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

- - Ellen said
  - 29 Mar 2019
    7:58 am
I have a very messy 9yr old. Asking her to tidy in the morning works better then the evening. I ask her to tidy before breakfast. She loves food, so it works as a motivator.
Sometimes I work with a reward.

- - mom74005 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    11:21 pm
You need to get onto that and teach boys some responsibility. It’s hard to motivate them a team times but holding the electronics hostage works.

- - becstalou said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    11:05 pm
I’m still a long way away from this problem but hopefully he’ll be tidy like his Dad.

- - mom265671 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    10:56 pm
I agree wth the comments, give him that responsibility or he’ll never learn

- - nealsq said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    10:27 pm
my kid’s rooms get messy but they are not allowed food or drinks in there unless they have a friend over and then the dishes have to come straight out, their mess is mainly clothes on the floor, they aready do their own cleaning and washing

- - Amanda Holland said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    9:19 pm
I do like Jens suggestion lol
I’m glad mine aren’t to bad

- - mom114371 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    9:15 pm
Just turn the internet off! It’s a prettt good incentive to kids these days

- - ashna9 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    6:28 pm
Best to start now. No one wants a slob of a husband!

- - mom245659 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    3:24 pm
A good article and some good ideas and suggestions. It may not be too late now to teach him to tidy up but some sort of punishment as in no devices, or just turn off the internet until it’s done. I’m with others as in he should have been taught from a young age to clean up after himself. I’ve done it with both my kids and worth the effort. They can put dirty clothes in the laundry hamper from the moment they can walk and they are very keen to learn and help when young. A little praise goes a long way.

- - mom93821 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    2:40 pm
A tough one in teenage years. It is their own space – I would suggest a weekly big tidy up and maybe a chat about expectations when everyone is calm.

- - mom206279 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    2:38 pm
My son is only 5 and already knows that any toys that don’t get picked up get taken away. Gotta start early.

- - mom160421 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    2:33 pm
I would take all his things (and I mean everything including clothing) and place them in boxes in the garage, leaving only his bedding in the room. When he needs something he will have to go out to the garage to get it. Every time he accumulates a mess, that mess and those things get thrown back in the garage. He’ll soon get sick of going to the garage for everything and might just start to take cleaning his room seriously.

- - Mum2archer said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    2:29 pm
I wouldn’t let my sons room get like this in the first place! Teach them to tidy up after themselves and have some responsibility and pride in their room

- - mom90758 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    2:26 pm
My daughter is 16 and, luckily for me, she doesn’t like mess and she’s quite an organized person like me.
- mom93821 replied
  
  29 Mar 2019 , 5:33 am
  It does help when children are tidy.
  We are fortunate too! 🙂
  - mom90758 replied
    
    29 Mar 2019 , 12:52 pm
    
    I’m glad to hear that. Life is so much easier that way! 🙂
- - mom112217 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    1:12 pm
Have a good talk to him and tell him it is not acceptable and he needs to lift his game!

- - Jujubear79 said
  - 28 Mar 2019
    12:10 pm
Leave the clothes exactly where they put them…..when they can’t find clean.clothes then it’s totally their fault.