To answer the question in the title, the first thing you should do is avoid panicking. You’re basically in the same position as just about every other parent out there. Anyone with kids will empathise with the fact that you have too much mess in your home. No matter where you look, there seems to be something piled on top of something else. What can you do about this? It’s a situation that can definitely be fixed – both immediately and over time.
Stick to a regular cleaning pattern
Make it your mission to clean your home as regularly as you see fit. The idea behind this is that you can sweep the house from top to bottom, removing any mess as you encounter it.
By doing this once or twice a week, you stop junk from piling up. Even something as simple as tidying your kid’s toys once a week will make a huge difference. It keeps the home much neater, so draw up a schedule and stick to it.
Undergo a mass clearout
If things have gotten very bad, you need to undergo a full-scale removal of clutter.
Go around your home and take things that no longer see much use. Now, you have a few options to think about. You can get rid of these items by throwing them away, or you can sell them/donate to charity. In some cases, you might want to hold onto the items.
A great example of this is an old toy that your child used to love. It has sentimental value, so it’s hard to throw it away. Keep this in a secure storage spot so it’s safe, yet no longer clutters your home. If you click here, you’ll see that you can actually rent self-storage containers to keep things in.
This is useful for people that lack storage space at home and wish to declutter.
Teach your kids to tidy up after themselves
The first two ideas will help you deal with the mess right away.
However, the key is stopping the mess from coming back time and time again. How do you achieve this? It’s simple, find the source! Most likely, your kids are the reason your house is a mess.
Thus, you should teach them to tidy up after themselves. Instil it in them from a young age, ensuring they don’t rely on you to clean up after themselves. Without wanting to name names, I know families where the kids are teenagers and they still don’t clean up after themselves. Why? Because they’re so used to the parents doing everything!
Teach your kids to clean – maybe use slight bribes in the form of rewards every time they clean up. Trust me, it will lead to a cleaner house for many years to come!
Your house is a mess, but it doesn’t have to stay this way. Don’t worry, we’ve all been in your shoes. Use the advice above to clean your home, get rid of clutter, and prevent more mess from generating.
