• Tackle your teen's bedroom with some cleaning tips and tricks.smiling teen image by Bruce Shippee from Fotolia.com
  
  Keeping your teen's bedroom clean can be a difficult task. He is at an age at which he should have some responsibility for keeping his area clean and tidy. However, nagging and cajoling him can become tiresome. Nevertheless, there are a few tips you can use to prevent the bedroom from becoming dirty and cluttered, making the job easier when he finally decides to clean.
  
  

Dishes

• One tip for cleaning a teen's bedroom is to make sure that your teen does not keep dishes in her bedroom. Make a rule that if your teen eats in her room, she has to bring the dishes out right away. If she does not do so, she will have to scrub and clean the dishes herself. If the dishes have caked-on food that is difficult to remove, have her soak them in the sink with dish soap for at least one hour. Have her use a scrubber to remove any caked-on food.
  
  

Schedule

• Create a weekly cleaning schedule. One reason why it's difficult for your teen to keep his bedroom clean is that it can seem overwhelming. On the schedule, list the chores that will need to be done each day. One day should be dedicated to deep cleaning and changing the sheets on his bed. If the tasks are broken up into smaller chunks, it will be far easier to keep the bedroom clean.
  
  

Organize

• Before doing any major cleaning in your teen's bedroom, take the time to de-clutter and organize the bedroom. Throw away and recycle anything that you can. Organize the closet and desks to make them easier to use. Once the bedroom is organized and more efficient, it will be easier to clean. Hang up hooks in the closet to store accessories such as necklaces and headbands. Use baskets in the closet to hold small items, and even underwear.
  
  

Laundry

• If your teen has piles of clothes in her room, consider a system that will lessen the clutter. Purchase a large hamper that has different sections. Use fabric marker to label each one. One section of the hamper is for whites, one for darks, and one for delicates. That way, the laundry is presorted and will be easier to manage.