Once again, from my morning must read book OUR DAILY BREAD, I read the funniest story ever about a man (when he was a child) who would be distracted by a comic book when really he was supposed to be cleaning his room. He knew that his mom was going to come and check on him in five minutes and he had to think quickly so he hid all the mess in his closet. Have you ever done that? Hide all your mess in the closet because you got distracted and you didn’t have much time to clean your room.

I don’t know why it is so hard for children in all generations to clean their room. I have done so several times, and ended up to clean anyway. I remember when I was in Grade 1; I did not finish my banana snack, and came home and hid it in my closet. Several days later, every time my mom would come to my room, she would say “I am smelling a banana here …do you have a banana flavored air refresher inside here? I would say NO.

One weekend, she decided to inspect my closet, and sure, she found a banana which had turned black. What followed after that is another story. Of course my mom bought me a book called “Christopher Please Clean Your Room”. How I changed my cleaning habits as I could not imagine myself being like this boy.

I then realized I would never hide anything in the closet or under my bed. Of course there is a reason for that. Every Friday, my parents would check our rooms (my mom would say … your room is in my house … so technically that room is my room). So the rules are, I must have my dirty clothes taken down for laundry, room dusted and swept, and everything put in order. It might seem harsh but once you get used to it, it is like an everyday must do activity, like putting on clothes.

I also learnt that cleaning my room does not mean hiding things in the closet. At the end of the day, even though no one will see the hidden things under the bed or in the closet, the smell can tell that something is not right.

The question is, “Do you like cleaning your room?. Do you have trouble cleaning your room?” Let me give you some tips.

  • When you wake up, make your bed nicely. Make sure that it is nice and flat.
  • Dust your room. Ask for a duster because dust can make you sick.
  • If you know how to fold your clothes fold them right and put them where they are supposed to be. If you don’t know how to fold clothes ask for help.
  • Hang your clothes properly in the closet. If you don’t know how to hang clothes ask for help.
  • Arrange your toys, books or any of your other things in a neat pile.

My parents always say “Cleaning your room is something you do that nobody notices until you don’t do it”. I never used to understand it, but now I do. I now enjoy cleaning my room as I like seeing it clean, after all, I am the one sleeping in it.

Angela-Acaye