Keeping a home mess free with children and a work-from-Home partner

6 years ago

I have a two year old son and a wife who works from
home. We find it hard to keep our house mess free and clean. Problem areas are the kitchen table which double for storage facility, shoe racks which are too small for shoes and toys everywhere. We have some small storage units for toys but these just overflow and we end up with a messy house. Does anyone have any solutions for baby friendly chic homes?

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rachelmidlands

6 years ago

I feel your pain! My OH works from home as well and as such things get delivered and start breeding outside the confines of the office. Not to mention the hobby micro brewery he has scattered around the house. Our dining room being central in the house and the most often used room the poor dining table gets the brunt of it and generally gets stuff dumped with things either on their way in or on their way out, toys included. So yes storage, storage and more storage...all hail Ikea for cheap but useful flat pack stuff!
Just about to get the loft partially boarded so we can store stuff in the attic which frees up the cellar for all the brewing equipment. So yay, more space at last. Toys already have their respective homes. Table gets cleared as much as poss but I procrastinate and start looking at other peoples problems here on Houzz then spend most of my time gardening:) when I’m motivated I’ll do a binge clean top to bottom...maybe;-)
OH says I breed cushions more than he brews beer. He could be right, I do love cushions!

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Comments (9)

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OnePlan
6 years ago
Storage storage storage oh and more storage ! If everything has a place - it can be put away ! ( that’s the theory anyway !)
Najeebah
6 years ago
The kitchen table should not double for storage. This is particularly problematic if it's an open plan space. What type of things are stored there? Find another space for them, in the kitchen or elsewhere.
assess the spaces you have. There's often various unused areas that can be inventively used for storage. you'd need to show us some pics and/or a plan for more specific advice on that.
However, 'stuff' is often the problem more than storage. get rid of 'stuff', get rid of clutter, and have a place for everything THAT YOU NEED, not a place for everything. You will never have enough storage for an infinite everything.
shoes, get bigger storage for them, or get rid of some shoes. you main storage should be something other than racks though. Any open storage easily spills over and easily looks cluttered
Toys, your best bet is having fewer at any one time. Get new ones, give away old ones. Also, have the kids pack when they're done, and give them a space for toys. make the packing an easy, straightforward thing. example, get a mat in the corner of the living room, for them to play on too if they want, this zones the toys away from the rest. get large closeable storage containers, bonus if you can get sturdy ones that double as seating. toys get dumped in there when not in use. maybe you can have a shelf for one or two they want on display. and if there are smaller, delicate toys, they go in a smaller container to go in the large ones.
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Carolina
6 years ago
We would need to see the space to give you specific ideas, but perhaps you can incorporate a desk and storage somewhere
Alameda Residence · More Info
A B
6 years ago
Do you have a garage you could convert (for example) into a separate office space that you can close the door on? With toys I agree it is better to limit numbers to fit the storage. If you have a loft, keep most in there, then bring down a small amount every week and keep rotating them. A certain level of acceptance of mess and chaos at this age helps too!
kikiamack
6 years ago
Firstly, I agree with Jen P that a certain level of acceptance of mess will help as toys for toddlers are often too big to be completely stored away. Do you have one room or area that you can keep toys in, even if the actual play takes place in a different area? If you are thinking of buying storage, think about the size you will need over the next few years. Cube storage is useful, but it doesn't fit board games, so some wider shelving or cupboards will be needed as well. Trying to deal with your whole mess in one go will be a bit overwhelming, so maybe start off by clearing the kitchen table and committing to keeping that clear for a week or two before moving to the next area. Be quite ruthless about selling / giving away / storing in the loft toys that your child has grown out of say every three months. As someone who is not the most naturally tidy, the best bit of advice I was given was to store similar items together and only only have one type of toy (eg play food or toy cars) out at a time and then clear it away before getting the next thing out. Kids can get confused and overwhelmed by a free for all so limiting what is out at one time means they get more play value out of the toys as well. Just remember this phase will soon be gone so try not to stress too much and enjoy this age!
Peter Howe
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for all feedback. We’re moving from a smaller property into larger and really I can see our current mess expanding into the larger–I do agree with a level of acceptance with regards to mess and kids, really I’m trying to set up a best practice going forward. Larger storage facilities are definitely useful. I don’t think it helps that I’m a minimalist (designer) and my wife is a maximalist (designer).
hapiak
6 years ago
I too am at home full time and have a 3yr and 4yr old.
We have large fitted wardrobes in bedrooms - think a lot of people have children’s wardrobes which don’t fit anything in.

My children love their books and have a mini library - so sometimes we have a sea of books all over the floor!

My advice is to categorise toys e.g sets together, jigsaws, cars/trucks, Lego, musical instruments, crafts, games, Clay, tracks, soft, figurines, paints, dress ups etc.

Then decide which toys you are happy for your child to have easy access to and which ones you want them to ask for.
This is a biggy particularly with such a young child but also when working from home -you don’t want them to have easy access to super messy items or things they need your help with.
I store most in easy storage boxes which they can pull out from shelves, under there bed, bottom of wardrobe etc.
Categorising toys makes it easy to plan activities around your day e.g jigsaws while I clean up after breakfast, then get ready and out, Lego and dress ups when we get back then crafts or paints at the table while I’m making dinner etc.

I do have toys in every room but all have their place, away out of sight and the children know where everything goes (quick to tell daddy if he gets it wrong?!) Lots on display in their bedroom but again toys I’m happy they can get out and put back easily.

I always think about the storage when buying toys too - unless assembling is part of the game/joy then don’t bother buying.

There are some parts of the day when my house looks like a toy shop but it’s never a stress as I find everything is so easy to put away and the babies can help!
rachelmidlands
6 years ago
Thought this article might interest you. Some nifty ideas for toy storage.
https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/how-to-reduce-the-toy-mountain-in-your-home-stsetivw-vs~91977885

Keeping a home mess free with children and a work-from-Home partner

rachelmidlands

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Keeping a home mess free with children and a work-from-Home partner

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