Clothes on the floor, toys all over the place, grubby handprints on the chairs and muddy footprints on the rugs. Does this sound like your child’s room? Well, you aren’t alone.

Most moms will attest to the fact that keeping the kids’ rooms clean is probably the toughest housekeeping job. You clean up and the next minute, it’s all messy. Well, the solution lies not in repeatedly cleaning up but in giving kids the “tools” they need to help keep their room clean easily and almost, automatically.

Here are some tips and tools to help you get started:

1.  A Place for Everything

Giving things a home will not only make it easier for you to clean up but also for kids to know what goes where. Whether it is baskets and boxes for toys, shelves for books or hooks for jackets and caps, make sure that all your kids’ belongings have  a place of their own. Use labels to help kids remember where to put toys, books and clothes once they’re done with them.

Need some free labels to print out? Check out these from Better Homes and Gardens.

2.  Make Cleanups Easy for Kids

Kids, even toddlers, can easily help with cleaning up their room at the end of the day. Put together a child-friendly cleaning caddy complete with all-purpose cleaner and some clean rags to wipe off stains and mop up spills.  Cover chairs in the kids’ room with our SmartSeat Chair Protectors and stains and spots will be super easy to get rid off.

You can even come up with some fun games to help encourage a reluctant cleaning crew.  Here are some cleaning game ideas to help you get started.

3.  Assign Age-Appropriate Responsibilities and Chores

Sometimes, a bit of routine and discipline works wonders. It can be possible that kids don’t clean their rooms because they don’t know where to start or what to do. Assigning chores and responsibilities according to age can help you do that.  For instance, preschoolers can help make the beds or pick up toys while tweens and teens can be responsible for their laundry or cleaning the bathroom.

Print out their chores on cute chore charts and hang them up behind the door or on their bulletin boards. Here is a lovely interactive chore chart printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

4.  Keep Clutter to a Minimum

For a clean room almost instantly, do periodic purges for clothes, toys, books and other kiddie stuff. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to keep a child’s room clean and mess-free when there is less “stuff”.  Here’s an easy guide to keeping kiddie clutter to a minimum.

5.  Accept Messes with Grace

Finally, remember that at the end of the day, kids make messes and stressing over those messes will prevent you from seeing the artist, crafter, explorer or simply kid in your child. Accept messes with grace and not stress.

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Photo courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.Net.