Why a clean room is bad

So, a few weeks ago I spent a day with the boys helping them to deep clean & declutter their room. We went through all their clothes, toys, junk drawers (aka nightstands), etc. and decided what to keep, donate, or throw out. We also moved furniture and vacuumed under it (I'm always amazed at what has been hiding there for 6 months to a year - how often we do such a deep clean).

At the end of the day, the boy's room was spotless. They were instructed on how the best way to keep it this way was to always put things back where they belong. (This instruction comes from a mom who can't do this herself, but maybe one of my children will be able to someday)

Later that day, or maybe the next day, Andrew walked into the kitchen after getting ready for bed. Our conversation follows:

"Mom, I don't like having my room so clean."

"Why not Andrew?"

"Because now I feel like I have to put things away to keep it clean."

I got quite the chuckle out of this one. I went up a bit later and sure enough, he had put his clothes away that he had changed out of. One of the few times in his life that I haven't had to ask him to do it!

I wish I could say that he is still putting his things away without being asked, but sadly he has reverted back to his leave it on the floor until mom "forces" me to behavior. What can I expect, my own clothes from yesterday are on the floor of my room waiting to be put away as I write this.