While almost all parents want to provide their children with a space of their own, typically their bedroom, and more or less let them keep that room as they see fit, there needs to be some common sense involved there.

Sure, a messy room is often a child's way of rebelling against having to take out the trash, load the dishwasher, clear the table, and related chores, a room that is too messy can create both a health hazard and a fire hazard.

Clothes that are thrown over a floor heating vent, or the space heater, or the computer housing, can cause excessive heat that ultimately can cause those clothes to catch on fire. Clothes that are touching the hot or neutral prongs on the electric cord that has been partially pulled out of the wall from tripping over it regularly can also catch fire. Small insects and other unwanted pests can make nice homes in that storage, creating health and safety hazards. Even your child's pet turtle, guinea pig, gerbil, hamster, or, gasp!, snake could get lost in the mess.

If your home, or any part of your home, including the garage, looks like the following pictures from actual home inspections, please do yourself and your family a big favor and clean it up. As my wise old grandmother said, "If I haven't used it in six months, it's probably time for a garage sale." She was the champion of garage sales, and although I pretty much am a pack rat myself, I've learned to at least do fall and spring cleaning and start fresh.

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