How do you keep your house clean with little kids constantly making is messy?

During the time of 8am to 8pm I expect my living room to be a pig sty, it's the only room in the house for the kids toys (5 yr old and 2 yr old). It drives me nuts as well b/c I'm a clean freak but as long as the rest of the house is clean I remind myself that at 8 pm when they're in bed, it's mine again. I have two shelves in the living room with storage bins and after they are done playing with a certain toy and it's staying on the floor untouched for an hour I get them to clean it up. They are generally great at cleaning up their toys tho. I find the best way to teach children is lead by example and if I want a clean living room then I tidy up after myself, they do follow my lead.

Just because there are toys all over doesn't mean your house is dirty. Keeping things clean, dusting, doing dishes, putting away laundry is the most important part. I have a 2 year old...and 7 month old (although he doesn't make a mess yet) and I keep a lot of my 2 year olds stuff put away in a toy chest with a lid that has a little clasp on it to keep it from being easily opened. He doesn't get into that very often, so I rotate his toys in and out of there to keep him satisfied....so the toys don't become boring to him. That's in our living room. When he drags stuff out into the living room from his playroom I don't let it get to me because I know it can be all picked up in a matter of 5 minutes. I used to get overwhelmed by it...but not so much anymore, I just keep my husband and I's clutter to the bear minimum and my sons toys don't bother me. Do you have a big wicker basket or something you can just throw everything into when you want the floor picked up? I usually put everything back into place while he's napping, then once before my husband gets home from work, then at night right before or after my son goes to bed.

I am a neat freak, and I taught my 3 year old early on how to not be a slob lol. - Toys are kept in ONE area, if you're done playing in your bedroom, pick those toys up before you head out to the living room to play... etc. - Eating is to be done at the table ONLY. No snacks on the couch, in the bedroom, etc. Drink cups are okay, but are put in the sink when empty. - Before bath time, EVERYTHING is put away for the day. Make it easy by using toy boxes or totes. Also for small toys they make those smaller plastic containers with the lids, it keeps everything together in one spot, and nothing gets lost. - dirty clothes always go in the hamper, dirty dishes always go in the sink, wrappers/empty packages always go in the garbage, and so on. If you love cleaning and a clean house as much as I do, make it FUN for the kids. My daughter takes pride in something she cleaned herself, even if you just get the kids those swiffer dusters, it makes a world of difference. I also have a "chore chart' on the fridge... every day she cleans up after herself & listens & whatnot she gets a star... at the end of the week she gets a prize if she gets most of the stars! Plus, my house looks sparkling clean 24/7. If we get unexpected company last minute, it takes 2 seconds to clean up one play area.

You are going to have to just let some of it go. With kids, messes happen. But try to stay in certain areas of the house, and block off other areas. For instance, most people have a formal living or dining room in the front of the house. Keep the kids out of that area. Try to designate a play area with lots of storage bins that can be hidden or pushed into a corner. A house can have the "look" of being tidy if you take things out of the broader view. As for the kitchen, as soon as the dishes hit the sink, rinse them and put them in the dish washer. I always have the Lysol in the cabinet with paper towels to clean the counter tops as we go along.

If it's just the toys being left out, I had a pretty easy fix for that. I had a toy box in the corner of the living room when my kids were toddlers. You could only have 2 toys at a time out, so you had to put the ones you were tired of playing with up before you got others.

My son is only 15 months and I only have one but with my son and my husband I seem to alway need to be cleaning. Try not to stress about it while they are playing. If they leave the room or move on to a new area encourage your older child to stop and pick up what he/she is done playing with before starting something new. If they choose not to pick up and you have to pick up the toys let them know that the toy will have to do time out, and put the toy away so they can't play with it. Maybe even give it to needy children to show them that if they can't put their toys away you will give their toys to kids who will put their toys away. I also keep a toy box in each room my son plays in so when he takes a nap or he is eating I can quickly throw all his toys in a box and feel like I can see the ploor even If only for a minute. Good Luck!

yeah both of those answers sound good also try cleaning up when u know they are resting or going to sleep for the evening or set up a time for them to put the toys up fot the day a do something else with them like outdoor play or take a walk to tire them out so they can burn up that energy and incentives do help also do t.v. time and that might help

You can't have everything picked up ALL the time...you'll make your kids nuts! Instead...have maybe two set times a day where you all clean up the mess, maybe before naptime and before dinner. Make it fun! Put on music and dance around. Make it into a game. When it's not clean-up time, relax...let your kids have fun. You can relax knowing that clean-up time is coming.

have specific toys that are allowed outside of their room or the play room, where ever the toys are kept. and then have a place for them specifically. other than that toys should stay in the rooms. i had my kids put they toys they were using on the stairs until i fell down them with my newborn and now they are only allowed certain ones, everything else gets played with in their rooms.

Try making a seprate play room where they have to keep their toys that's away from the main living area. Plus, it's never too young to start teaching them how to pick up after themselves.