My room

Girls' Life, Dec, 2002 by Lisa Mulcahy

You're surveying the wreckage. Your bed hasn't been made since 1999. That half-eaten PB&J is now old enough to vote. Your pet hamster is cowering somewhere beneath a mountain of laundry. Where do you begin? Read on for some common sense tips for pulling your living space together, organizing your duds and uncluttering your study spot. Your room will be an oasis of order in no time--and you'll feel a cool sense of accomplishment. Neat, huh?

WEED WHAT YOU DON'T NEED

The first step in attacking your mess? Arm yourself with a generous supply of heavy-duty trash bags and empty boxes.

1) Actual garbage--petrified food, Kleenex wads and candy wrappers--needs to be disposed of pronto. (Recycle paper, bottles and cans, if you can, please.)

2) Sift through everything that's strewn around the room, and decide if you should save it, donate it, stash it or trash it. Toss those Tinkerbell cosmetics, the socks with no heels, your furless Furby--and don't those Pokemon slippers deserve a decent burial? Put any balled-up clothes in a pile--you'll get to that later.

3) Having trouble deciding if you should part with something? Ask yourself, "Do I use this item at least once a month?" Your favorite Teddy from back in the day? We'd never want you to throw away memories. Important keepsakes that touch your heart can go in storage. You can decide not to say "bye" to Barbie forever but stash her away in a box to go in the attic or basement.

4) Stuff you want to kiss goodbye but that's still in good shape, stick in a bag to donate to The Salvation Army (tell your mom you have a load for drop-off). Flip through your CDs, and lose what you don't listen to (you can trade them at some music stores). If you want, let buds sift through the castoffs first. You know that saying about treasures and trash.

5) Anything that's left is the stuff you want to keep in your room. But before arranging things just the way you like 'em, roll up your sleeves 'cause you're gonna clean.

6) Spin your favorite dance CD, and break out the cleaning supplies. Scrub, sweep, dust, vacuum. Rearrange your furniture if you want (feng shui, anyone?). Once your room is fresh as a daisy, put all your goods where they belong. After you've managed to get everything contained, step back and marvel at the space that is now your chill spot!

Now, get ready to work wonders on your wardrobe!

CONQUER YOUR CLOSET

If your closet is a wrinkled mass of mashed-up minis and smelly sneakers, take control. 1) Throw all dirty laundry (remember that pile?) into a clothes basket. 2) Make one pile of every you haven't worn in year, whether it's because you've outgrown it or you're over it. Whittle down that pile, deciding what you could hand down to your little sis or cousin and what should go to The Salvation Army. Bag 'em up accordingly.

3) Make another pile for out-of-season stuff. Roll up each item and store in clean, new plastic trash cans. Using a permanent marker, label each can with your name and "Summer Clothes," so nobody mistakes it for real trash.

4) Make a third pile of anything that's missing a button, needs to be hemmed or needs to be dry cleaned. Put them in a shopping bag and let your folks know you're due for trip to your friendly neighborhood dry cleaner.

5) The clothes that are left should be the threads you really love and wear. Hang all your jeans together, then your shirts, skirts, dresses--you get the picture.

6) To finish, put shoes in a neat row on the closet floor. Fold sweaters neatly in drawers (don't hang--they'll stretch out). And designate drawers for socks and undies. Now, won't it be much easier picking out outfits in the a.m.?

DESK DO'S AND DON'TS

Nothing makes ya feel less like tackling trig than a messy homework station. Here's a lesson in Study Space 101.

1) Some guidelines for organizing your desk? Lamp at the back left corner, computer monitor in the center, a pencil holder to the right. Computer disk cases and other things you don't need to reach for often can be tucked away in a desk drawer or even on top of your computer.

2) On the lower left side of your desk, stack the papers you're currently working on. Once you've completed an assignment, quickly transfer it to your backpack so you don't forget it.

3) Do not keep a phone, CD player or TV on your desk. It's cluttery and, besides, these items distract from your work.

4) Keep a bulletin board above your desk for loose papers. Rather than having reminders, birthday cards and class schedules piled all over the place, you'll have them organized and right at eye level.

5) Keep screen wipes handy in a desk drawer so your computer monitor stays dust-free. Bonus: This will also help your eyes from getting strained.

KEEPIN' IT NEATNIK

Now that your room is so amazingly neat, do your best to keep it that way.

1) Take three minutes to make your bed each morning. Your room will look drastically better.

2) If you insist on chowing down in your chambre, throw away the garbage and take dishes to the kitchen as soon as you refinished noshing.