Garbage

• The first step to cleaning up a messy room is to throw obvious garbage in the trash. This encompasses empty soda cans, old newspapers and magazines, and anything else that has been used and can’t be reused. Bring a trash bag into the room and walk round the perimeter, tossing trash as you see it. Make sure you look in drawers and closets as well.
  
  

Incomplete Items

• Next, toss anything that is broken or missing pieces that you know you cannot repair. You can opt to throw these things away, or give them to someone who may be able to fix them. This can apply to laptops, toys, power tools or just about anything else that has moving parts. It may be tempting to convince yourself that you’ll figure out how to fix it, but if you’ve already had it for six months without repairing it, then you probably won’t and you should get rid of it.
  
  

Useless Items

• Along with the trash bag, bring a box that you can throw items in that are useless to you. This could include old clothes, remnants of an old, forgotten hobby or games you no longer play. Consider getting rid of anything you have not used in at least six months. Many of these items will be useful to someone else, so you may wish to consider donating them or giving them to someone that you know will enjoy them.
  
  

Mismatched Items

• As you go through the room, you will likely find something that belongs to a larger item, such as pieces to a game or part of a set that you are collecting. Place these items in a box and place them with the rest of the set later. Discard any items that belong to a set that you no longer have.