I know the struggle of keeping children’s rooms clean!  Here’s a picture to prove it–that’s me trying to hold my cool while we dig out—again.

Before

This is a mild mess for what our every day norm was.  I was constantly frustrated with the children and had a sick feeling just passing by their door.  Every few months, I’d help them dig out and then make them promise to keep it clean.  But in just a few days we were right back to the mess. 

Once Darren and I sent the kids to Grandma’s for the weekend and we boxed up every toy and put it in the garage. They were able to choose one toy each and that was it.  Oh, there was crying and wailing, but things were better for awhile.  Then birthdays and Christmas came and a mountain of toys from well meaning friends and family.  It didn’t feel right taking away their new things and after awhile, it was a huge mess again.

I started to notice the mess just wasn’t just toys, it was candy wrappers, kleenex balls, tiny beads, broken crayons, cute erasers, and bits of things. Gross!  Now when I see things like this just lef t on the ground, I take care of it for them and bury it deep in the trash.  They aren’t emotionally mature enough to recognize trash and hold on to each bit of fluff as a memory.  They don’t notice when it’s gone.

After

I also noticed it wasn’t fair for me to expect them to keep their rooms clean, because there was so much stuff, there wasn’t a place to put it.  I sat down with the girls and asked them what was most important to them.  I gave them each 3 toy drawers and a basket for dolls and let them choose their favorite things to keep.  I paid them cash for the items they were willing to part with and marked them for the garage sale with  my initials on them.  That way if they sold or didn’t, the kids still got the money for it.  Sometimes they needed help parting with things and I was very discreet and sensitive about when and how I took care of it.

Then we labeled the drawers very carefully:  Polly Pockets, 18 inch dolls, Only Hearts Club, Stuffed Animals Etc.  And we set up some ground rules:  Any toy in a bin or drawer not labeled for that toy, would end up in toy jail for tresspassing!  Any toy in jail can be bailed out for $.10 each, but toys not redeemed after a month go to the thrift store.  Toys left in living spaces after bed also end up in toy jail.

Not only did we purge toys, but we purged clothes too.  I only let them keep what fit, they loved to wear, and what fit in their drawers and closet without crowding.  It’s so much easier to put clean things away now and keep the drawers clean.

The secret to keeping it clean is time with mama.  Now that there is a place for everything and simple rules, I can go in to their rooms several times a day and remind them of what to pick up.  So if I check on their school and see their pajamas on the floor, I ask them to fix it right then.  And before bed we do a thorough pick up.  I check under their dressing table and in the floor of the closet.  I make sure the bins only have in them what’s on the label and if the children refuse to cooperate, I take the offending toys off to jail.  Mostly it’s a cheerful time, and only takes about 15 minutes.  After it’s done I lay on the bed with them and tell stories about childhood or answer their questions about the coming baby.  The rooms are alwasy ready for an unexpected guest now and once a week, it’s easy to go in and vacuum and dust a bit.

One more inspriation:  The kids never know when the House Fairy will show up!  Have you heard of her?  If not, click here.