How to Get Your (Adult) Kids to Empty Their Rooms
Do you have adult children who are still using your home as their storage unit? Your adult children don’t want to move their things because they’re very happy with the status quo. They’ve got free storage. However, the situation is frustrating for you, because your home isn’t a warehouse.
You don’t have to be frustrated any longer, though. Read on for tips on how to get your adult children to empty their old rooms.
Set a Deadline
Tell your children that you’re giving them until a certain date to remove their things. If the deadline passes and they still haven’t cleaned up, you’re hiring a cleaning crew to throw everything out.
You have to be firm about this. Your children will definitely complain and whine (even if they’re adults with children of their own). But when you show them you mean business, they’ll get the message.
Undertake a Home Improvement Project
Now that the kids are out of the house, you have more freedom to make changes to your home. Have you always wanted to turn one of the kids’ old bedrooms into a hobby room or an office? Now’s your chance.
Explain to your children that you’re changing the purpose of the room. As a result, they’ll have to move their things out. Again, you’ll need to be firm. And, you’ll most likely have to set a deadline, because there will be resistance to this news.
Offer Them a Reward
Children, no matter what their age, will always respond to a reward. Tell them that if they clean up their old rooms, you’ll take them out to dinner, babysit the kids, or make their favourite chocolate chip cookies.
The task will become less unpleasant when your kids know there’s something good to look forward to at the end … especially when there are baked goods involved.
Ask for Their Help
Sometimes, getting someone to do something for you is a matter of phrasing the request properly. Instead of saying, “I need you to clean out your room,” try, “I’m going to be doing some cleaning up. Can you please lend a hand?”
Your request has a better chance of succeeding when you hint that it’s difficult for you to clean on your own and that your back (or knee, or shoulder — whatever, pick a body part) is bothering you.
Hire a portable storage container to store their stuff
If you’re fed up with your adult kids' stuff filling up your garage, you should hire a portable storage container and stash all their stuff in there. At Go Mini’s, we have a variety of mobile storage units ready to deliver to you — from 12ft to 20ft containers — for all your mobile storage needs.
Contact us today for more information about our portable storage containers.
