the car and made them walk home, put their dinner down the disposal and cut the cord off the PlayStation, and drowned an ipad so it may not reap the same reward in your house lol.”

Alison also had a great idea, ” If mine doesn’t keep his room clean I turn off the wifi works a treat ! Just find his “currency” they all have something that you can take off them.”

Sascha suggested, “Just get rid of the kid?? of course just joking! I find taking phone/ PlayStation works a treat. As soon as the mess is cleaned properly they can have their stuff back.”

Do you have a messy teen?

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39 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 13 Mar 2023
    12:57 pm
I agree with Jen. The trick is when your kids are little NEVER make idle threats. make sure you always do as you say and they will cotton on very quickly that when you say X is going to happen if you dont do Y. They will know that it really will happen so they will act swiftly.

- - serotonin said
  - 07 Jun 2019
    5:41 pm
Hoping my kids don’t get that bad when they’re all teens. My oldest is 13, he’s not terribly messy yet. Just a few items of clothing on the floor that need washing. I’ll solve that by putting a dirty clothes basket outside the kids’ rooms for them to use.

- - Jujubear79 said
  - 28 May 2019
    2:23 pm
Leave it like it….when he wants clothes that are dirty he will learn….that or chuck.it all in garbage bag and dump it in a donation bin….

- - mom101628 said
  - 23 Apr 2019
    10:56 pm
I wish you luck. Some teenagers are just like this and sometimes they never change even as adults.

- - neat22 said
  - 23 Apr 2019
    9:11 am
Start from scratch. Put in a busy bee day and clear the lot! Move bed around if possible. Have piles to go, to wash, to store etc.
Lots of rules are mind boggling so have one.
All dishes out by end of each day. Or the next day no eating in the room. One rule. One expectation.

- - ella12 said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    4:46 pm
I would take away his devices also.

- - ozstarlett said
  - 31 Mar 2019
    5:39 pm
take away all their devices and make them clean their room. otherwise tell them they have lost the privilege to use their room until they clean it themselves. alternatively parents could cave and clean it themselves.

- - rovermum said
  - 31 Mar 2019
    4:49 pm
Wow! I have a lazy teen, but nothing compared to this. And, it’s good to know I’m not alone. It doesn’t offer an excuse, but it’s not just in our home. I absolutely believe in using currency, – turning off wifi, saying no to things he wants done for him, etc. Good luck!

- - tessie said
  - 31 Mar 2019
    2:41 pm
I told them I’d just throw anything on the floor away. They soon believed it when I turned up at their door with rubbish bin, shovel, gloves and mask. Been kept clean ever since.

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 31 Mar 2019
    11:30 am
Gosh, that is really messy

- - BellaB said
  - 30 Mar 2019
    7:14 pm
If it’s getting to be a health hazard, you have to do something. Confiscating electronics may be effective.

- - rnash02 said
  - 30 Mar 2019
    2:40 pm
Love some of these ideas, give him a time limit if it’s not clean by then start Bining it.

- - mom81879 said
  - 30 Mar 2019
    2:30 pm
Just leave it. He’ll work it out. When he’s run out of clothes or friends come round to visit, he’ll realise why he needs to keep his room tidy

- - Ellen said
  - 30 Mar 2019
    7:12 am
Think it’s always wise to pick our battles, never make it into a power struggle. Rather make it or connect it to something positive.

- - mom19782016 said
  - 30 Mar 2019
    1:13 am
Wow, definitely remove any devices. They are earned by cleaning up!

- - Kimeeja said
  - 29 Mar 2019
    10:27 pm
Good advice by so many. Taking notes for future as my 12 year old daughter is already incredibly messy and thinking things aren’t looking up. Need to find her “weakness”

- - mumma said
  - 29 Mar 2019
    9:29 pm
I’m just here to read the comments for future help… some good ideas. Thanks

- - musicmum said
  - 29 Mar 2019
    8:19 pm
I just thought of another idea, what about saying we going to renovate and get him involved in designing and decorating ,setting up new rules once it is done.

- - musicmum said
  - 29 Mar 2019
    8:17 pm
It is hard to make some teenagers listen, but I discuss it with my son, he tells me the more I nag the more he does not want to do it, catch 22. But we rent and we have 6 months inspections so he knows the deadline, and usually leaves it to the last couple of days before, but it gets done. I made a rule no food and no dirty clothes ever, that helps. Yes we suffer from not getting in control when they are young, but parenting can be tiring so it is easy to slip up and let it go all the time. Talk and explaining things to teenagers I think is the best option, help them understand why it is important and why it needs to be done, but no anger or accusing with the talk.

- - taynik46 said
  - 29 Mar 2019
    9:51 am
oh no! – I have girls so not so much of a smell problem.

If it was me I would make him set aside a weekend for cleaning it. Make him take everything out. Strip the bed and put all the dirty washing in the laundry and then teach him how to do it.
Then make him vacuum every nook and cranny, move the bed, desks furniture away from the walls and vac behind them. Spray surfaces with a can of Glen20, and then he is good to start from a clean slate.

Reward him with pizza and a movie for all his hard work doing the above and then, reward him each week he keeps it that way. If he fails to keep it that way reduce internet, gaming, tv privileges until it is back to that starting point.

Good luck!
- musicmum replied
  
  29 Mar 2019 , 8:11 pm
  Why spray poison and feed with unhealthy food? That will make him more lazy.