National Clean Your Room Day

There seems to be a day for everything now, right? From ‘Lost sock memorial day’ to ‘Eat ice-cream for breakfast day’, there’s even a ‘Play your Ukulele Day’... some of these celebrations seem, quite frankly, ridiculous.

Well, Wednesday (10th May), the unofficial holiday doesn’t seem so silly to me for a change… It’s national ‘Clean Your Room Day’.

‘Urrrrghhh’

I can hear you all groaning now. Yes, you’re that loud, it’s echoing! Back in the day, I was the same. I remember the daily threats of ‘if you don’t clean that room, you won’t be allowed to go outside and ride your bike’. I couldn’t have cleaned up fast enough. Or done a more poor job. I’d throw everything in any enclosed space I could find. There was absolutely no order. 

Then, when it came to finding things, it would take me HOURS. Did I push it under the bed? What about at the bottom of the wardrobe? Maybe I hid it in my bedside drawer? Hmmmm, did I even have it at all or was it a figment of my imagination? Eventually, my mum would find it, because, well, don’t mum’s have a super power to find everything? She’d somehow manage to make my lost item appear in under two minutes and I remember thinking, ‘she’s got to be a member of the magic circle’. 

I know cleaning your room seems like the last thing you want to do, but I promise you, there's a method behind the madness.

It is thought that the practice of scheduled cleaning dates back to the days when people lit fires to keep warm during the cold winter months. The first warm day of spring allowed people to open their windows and doors and to get rid of all the soot and ash that collected over the winter. I wonder how much dust has collected in your bedroom?

So what are the benefits?

1. Better Sleep - having a tidy bedroom will make you feel more relaxed so you can fall asleep sooner
2. Productiveness - a tidy room equals a tidy mind
3. More space - less clutter means more room for activities
4. Less danger - have you ever stepped on lego before? OUCH!
5. A bit of exercise - tidying burns calories too!
6. Goodbye germs - don’t forget anti-bacterial spray, germs are everywhere.
7. No more nagging - Mum and dad have stopped moaning? Really?

If you have a regular tidying routine, you’ve already fought half the battle. Keeping a tidy room isn’t really a difficult chore. It’s more a matter of taking a little time each day to put things in their place.

Here are some tips on how to keep your room clean on a regular basis so that you don’t have to clean for hours on ‘Clean Your Room Day’.

• Put your dirty clothes in a laundry basket each evening, not on the floor.
• Use hooks or hangers to give your commonly worn items a set place.
• Organize your bedside table. What REALLY needs to be there?
• Return books, tablets and magazines to the areas or shelves where they belong.
• Keep your shoes in the closet rather than leaving them all over the bedroom.
• USE the small waste bin in the corner for tissues and such. 
• Have a box for your toys or video games 

The trick is to stack, not scatter! If you’re feeling extra nice, you could even donate clothes, shoes and accessories that you don’t wear or use anymore. And lastly, the Sunday after May 10th is Mother’s Day. Just thinking… What would be a better gift than a clean room?

Have a brilliant weekend!