How to Clean up a Big Mess

Co-authored by Susan Stocker

Last Updated: March 31, 2021 References

It can often be really overwhelming when you have to clean a big mess. However, it is often easier to clean up than you would think. If you are tidying your room, complete one task at a time until your room is sparkling clean. If you dropped something, clean up what you can, and then research the best way to remove the remaining stain. Turn some music on to help brighten your mood as you clean.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Tidying a Messy Bedroom

1
Throw all the rubbish into the bin. This is a good first step as it will give you more room to see what else needs to be cleaned. Scan the surfaces in your room, such as your desk and bed, and look for anything that should be thrown out. Pick up old bits of paper, food wrappers, and things you don’t want. Check on the floor and under your bed for any other rubbish that can be taken away.^{[1]
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- Bring a trash bag into your room so that you can throw rubbish away as you find it.
- Place your paper and cardboard into a separate bag so you can recycle it.
- Take plates and cups to the kitchen rather than throwing them out.
2
Sort out all of the clothes that are on your floor. Clothes lying on the ground often make a room look far messier than it actually is. Pick up each item of clothing and identify whether it is clean or not. If it is clean, place it in your drawers or hang it up in your wardrobe. If it is dirty, put it into a washing basket.^{[2]
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- Fold up your clothes before you put them into your drawers. Otherwise, you will just have messy drawers instead of a messy room.
- If you aren’t sure if something is clean or dirty, place it into the washing basket.
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3
Find a home for any random items on your floor or desk. Gather all the things that are left on the floor and on top of your desk or bed, and place them in a basket. This will condense the mess into one place and help it look less overwhelming. Take each item out of the basket and find a place to store it.^{[3]
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- Place all your books on your bookshelf, all your school work into a file, and all your shoes into your wardrobe.
- Throw out, or giveaway, any items that you don’t want anymore.
4
Wipe the surfaces in your room. Wipe down the surfaces in your room to help it smell nice and to stop germs from multiplying. Use a surface cleaning spray and a clean cloth to wipe down the surfaces in your room.^{[4]
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- If there is any dust or small loose objects, brush these onto the floor, as they will be picked up when you vacuum.
5
Vacuum the entire floor. Fetch your vacuum and plug it into a powerpoint in your room. Push the vacuum over the entire floor. Don’t forget to go under the bed and desk. Continue to push the vacuum back and forth until the carpet looks fresh and clean. It may take a while if you haven’t vacuumed for a while.^{[5]
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- Pick up any large items from the floor so that they don’t block the vacuum.
- Put the vacuum away once you have finished with it.
6
Make your bed. Your bed is the biggest thing in your room, so if it isn’t tidy your whole room will look messy. Pull up your sheets, straighten your duvet, and put the pillows back onto your bed.^{[6]
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- If your sheets haven’t been changed for a few weeks, take the opportunity to take them off your bed and replace them with clean ones. It will make your bed feel clean and cozy, and help your room smell better.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cleaning a Big Spill

1
Stay calm. Often spills look really overwhelming at first, but they can generally be fixed quite easily. Avoid panicking as this will prolong the cleaning process and cause you unnecessary stress.^{[7]
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- Don’t worry too much about telling your parents. Even if they are a little frustrated at first, they will understand that it was an accident.
2
Keep other people away from the area. A spill is always made worse if it is pushed into the carpet or spread around the house after someone stands in. Let other people in the house know that there has been a spill so that they can make sure they don’t accidentally stand in it.
- Tie up any household pets so that they don’t spread the mess. Don’t forget to untie them once you have finished cleaning.
3
Pick up what you can with your hands. If you have accidentally dropped something, pick up the remnants from the ground and put it into the trash. This will stop it from getting pushed into the carpet if someone accidentally stands on the spill.^{[8]
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- If you have dropped something made from glass, or something sharp, ask an adult to help you. It is important to be careful around broken glass as it can cause deep cuts.
- For example, if you have dropped a can of tomatoes, pick up the chunks of tomatoes before attempting to absorb the liquid.
- If there are any thick liquids, such as jam or jelly, scoop these up with a spoon.
4
Wipe up the spill if it is on a hard surface. Different kinds of spills need different kinds of treatment. Using the wrong method can cause the stain to become permanent. f the spill is on a hard surface, such as a wooden floor or concrete, the cleaning process is quite easier. Simply use a damp cloth to wipe the stain from the surface.^{[9]
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- You may need to rinse your cloth with water if it becomes filled with liquid.
5
Use a vinegar and water solution to rub out food stains. If you have dropped ice cream, milk, berries, or another food item, use a clean cloth to gently rub the stain out of the fabric.^{[10]
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- Never scrub carpet or couch fabric to remove the spill, as this can damage the fibers. Instead, gently rub the fabric using the damp cloth.
6
Press a cloth with rubbing alcohol onto the stain to remove glue. Hold it over the glue for a few seconds and then pull the cloth up. This helps to dissolve the particles in the glue.^{[11]
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- Repeat the process until the glue has been removed.
7
Use nail polish remover on a cloth to remove nail polish from fabric. If you have spilled nail polish, dampen a cloth with nail polish remover and lightly rub it over the spill until all the nail polish has been removed.^{[12]
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- If the stain isn’t coming out, apply some more nail polish remover onto the cloth and rub the stain again.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Organizing a Major Cleanup

1
Make a checklist of all your tasks. Decide what you want to clean and what the major tasks are. Write down each thing you need to do.^{[13]
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- Tick each task once it is completed. Make sure all your helpers are aware of the checklist so that the tasks don’t get accidentally repeated.
- If there are tasks that you need to do in each room, such as vacuum, make a note of this. It is much easier to do all the vacuuming at the same time, rather than do 6 separate lots of vacuuming.
- For example, in the office you might need to file the papers, clean the computer screen, and vacuum the floor. Write down each of these jobs onto you checklist.
2
Delegate appropriate tasks to make the job quicker. If other people have contributed to the mess it is appropriate to ask them to help clean up. Having other people help will break up the big clean and make it much faster.^{[14]
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- Include children in the clean up. Ask young children to pick up washing from the floor or older children to wipe down the refrigerator. Make sure the tasks you assign are age-appropriate to each child.
- Write someone's name beside each item on the checklist. This will remind them if they forget what jobs they are responsible for.
3
Schedule the tasks for throughout the week if there is a lot to clean. If you are wanting to do a large clean, it might be more manageable to do it over a day, week, or month, instead of in a few hours. Assign each task a time that it needs to be completed by.^{[15]
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- For example, assign the washing to Monday, the vacuuming to Tuesday, the kitchen to Wednesday, and the garage to Thursday.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I organize my room full of junk?

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Green Cleaning Expert

Expert Answer

If you're cleaning a big room, try dividing it into 4 squares. Then, clean one square at a time to make things more manageable.
Question

What do I do if I am not motivated?

Community Answer

Play some of your favorite music and make cleaning up into a game or competition to get yourself engaged.
Question

How do I clean up dirty walls?

Community Answer

You can always use the traditional soap and water and wipe with a rag. Sometimes a spray cleaner will be required to get stains off of dirty walls.