Temporary decluttering worked like a charm for my daughter, Maria [ADHD inattentive (ADD)]. I warned her if she didn’t pick up her room (it resembled a pigsty) I’d declutter, clean, and organize it and she wouldn’t get all her stuff back. She ignored my warning (to my delight) and I went to work while she was in school. I worried that when she came home she’d be angry because I removed half her stuff. To my surprise she thanked me!
My son, ADHD hyper, found decluttering helped reduce his ADHD symptoms and gladly got rid of 1/3 to 1/2 of his stuff.
Maria struggled to let go of practically everything! School papers, failed art projects, paper scraps, old candy, and dried stick glue were too precious to toss. That is why I wanted to declutter while she was at school. I tossed two big trash bags, and she didn’t mind. She was relieved that all the decluttering decisions were made.
A clean, decluttered, and organized room can be shocking, yet it was this contrast that helped my daughter appreciate the calming effects of a clean room.
How to Temporarily Declutter
Warn your kids that they must pick up their room in the next seven days or you will do it for them. Make sure that they know you’ll declutter temporarily and that trash gets tossed permanently.
Remove a good-sized chunk of excess possessions. Pick stuff at the bottom of storage bins, in the back (or bottom) of drawers, and hidden in the closet. Keep these items in your storage room for three months. If your child asks for specific things, give them back. If not, get rid of it. Avoid showing kids what you removed and don’t give it all back unless you must. Require your kids to ask for specific items.
Every child reacts differently when you remove items from their room. My daughter has a hard time deciding what to discard, and she was glad I did it for her. Lage generally wanted to make all the decisions himself, but he didn’t mind if I decluttered his things as long as he got what he wanted back.
If your child is angry after you declutter, assure him (her) that you’ve discarded nothing except trash. Whatever they want back, they can have. They must give the new clutter-free room a try before they get too many items back from storage.
Tread lightly if you have teenagers. Always talk to teens about decluttering beforehand, and strike a deal if they resist tidying.
If you want to declutter your teen’s room, you need to give him/her something they want in return. You get to declutter (temporarily), tidy, and clean their room, and they get something they value.
Decide together how long kids must live in the decluttered space to give their new environment a decent try. If they like it and want to declutter permanently, that’s great! Reward them again when they’re done. If they refuse to declutter, return their things from storage. At least they gave it a decent shot.
Check out these Posts on Decluttering and ADHD
Declutter Your Home: The 15-Minute Method!
One Decluttering Mindset Shift = Bye-bye Just-in-case Items! (I Finally Finish Decluttering!)