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The Super Effective Trash Bag Strategy for Cleaning My Child’s Room
by Emily Thompson
April 8, 2023
You know what really gets under my skin? Repeating the same instructions to my kids over and over, and despite all the reminders, they just won’t budge. Didn’t someone do research claiming that when moms nag, kids perform better? Well, that theory clearly doesn’t apply in my house. So, I decided it was time to take action myself.
For the past month, my 7-year-old and I have been engaged in a full-on war over his room. His vast assortment of action figures, art projects, stray socks, comic books, and who knows what else has taken over every inch of his space—floor, bed, closet, and even the dresser. It’s a total mess, and I’m adamant about not cleaning it because, at 7, he’s more than capable of picking up his toys and putting them away.
Is this a common struggle among parents?
After exhausting every tactic from nagging, bribing, trying to turn cleaning into a fun game, to having serious discussions about responsibility, I was out of ideas. Then one night, while scrolling through social media, I stumbled upon a hilarious post from a well-known dad blogger who suggested cleaning his child’s messy room with a trash bag. That was a stroke of genius!
I grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen and set the timer for 30 minutes, then I called up the stairs to my son. “Listen up! You have 30 minutes to tidy up your room. If the toys, books, and laundry aren’t off the floor, I’m coming up there to toss everything into a trash bag, and you won’t get it back!”
I waited in silence.
“Hey! Do I need to come up there?!”
Finally, I got a response, “Mooom! I don’t wanna clean my room!”
“Time’s running out, buddy! Let’s go!”
The next 29 minutes felt like an eternity. I could hear him stomping around, and I suspected I heard some grumbling. But I was determined to stick to my plan; no child of mine would live in chaos while ignoring the numerous chances I had given him to organize things his way.
When the timer buzzed, I announced, “Alright, kiddo! Time’s up. Here I come!” It felt like an awful game of hide-and-seek, but instead of giggling kids, I was on a mission to find every item on the floor to stuff into the trash bag and teach my son a lesson.
Entering his room was like walking into a disaster zone—stuff was everywhere.
In under three minutes, I had the bag packed to the brim, threatening to burst open. Those Lego pieces really do have a knack for hurting your feet!
My child protested about how unfair I was being, cried about living in a terrible house, and even claimed he’d run away to live with his best friend. But once the tears subsided, we had a heart-to-heart about responsibility and caring for our belongings. Surprisingly, he helped me finish cleaning up his room. He wasn’t thrilled, but he was cooperative. We washed windows, vacuumed floors, organized drawers, and put books back on the shelves.
By the end, we agreed that if he could keep his room tidy for two weeks without my reminders, he could earn back his bag of treasures. When the time was up, we went through everything together, and all his favorite items returned to their rightful spots.
It’s only been a few weeks, but this has probably been the most effective lesson on room cleaning my son has experienced. He knows what will happen if his room becomes a dump again, and he definitely doesn’t want to see me showing up with a large black trash bag. Let’s hope this sticks!
If you’re curious about further parenting hacks, you might find this article on home insemination kits helpful! Also, if you’re interested in understanding more about pregnancy and home insemination, check out this comprehensive resource on what to expect during your first IUI.