What are your standards for your kids' rooms?

[Jennifer]

Standards in regards to neatness.

My children do not have the neatest bedrooms. Clothes, books, toys, papers on the floor. Projects in progress. Lego creations. 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles. The beds are usually unmade.

 

 

Should I care? I don't, really. They don't eat in their rooms and there is nothing wet or stinky in them. If they don't deliver their dirty laundry to the laundry room, it doesn't get done. Part of the bedtime routine is to take their clean clothes from the laundry room and put them away. They usually get put in a drawer, but not always. Sometimes they live on the dresser tops until they are worn again.

 

I change the sheets once every two weeks and wash all blankets, comforters, etc. every 3-4 months. We have all hardwood floors and no pets in those rooms so I don't worry about vacuuming.

 

Sometimes I feel guilty I don't require spotless, picked up rooms on a daily basis. That's what a good mom would do, right? Training for the future and all that.

 

So, please tell me it's ok (or not ok!) to let their rooms be like this. I only go in their rooms once a day, to tuck them in at night. Then I make sure there is a clear path from the bed to the door. During the day I just shut the door and go on my way.

 

Jennifer

[Crissy]

Beds made, no dirty laundry, clean laundry in the drawers.

 

My guys don't really have toys, but the books are usually out of control. My rule for those is that if they belong to someone else (library, cousins, etc.) they better be neatly stacked so they don't get damaged.

 

They help me keep the rest of the house clean by picking up after themselves. That is a fair amount of training for later life. If they want their books piled at the end of the bed or covering the desk, that's okay with me.

[blondeviolin]

My kids are young, but I require my older two to clean their rooms as part of our daily routine. In the morning, we wake, we eat, and then they clean their rooms, get dressed and brush their teeth and hair. My main reasoning? It was not something that was required when I was growing up so it's something I had to work on. I'm hoping if I start these routines early, they will stick with my kids in their adult years. "Train up a child" and all that.

 

Do I think it's the end of the world if you're teaching your kids those things? No way.

[Embassy]

That I don't instantly kill myself trying to walk through it. :lol:

:iagree:

 

Plus I require a thorough clean from time to time.

[Penelope]

I don't know how old they are, but for me, I will not give up until the mid-teens. I figure that until then there is still hope of making them care about their living space, and the more they get used to picking up the more they will like it and the better chance of it becoming a habit. It does get tiring. Even a very clean room lasts two days at most. :glare:

[regentrude]

It's similar in our house. We have a few rules:

- no shoes in the bedrooms (which means no mud and dirt)

- no food in the bedrooms - so no spills and no festering leftovers (although we have recently been lax about this rule for DD)

-barn clothes are left in the laundry room and don't make it upstairs

Out cat really does not go upstairs.

 

So, their rooms are not actually dirty - just messy. Mainly books and clothes, and for DS YugiOh cards. I remind them periodically about cleaning up and help.

 

We have chosen not to make this a battle. I don't want anybody to require of myself spotless clean rooms every day either ;-)

[KS_]

So, please tell me it's ok (or not ok!) to let their rooms be like this. I only go in their rooms once a day, to tuck them in at night. Then I make sure there is a clear path from the bed to the door. During the day I just shut the door and go on my way.

 

Jennifer

 

This is about what we've ended up with here. I had grand plans of them keeping their rooms picked up nicely everyday, and it was easier to enforce when they were younger and had less toys, and we did have a daily clean up time. Now, ds has tons of Legos and dd tons of My Little Ponies - and these aren't things they're willing to get rid of to help them keep things neater (they have gotten rid of most of the other toys they didn't play with). I try to encourage some picking up, but I'm not requiring it daily anymore.

 

I do insist on washing their bedding and that they put away their clean clothes. I try to get the vacuum in there occasionally, too. A few times a year, I make them do a "big clean," but that's it.

[AnthemLights]

I kinda feel guilty about this as well 'cause I really don't care what their rooms look like. Well, okay, I care......but it is not a priority.

 

We do have a couple of rules though.

 

1. No eating in bedrooms.

2. Laundry needs to come down every day or so.

3. Once a week we do a good cleaning (Friday or Saturday)

 

But, through the week it gets pretty messy with books and toys. And unmade beds......:tongue_smilie:

 

The drawers are usually neat which counts for a lot in my opinion.

[RebeccaS]

Growing up, my mother never emphasized a clean bedroom or chores in general. So, my kids have a list of chores that include daily chores and weekly chores. So, 2x a week, they are to clean up their bedroom. At night, we do a spot check for major messes. I can't function in mess and I do keep the rest of the house (my room included) as tidy as possible.

[Mommy22alyns]

No food is allowed in the bedrooms, only a small glass of water occasionally at night.

 

Dirty clothes belong in the laundry room.

 

Clean clothes belong in dresser drawers.

 

Shoes belong in their drawers.

 

Other than that, I just want a path from the beds to the door!

[athena1277]

I expect clothes in the proper place (drawer, hamper, etc.) and they have to clean their rooms at the end of the day. Ds is still at the age where he dumps out a basket of toys, even if he only wants a couple of whatever is in the basket, so rooms are usually pretty messy by the end of the day. We'll get to the "put it away when you are done with it" thing, but not any time son.

[Pretty in Pink]

No food. No wet clothes or towels. Clean it up when I ask you to, which is about once per week around here.

 

Other than that, I couldn't care less. My room isn't exactly a paradigm of neatness most days.

[Mejane]

That there is a clear path to the door in case of fire, and so I can close said door and not have to look at the mess. Really. :tongue_smilie:

[TravelingChris]

I have teens and one adult. I can't get the adult to do anything but he will be moving in less than two months. The teens clean when asked and often even when not asked. I will be personally helping them go through their rooms and purging unwanted or doesn't fit items next week. My rules are put away clean clothes, take care of pets, take out trash. They do better cleaning (sweeping, dusting, etc. ) about once a month or two. They both have large rooms and it is much easier to keep those neat.

[jenL]

We struggle with clean bedrooms in our house too. I should say they are clean; however, they are cluttered. Ds#1 has so many Lego creations throughout his room and on his floor. There's often just a path to get from the door to his bed, closet, and window. Once a week we clean the room, so I can vacuum, change sheets, etc. He does all of the picking up before I go in there to actually clean.

 

We have made it a priority to teach that you take out only one thing at a time, and you put it away before pulling out something else. This started after we had a HUGE pile of Legos and Playmobil mixed together... that was insane & ds was miserable because he couldn't find anything. I bought bins for each type of toy, and now everything is organized. However, during the week (such as right now), there may be Legos strewn all over because ds is in the midst of creating a war with mini figures, buildings, "tanks", etc. This war will last all week.

 

Ds#2 is starting to leave toys out all over his floor since he continues the play another day, but overall, he is better at putting things away at the end of the day. I'm not sure how long this will last though, since his play is just beginning to reach the more complicated and involved stage.

 

No food, drink, shoes, or outside toys are ever allowed in the bedrooms.

[Sasharowan]

No food or drinks (except water with a lid).

I'm only responsible for the 5yo's laundry.

I must be able to enter the rooms at night in the dark to check (if needed) without injury.

They must be able to exit the room without injury in the dark in an emergency.

Dad requires visible floors.

[warriormom]

:lurk5:

[BakersDozen]

"Nothing on the floor but furniture" is a common mantra in our house. I am strict with my dc's rooms. Their beds are made before breakfast, no clothes on the floor, toys/books/etc. have a place and unless they are being used they are put away. Drawers have folded clothes, closets have neatly hung clothes. It doesn't have to be perfect but I don't allow "stuffing" and such.

 

The dc have more freedom with their personal items that are on shelves/dresser tops. The stuff has to be not falling off and not obviously just thrown on, and no junk.

 

No food or drink in rooms.

 

They can rebel later when they have their own places. ;)

[5LittleMonkeys]

Beds need to be made in the morning but all that requires is pulling the comforter up and putting the pillows on.

 

No eating or drinking in the bedrooms except for special occasions (my oldest girl's room is half bedroom half living room so when they have sleep overs I allow them to have snacks while they watch movies but they MUST vacuum any messes up immediately.

 

The floor must be clear of books, toys, games, and clothes by bedtime or the Maniacal Midnight Maid comes in while they sleep and whisks all of their things off to the Land of the Black Trashbag and a heavy ransom must be paid in order to rescue their belongings.

 

My oldest must vacuum around their rat cage daily and clean out the rat cage once a week. If they don't comply dh has threatened to serve rat kabobs for dinner one night.:ack2:

 

My oldest is in charge of laundry for the household and will dole out everyone's laundry to them to put away so I'm not a stickler for how it gets put away as long as I can't see it sticking out of drawers or closet doors. Once a month though, everyone has to clean out their closet and drawers and put things away properly. My purpose in doing this is that as they get older they realize that it is just easier to put it away properly to begin with than to spend half a day on a Saturday having to go through everything and fold it according to my standards.

 

Once a week dd12 vacuums everyone's room and dd8 dusts everyone's room. All the bedding gets washed on a rotating 2 week schedule.

 

Several of my dc have a tendency to be pack-rats and...well...slobs so I'm trying to do their future spouses and children a favor by teaching them that an uncluttered, organized, clean living space is nicer to live in. At least I think it is...when they move out on their own they are welcome to keep their homes anyway they like.

 

Having said all that...I know that there are people out there who don't mind clutter at all. It isn't that they are slobs but they just see toys, books, and whatever scattered about as a normal part of living. As a friend of mine says, she has bigger fish to fry. I totally respect that. I've actually tried to live like that because it is definitely easier, especially with a lot of dc, but I just couldn't do it. I actually feel uneasy, cranky and physically ill when my house is cluttered. I've tried just shutting the door to my dc's rooms but I still KNOW that there is a mess in there so it just doesn't work. I guess there are worse things than being a neat freak!:tongue_smilie:

[Abigail4476]

Clean clothes put away, beds made, dirty clothes in the laundry basket, no food in the bedroom. These rules really only are applied to my girls, because my ds8 keeps his room neat without my insistence. He's very organized and takes good care of his belongings.

 

Beyond those basic rules, I let them decorate how they see fit and I don't stress TOO much about a little clutter, although it does drive me insane if I spend too much time in there. :glare: I minimize the clutter problem by helping them pare down their clothes and belongings a couple of times a year. Otherwise, I tend to stay out so I don't turn into a shrieking shrew. :tongue_smilie:

 

I allow posters on the walls, and recently dedicated a wall in the girls' room that they (and their friends) can write on with sharpies. We can always paint over it later. My oldest daughter loves pretty fabrics and drapes things everywhere. Not my cup of tea, but as long as I don't dwell in it, I survive.

[Lady Florida.]

Floor clean enough to be vacuumed weekly (it's carpet and the pets sleep with him, so this one is non-negotiable). No wet towels or clothes. Clear path from bed to door. No food containers/wrappers/cups left overnight.

[Abigail4476]

...Projects in progress. Lego creations. 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.

 

Projects in progress are a necessity...I don't expect my kids to put away things they're currently working on. :001_smile: I do make a place for those projects so they aren't all jumbled up on the floor. My ds8 uses his train table for Lego, Snap Circuits and K'nex projects, art supplies are in the kitchen and used at the table, each room has its own reading area, and puzzles are left on the coffee table until they're completed. The only exception is when company is coming over and we need to both protect projects from toddlers or small children and protect small children from tiny toys and pieces of puzzles. <--really long sentence.:glare:

[Daisy]

I require them to be fairly clean but not spotless. Why? Because no one likes living with a slob. Whether it is a roommate or future spouse, no one likes it.

 

Daily Expectations..

 

Beds made.

NO piles laying around (except books currently reading) by bedtime.

Clothes put away.

No trash except in the trash can.

 

Weekly Expectations...

 

Everything put back in its proper place.

All toys, books, stuffed animals, etc. must be cleaned up on Saturday.

Nothing under the beds!

Vacuumed.

Trash emptied.

Projects in progress must fit on the shelf or dresser top.

 

Monthly Expectations...

 

Clothes in drawers folded and properly organized.

All accumulated clutter removed.

A total clean from top to bottom. Every drawer organized.

[meggie]

As someone who is a recovering slob, I would ask you to consider teaching them something about picking up. I grew up having a foot of stuff always on my bedroom floor. Then I grew up and had a house with stuff covering the floor (not a foot, but enough to be embarrassing).

 

I agree with Daisy, no one likes to live with a slob. My poor DH has put up with my slob ways for the past 6 years. Poor guy was always tripping on something or stepping on something and hurting his foot. He wasn't used to looking where he was going. Well, in my room growing up, I had to look and I was used to looking where I stepped.

 

I do think it is important to teach my kids how to clean. As an adult, it is much harder to learn and break bad habits when you have kids adding chaos to the chaos.

 

BUT, I want you to know this does not make me or anyone else a bad mother. Everyone has flaws, even those women with those spotless houses. Focus on what makes you a good mother, not what makes you a "bad" one. Use a little remorse to make some positive change, but don't let it overwhelm you and make you feel bad about yourself. There is nothing "bad" about being messy. It might make life a little more difficult, but as long as it's not filth and a health or safety hazard, it's not bad.

[Mom0012]

I generally require there to be nothing on the floor like dirty clothes or toys that are just thrown around. I make sure my kids have places to put their things and if they have too much stuff to store neatly in their room, we start purging. Every once in a while, their rooms deteriorate to an abysmal state, and I will have them spend 15 minutes a day working on one localized area until the whole room is clean. That keeps it from being overwhelming and they always surprise me with what a good job they can do.

 

Lisa

[LittleIzumi]

That I don't instantly kill myself trying to walk through it. :lol:

:iagree:

 

We pick it up occasionally. All laundry is supposed to go in the laundry bin. I just added a rack for paper/coloring books/workbooks (they do workbooks in bed, lol). I let them decorate it themselves, as my oldest is super artsy & kept drawing murals on the walls. They can't draw on any other house walls besides their room, of course.

[DarlaS]

I don't insist on beds being made. I never bother to make mine. I do have standards about dirty laundry, clutter & trash strewn about. They each have hampers and places to store things. I expect them to use them.

 

Periodically a deep cleaning (sort & purge) is done. I always help with this--even with the older kids. It's nice to have a second pair of eyes to look at things more objectively.

[Amy in NH]

My 4 share a large bedroom, so it is only fair that they keep their personal stuff neat to make living comfortable for the other occupants. I don't make them make their beds.

 

We don't keep the clothes in the bedroom, but we do occasionally have a dirty-laundry on the floor problem, particularly with the teens.

 

Most of the toys are kept in the playroom, but those that are kept in the bedroom need to be kept somewhat picked up. If it is a work in progress they can keep it set up, but away from the doors and beds (particularly the beds - I've had too many piles of toys get vomited on in the middle of the night). We have a deep cleaning ~2x/months - pull everything out from under beds and vacuum dust bunnies.

[misidawnrn]

That I don't instantly kill myself trying to walk through it. :lol:

 

:tongue_smilie:

[2squared]

Several of my dc have a tendency to be pack-rats and...well...slobs so I'm trying to do their future spouses and children a favor by teaching them that an uncluttered, organized, clean living space is nicer to live in. At least I think it is...when they move out on their own they are welcome to keep their homes anyway they like.

 

Having said all that...I know that there are people out there who don't mind clutter at all. It isn't that they are slobs but they just see toys, books, and whatever scattered about as a normal part of living. As a friend of mine says, she has bigger fish to fry. I totally respect that. I've actually tried to live like that because it is definitely easier, especially with a lot of dc, but I just couldn't do it. I actually feel uneasy, cranky and physically ill when my house is cluttered. I've tried just shutting the door to my dc's rooms but I still KNOW that there is a mess in there so it just doesn't work. I guess there are worse things than being a neat freak!:tongue_smilie:

 

:iagree: This is so me. I sit here by myself and I am stressed by the folded laundry waiting to be put away, the few baby toys on the floor, and undusted furniture. In the past few weeks I have surmized that even though I think my house is a mess and I think my standards are low, our house is at the other end of the clean spectrum according to others' standards.

 

That being said, I routinely help my dc clean their rooms. I do have a packrat, and I have decided that her future spouse will be very glad I am helping her to regularly clean, organize, and downsize her belongs. I can't mentally handle her clutter, and I honestly think she doesn't really enjoy it either.

 

My dc share toys and belongings, and I believe putting things away is a common courtesy for others in the house. To that end, we clean their rooms a couple times a week.

 

ETA: Our regular routine includes cleaning and vaccuming underneath beds and decluttering toy containers, drawers, and all surfaces. It does not include deep cleaning such as dusting and window washing. I hate dusting.

Edited May 20, 2011 by 2squared

[rochellek]

The original poster's experience is pretty much the exact same as my own.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Most of the time, it looks like a tornado has just whipped through their room. It's a large room that they share and it is also their play area. Once a week, they are required to pick everything up and help me vacuum and dust in there. Once or twice a year, we do a deep clean/toy purge in there.