It’s that time of the year: Your room has become such a mess that you think it’s not even worth cleaning. Midterms took a toll on you, so you barely have the energy to make your bed in the morning. There’s no way to immediately motivate yourself to do so, but here are some small things you can do to push yourself to have a cleaner room.
1. Actually clean it
Stepping on the stray hairs that linger around your room is unpleasant, no matter how much you ignore them. Also, those dust bunnies aren’t going anywhere unless you go around with a vacuum cleaner around the area. Seriously, the vacuum cleaner does the work for you, and it only takes a second (let’s be real: it’s just a minute). This might also motivate you: buy a new cleaning detergent from the dollar store and see how it works!
2. Invest in room décor
TJMaxx and Marshalls carries decorations for your room (think picture frames, vanity mirrors, flower vases, rugs, etc.) that are available at a great price, as well as gorgeous designs. Tip: make sure your décor follows a color scheme! If it’s cohesive, it’s going to look good.
3. Buy flowers or succulents
Having live plants helped me take better care of my room, because, well, my décor was alive and I wanted to keep it that way. So, I got succulents. Succulents are cute little plants that store water in their leaves so they do not need much watering, and they come with their own pot, so that’s convenient. Flowers usually need a bigger container and they come with their own supplements to keep them alive when you buy them in a tiny packet.
4. Let the sunshine in!
Don’t sit in the shadows, but rather lift your shades and let sunlight in. Doing this will motivate you to clean your room, since you can finally see your mess. LOL.
5. Simplicity is key when putting things away
You don’t need to be super intricate when organizing your clothes and your belongings in your room! A simple plan where you know where everything goes and a way to put it back is all you need. For example, whenever you take something out of the closet but decide you are not going to wear it, just put it back! Don’t let your stuff pile up – be smart about it!
6. Wash your sheets
If you do not know how good clean sheets feel, you have not lived. Seriously, there’s a huge difference between sheets that have not been washed for weeks and sheets that smell and feel clean.
7. Throw away the garbage
Subconsciously, there’s great pleasure in looking for the trash can and having it empty and ready to throw something inside of it. If it’s full, then there’s no joy in making sure the rest of the garbage that sits in your trash can topples over your floor. Put extra trash bags inside the trash can and under the trash bag, so it’s easier to take out and replace the bag.
Having a clean room, even though that little voice in your head that urges you to clean reminds you of your mom, is the best way to feel comfortable and in a healthy state of mind within your own space. Going home to a clean room after a long day is the best feeling in the world!