How to Clean and Keep Your Room Clean: No, For Real.
Cleaning your room when you have ADHD feels impossible. Where do you even start when there’s laundry, old water bottles, and random school papers scattered everywhere? For me, the answer was simple: I didn’t start alone. I asked for help.
My mom basically cleaned my whole room while I wasn’t home. No shame. She made piles of “like” items such as makeup, clothes, random crafts, and blankets and then sat with me while I went through them and organized everything how my brain wanted it. The key here? She didn’t force me to organize the typical way. For example, most people keep their makeup wipes in the bathroom because they use them before they wash their face, but honestly, half of the time, I’m never going to make it to the bathroom to wash my face thoroughly, at least in the mornings, when I am trying to get ready for school. If I have to go to the bathroom to grab them, I’ll get distracted by literally anything and never come back. So, my makeup wipes live at my desk with the rest of my makeup, and the second pack is in the bathroom. ADHD brains don’t care about logic; they care about what works.
I had a clean slate once my mom and I finished, even though I left the room 17 times to do random things. She even bought me a criss-cross chair for my desk so I can sit however I want, criss-cross, sideways, or whatever. It helps me stay at my desk and actually get ready from start to finish. And now? I keep my room clean.
Here’s how I do it. Every day, I do a mini clean for about 15 minutes. But here’s the thing: I made it into a game because games equals motivation. I created a playlist of my favorite songs that lasted about 15-20 minutes, and I move as fast as I can to beat the playlist. No time to overthink; just go!
Start in one corner of your room and pick everything up off only the floor in that corner. Clothes? Put them away. Trash? Toss it.
Move to the next corner. Then the next. Then the next. Don’t worry about the middle of the floor just yet.
Next, move to surfaces. Same system from corner to corner. Desk, nightstand, shelves, clean off the crafts from your bed and make the bed, whatever.
Finally, clean the floor in the middle of the room.
Here’s the big rule: Everything goes in its place. And if it doesn’t belong in your room, like the 13 water bottles, four plates, and seven bowls, don’t you dare leave the room with those items yet. ADHD brains know if you leave, you’re not coming back. Instead, I keep a bin by my door, where all the “not my room” stuff goes. Once I’m done cleaning, I grab the bin and take everything where it belongs, usually the kitchen.
This works because it’s simple, fast, and feels like a race against the clock. And let’s be honest, when you’re listening to your favorite songs, it’s way less boring. My room still gets messy, but when it is overwhelming and out of control, my mom comes in and cleans it. We put the piles away together so I can start with another clean slate. I know it is hard to ask for help, and we don’t want our parents in our room. And I know parents don’t want to tackle this chore, but it’s a win for everyone. My room, over time, goes longer and longer stretches where it stays clean. My mom actually keeps track on her phone. I'm not sure what magical number of days she comes up with, but I guess that’s part of the game. I will come home from school and find a new shirt on my bed, a gift card from Starbucks, or a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos with a note telling me I have done a good job keeping my room clean.