The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

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March 21, 2024

Messy room? Clean it up with these fun tips

Though a teenage girl’s bedroom may not have a lot of space for junk, it always seems to accumulate anyway. To keep your room as spacious, organized and adorable as possible, follow these simple tips.

1) Divide and conquer: My top dresser drawer is one of the most common places for junk to pile up in my room. If you’re like me, you’ll tell yourself, “it doesn’t really matter, everyone has a junk drawer, and at least it isn’t all over my floor!” But that doesn’t have to be true. An effective way to keep an organized dresser is to use dividers. Take some cardboard from a birthday package, or even from one of those incredibly sturdy college brochures. Cut it lengthwise so it will fit from the front to the back of your drawer. Then, take the contents of the drawer and divide them into categories. For instance, if you have t-shirts and tanks in a drawer, put t-shirts in one category and tanks in the other. You can use more than one divider to create categories of three or four in one drawer. To add some flare, try using patterned wrapping paper to make the dividers cute and match the contents of the drawer.

Lizzie and Miranda lounge on Lizzie's bed in an episode from the early 2000's Disney Channel series. All those Lizzie McGuire-esque tie-dye shirts and chokers are just taking up valuable space in your closet. Consider moving them to storage to free up some room. Photo courtesy www.fanpop.com.

2) One girl’s shoe box is another girl’s best friend: Everyone splurges on those new pastel flats as spring comes around. To make the purchase even better don’t throw away your shoe box! These boxes can be the key to an organized room. They are just the right size to hold jewelry, make up, hair products, books, socks or anything else that may build up in your room throughout the school year. A style plus: many shoe boxes (especially from those cute sandals or flats) will have bright colors or patterns all around the outside. If the pattern doesn’t mesh with your room, put some of your favorite wrapping paper around it and voila! An adorable, sturdy, cheap storage box just waiting to make your room more live-able.

3) Quit hanging around: Hangers are sturdy and useful when brought to their full potential. Use them creatively to maximize the closet space in your room. I used to be one of those girls who would grab three hangers to get dressed in the morning: one held my sweater, one held my tank top, and one held my skirt. But now, I minimize my getting-ready time and maximize my closet space by putting complementary tanks and sweaters on one hanger, and bottoms with an accessory (like a scarf) on another hanger. I don’t have to hunt around for pieces that go together on school nights, and I can fit much more in my closet.

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4) To keep or not to keep, that is the question: The most classic method of spring cleaning is obviously to throw away things you don’t use anymore. But, it’s much easier said than done. Sure you haven’t worn that tie-dye shirt from fifth grade graduation in five years, but it has fond Lizzie McGuire and choker necklace memories attached. To keep or not to keep? The best solution for dealing with a sentimental-yet-useless item like this is to put it in storage. I don’t mean a warehouse in the middle-of-nowhere storage; I mean a simple box in the attic. That way, if there’s ever a spontaneous fifth grade reunion, the shirt is easily accessible, but at the same time it isn’t taking up valuable space in your t-shirt drawer. This strategy works for anything you know you don’t need anymore, but just aren’t ready to let go of yet.

When it comes to spring cleaning, most teens are in the same boat — ready to move on from childhood but not ready to forget it altogether. We all have stuff from the floor to the ceiling, but it’s not always junk to us. Following these tips will lead to an organized room that makes life run a little smoother but still incorporates your past and present in a stylish way.

 

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  • K

    KendallMay 15, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    The Lizzie McGuire reference made my day!