Our moms know us better than we give them credit for. They know when we just shove everything under our beds in an attempt to make our rooms look “cleaner.” This isn’t fooling anyone. The musky smell of dirty clothes and unwashed dishes will linger around far longer than the actual clothes and dishes do.

This is why you should take the time to officially deep clean your room in a timely manner, since Moms Weekend is just around the corner. Your mom, who loves and cares about your well-being as moms often do, will have peace of mind knowing that you are not always living in an absolute pigsty. She will go home more confident that you are being well taken care of at school and don’t always need her to remind you to clean your room like when you were younger.

Here are a few ideas to implement if you want to clean your room in a way that is both efficient and effective.

Start early

If you still have a couple of days until your mom’s arrival, start the cleaning process now. Throughout the week, empty your room of any trash or other unmentionables that you don’t want your mom to see. Busy college students often leave dishes in their rooms that tend to acquire mold and old food crust over time. This definitely contributes to the smell that might alarm your mom. Get rid of these dishes — throw them away if you need to — and hopefully the room will have enough time to air out.

Do your laundry

Laundry is one of the main contributors to a messy room. If you haven’t done laundry in a while, try doing a small load every night so you aren’t swamped the night before your mom comes. This will also help ensure you have clean clothes to wear when your mom is around. Getting the laundry off the floor, if nothing else, will at least give the impression of a clean room.

Buy some air freshener

A nice spritz of Febreze might be just what your room needs to officially complete the mirage that your room is truly clean. This should help mask the smell that lingered in the air before. It will actually be a nice change in pace from the usual scent that hits visitors in the face as they enter your room.

You might be surprised to find that you actually enjoy living in a clean room. If cleaning is not usually your thing, you might have a change of heart when you realize that falling asleep on a bed instead of a pile of old clothes can help you get a better night’s sleep.

By following these ideas, you will be well-dressed, well-slept and put together when your mom arrives. Also, she’ll be impressed that you actually learned something from all those years of her making you clean your room at home.

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