10 Things That Make Your Home Look Messy (Even When You Clean Every Day)

If you’re a mom, you’ve probably cleaned your house at least three times today, and it’s probably not e even close to dinner, and somehow it still looks messy. Unfortunately when you have a larger household this is completely normal. Especially with everything that goes into maintaining the day. You may clean everyday or even multiple times a day and still you look around and everything looks trashed. I know my 11 year old, him and his friends come in after riding their dirt bikes and are tracking in dirt, salt and snow. It’s just a never ending cycle of cleaning, wash, trash, dishes, repeat.

Then there is the never ending piles of mail, the multiple drawers cluttered with junk and the shoes, coats, book bags just thrown throughout the house, even though I do have a shoe rack and coat hooks within the entrance of my home. My kids just completely disregard it like it’s not even there. Because mom will do it ya know. I swear sometimes I feel like having 3 boys under my roof is equivalent to living in a zoo. And we also have a bin with mismatched socks(two to be completely honest) that’s one chore I can’t seem to get myself to tackle. I can’t be the only one, or can I?!

•You need to remember that

You’re not lazy.

You’re not bad at cleaning.

You’re just dealing with visual clutter, a whole lot of visual clutter, not dirt.

This blog post breaks down the real reasons your home looks messy even after cleaning every single day and what busy moms can realistically do about it. I do have to say before I begin this post, if it wasn’t for using my Erin Condren Life Planner daily, these habits would have never stuck. There is just something about writing things down on Life with a pen that helps it stick, but also gives you a sense of accomplishment.

1. Too Much Stuff on the Counters

Kitchen counters covered in water bottles, snacks, mail, paper towels, and random kid items will make your house look messy instantly, even if they’re wiped down. This is a major eyesore but an easy fix. Clear just one section of the counter. You don’t need empty counters, just breathing room. Some bins or an empty drawer can help manage the daily chaos. Even if you organize one drawer, you know that drawer we all have in our kitchen, the junk drawer. I just did mine last week and just threw out so much unused stuff. What a difference it has made.

2. Shoes Everywhere (Especially by the Door)

Shoes scattered around the entryway are a dead giveaway that kids live here and that life is busy and chaotic. This is completely normal whether you have one child or multiple children then add their friends to the mix (my home is like grand central station, they all flock there) shoes and coats are everywhere. And even with a system in place they still tend to ignore it. Add a bin or basket for today’s shoes only. Everything else goes in the closet or bedroom at night. You can eventually work on putting a system in place of your own that works for your family. You don’t need an expensive, fancy entry organizer. Eventually you can get something to hold shoes and some hooks to hold coats, hoodies and backpacks.

3. Backpacks, Coats, and Hoodies in Random Spots

It’s just in a kids nature to drop their stuff wherever it lands, the house never feels put together. Never. This is a big eyesore for my home. Adding an entry system that they will most likely ignore, meaning mom has to pick it up, will help tremendously. But regardless an entry system doesn’t need an entry room. I have an over the door hook system and shoe rack for backpacks, shoes, coats and hoodies. This works fine for my family. If you have an entryway then that’s a bonus. It may not always work for the kids, meaning mom will be the one picking up and putting the shoes on the shoe rack and backpacks, hoodies and coats on the hooks, but at least it’s not all over the floor. Because that in itself makes the house look messy.

4. Toys Without a “Home”

Loose toys thrown throughout the floors along with couches and tables instantly make a clean house look messy again. Legos, games, charging cords and old batteries from controllers (if you have older kids you already know). Really anything that kids use daily that get thrown around that’s not of use. My advice throw away anything (like old batteries, that’s one of my biggest things) or organize/find a home for them. Use baskets, not complicated toy storage. If it takes more than one step to put things away, being realistic it won’t happen. Trust me mom’s have enough on our plates.

5. Paper Clutter (School Papers, Mail, Permission Slips)

Paper piles grow fast and make your home feel chaotic. I used to save everything now I throw everything away that’s not like a big project or anything memorabilia like art work the kids made in school. Tests, homework, work sheets and old books, it all goes in the trash. Just seeing papers sprawled all over makes your home look instantly messy. When surfaces are clean and clear of clutter, the difference it makes is enormous. So below I added some tips that I personally use to get rid of junk mail and papers.

Junk mail that arrives basically on a daily basis (at least for me). Get into the habit of throwing that out as it comes inside the home. Trust me, these two steps make a tremendous difference. Find a system that works for you whether that’s a drawer or file folder. Separate the urgent mail such as bills, invitations and get something magnetic to put in the side of the fridge and put that in there. Also magnetic clip for the front of the fridge for things that can’t be forgotten is a great idea.

Bonus: get two magnetic bins for the side of your fridge for urgent and non urgent.

6. Too Many Small Decor Items

Tiny signs, little knickknacks, and scattered decor pieces collect dust and clutter. You only need a couple statement pieces like a faux flower bed and a wooden sign or photos in a nice frame. You don’t need a ton of knickknacks. Less decor, bigger impact. Fewer pieces actually make your house look cleaner and calmer. Such as a ton of shelves on the walls, art work and picture frames with pictures inside. It’s ok to have a few pictures of your kids a maybe a shelf or two, but way too many makes the entire house look cluttered.

7. Overflowing Trash or Recycling

Even a spotless kitchen looks messy when the trash is full. There’s nothing worse than overflowing trash, whether it’s the kitchen, bathroom or really anywhere else in your home. Get yourself in the habit of taking out the trash and putting a new bag inside immediately. Especially if you have kids, they will just throw trash right into the can not even noticing there’s no bag. If your trash is overflowing, then take it out before bedtime. Waking up to an empty trash can changes the whole mood of the house.

8. Unmade Beds

An unmade bed can make an entire bedroom look messy, even if everything else is clean. Trust me, I had this issue until I added it to my daily routine. Making the bed brings the whole room together. Trust me. You don’t need hotel beds. Just pull the blanket up and fluff the pillows. Two minutes, done. Bonus tidying up the bedrooms, not a deep clean just a quick pick up. Such as trash, towels, dirty clothes, dirty socks, trash can full or maybe hygiene products need to be put into its spot.

9. Visible Cords, Chargers, and Electronics

Cords everywhere add visual noise and stress. I know having three older boys this is my biggest issue at hand. Between charging cords, phone chargers and boxes, chromebooks chargers, old batteries for controllers and lastly my son constantly fixing up his Tuttio motorcycle, that adds tools. parts, you get the hint. Use a drawer or basket to organize it all, a drawer with dividers to organize cables and boxes keeps all that mess out of sight. If you don’t have a drawer use a basket. It will make a world of a difference. Out of sight, out of mind equals instant calm.

10. Random Stuff That Doesn’t Belong Anywhere

If you’re constantly moving the same item from room to room, it’s because it doesn’t have a home. Give it one. Even if it’s just a basket or drawer. Homes run smoother when everything has a place even if it’s not perfect. When everything little that adds up to a lot of clutter gets just too overwhelming, no matter how clean the home is it looks messy. Make it a priority to give everything a home.

10 Things That Make Your Home Feel Messy Even When You Clean Daily.

Most moms don’t need to clean more.

They need

• Fewer things visible

• Simple systems

• Realistic expectations

A lived in home doesn’t have to look chaotic but it will never look perfect, like out of a Pinterest Feed. These changes will make a huge difference in the way your home looks. So make sure to save this post so when you’re ready you can reference back to it. What do you think of the list above. Do you also struggle with the same areas if so do you do anything different? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Love, Jacqueline