Why you have a messy house – and how to change it!

I used to feel like I always had a messy house. I would spend my days cleaning and picking up, but I never felt like my home was ever neat and tidy. It took me longer than I would like to admit to finally figure out the whys – and then to come up with some effective solutions to finally kick the messy house feeling to the curb!

I am not going to lie. Scott and I live busy lives. Scott works long hours – and has lots of late night meetings, whereas I work from home while also being a stay at home mom to two little boys. I like to refer to our youngest son as Hurricane Hudson – he can destroy a room in just a few seconds. At just a year old I am always shocked at how much damage he can do in such a short amount of time!

Well, after being sick and tired of cleaning all day only to have a home that still felt messy I tackled the reasons WHY to finally have a sense of peace in our home! Find out how I did it, below:

Why You Have A Messy House:

Sometimes the reason you have a messy house is because you do not clean it. However, there are so many other reasons why! I was spending hours everyday cleaning, just to end up with a messy house! Here’s why

• Too much stuff for the size of your home! You cannot have 3,000 sq feet of ITEMS in a 1,500 sq foot home! It just does not work. If you have more clothes than you have closet space for – they end up on your bed, or dresser top, or piled on top of the dryer! Do you really need 3 spaghetti pots or 20 spatulas? No. You do not!
  • You need to purge! Start going through your stuff and donating the duplicate items, the extras, and the things you do not really need or use! I mean honestly, when is the last time you used the fancy cantelope slicer? Ever?

• You’re Not organized – How many times do you walk by something, or leave the pile of items on the counter because you honestly do not know where you should put it? By not organizing your home, you are setting yourself up for failure. Every item in your house needs its own place! This will take time, but it is so worth it! I use a lot of decorative baskets and bins to store like items (especially our sons toys!) I am able to keep like items together, while getting them out of site – thus eliminating the messy house feel!

• You have kids. No seriously! Kids are really messy. Beyond that, you have kids and you do not make them clean up their toys before going onto the next ones. Sometimes, you should let them keep their creations out (like when they are investing a lot of time into creating a lego mansion) but, when they are just playing and want to go onto something else – they need to learn to pick up one mess before making another. This will help them a lot later in life, as well.

• You do not have a cleaning schedule-  You absolutely do not need to deep clean your house everyday! But – there are some things that you should be doing daily to not just keep the clutter away but to keep a clean home. I do at least these 6 things every.single.day!
  1. I use a Clorox wipe and wipe down the bathroom vanity, and toilet.
  2. I vacuum everyday. With Hudson being on the floor and being a child that puts everything in his mouth, this is really important for me to do
  3. I make my bed. It just sets my day off on the right foot!
  4. I run the dishwasher and put the clean dishes away
  5. I wipe down the kitchen counts (I actually do this a few times a day)
  6. Clean up after the cat

• You’ve made cleaning more difficult than it should be! How easy is it for you to access your cleaning supplies? When you open your linen / cleaning closet are you worried about items falling on you? Is it easy for you to get your sprays, cloths, garbage bags, etc? Or are they scattered in different rooms, buried under other items? Keep them together in one area , that is clutter free, and easy to access. It will make cleaning much less dreadful.

• Pets! Having a pet makes extra work on your end. We have a cat. Just one. However, that means I have to vacuum everyday (shedding), I have kitty litter and at cat box that needs attention everyday. Animals can be such an essential part of your families life- but having ones means it will require a little extra daily work to make sure you do not have a messy house!

So there you have it! It might seem like a lot when you are reading though it, but I promise you it is not. Once you tackle these items your home will literally be transformed and your stress level will decrease dramatically!

I’d LOVE to know your thoughts and how you keep your home neat and tidy! Let me know by leaving me a message below!