My house doesn’t look like a showroom and I feel like the “odd one out”. What does your house look like?

[NewForestMum123]

I’m a mum to three children (aged five and under) and work part time 3 days a week. I’m noticing a lot of my peers like to keep their houses looking almost showroom level clean. (Although I will say there are a handful that I suspect have just cleaned up because they know I’m coming over.)

My house is not a showroom.

It’s clean… ish. Kitchen is always kept clean, toilets are regularly cleaned, and I hoover and mop a lot. But I don’t dust very often, my windows and glass doors are pretty gross with fingerprints.

And it is messy. There’s always laundry drying, there’s a junk model masterpiece on the dining room table, there’s a few toys with broken parts on the kitchen side, the hallway table has a pile of paper in desperate need of filing, there’s scuffs on the walls. Theres a table in the corner of the lounge with a pile of stuff which I honestly don’t even know what it is… from here I can identify a bauble that got waylaid and a hairbrush.

There are five people living in my house, including three children, and I think that’s exactly what it looks like. For the most part, I don’t really care. I seem to be forever doing jobs as it is! I’m shattered, generally.

But I’m curious what others opinions are of messy houses. Do you also keep a messy house and can reassure me I’m not the odd one out? And for those who keep “showroom” houses, how badly are you judging me?

Everything is out of sight of the main rooms, so no cups etc left on the draining board, washing out of sight in the utility room, kitchen table etc kept clear, toys in the playroom with the door closed and if they bring them out they put them back again after. Aside from that we do have fingerprints on the walls and windows, and I honestly only get round to cleaning them once every couple of months.

Mine is definitely not a show home, and it certainly wasn't when I had two kids and a dog living here!

My house is pretty much like yours.

Clean and tidy ISH but definitely not show home and showing some marks.

But I've currently got three of the kids friends sat in it too so they don't seem to bother too much.

He has one friend with a massive, immaculate house and they recently had a big extension with pool table/dart board. But not one of them has ever been invited round!

I'd sooner have a relaxed house and not stress if they are all eating biscuits on the sofa.

Lived in... by a bunch of maximalists... with poor executive function. Which is what it is.

I'm not comfortable in minimalist show home style. I like homes with possessions.

At this moment it's not great, but I'd be happy with a 30min scurryfunge to sort out the main rooms. I'm just not in the mood to tackle it today.

Immaculately clean and tidy but desperately needs painting....

It's ok mines is the same don't worry about it. I don't even have the excuse of young kids anymore mine are 11 and 13. It's a lot better than it used to be but bloody hell it's hard work keeping on top of everything.

Nothing in my house really matches. Only now getting round to decorating my daughters room whereas my neighbours are always decorating there kids rooms and there full house. I don't know how people have the energy for all that

Ours is clean and tidy but certainly not like a show home - we have three cats and a dog for starters

I like things organised and in their place, but I also like "stuff" - candles, books, decorations. Our house is very much lived in, but clean and always visitor ready at the same time.

Our home is beautiful and always clean but OMG! I miss the days when I had 4 under 5 and our home was a bomb site. Enjoy it because it won't always be like this.

Mine is like yours OP. The kitchen & bathroom are clean.

The rest gets cleaned once a week (Friday night and early Saturday morning). In the week, I have a life and have no desire to live in a show home.

At the moment, the breakfast table is covered in potted broad beans ready to plant tomorrow, I've left the laundry airer and the ironing board out, my manicure kit is on the floor in the sitting room, and the hall carpet needs shampooing.

But I can feed anyone who turns up, everyone in my house is healthy and happy, I make my own bread and I've never poisoned anyone. 😊

Mines lovely. My sanctuary my safe warm cosy clean tidy little house that I love to walk into and leave the world outside

I'm lucky enough to have lots of friends so I visit other people's houses often and, honestly, there's a huge range.

I have friends who live in immaculate show homes and I honestly don't know how they do it. There's not a thing out of place, not a speck of dust, and no sign that children live there.

I have other friends who are really messy and totally unselfconscious about it.

But the majority are, like me, somewhere between the 2 extremes. Our bathrooms and floors are cleaned a couple of times a week, and main surfaces dusted at least weekly. But there are always piles of clutter everywhere, and we have pets and do a lot of sport between us so the hair and mud and stuff builds up quickly. If I know someone is coming over I'll quickly shove a few things in cupboards and run the hoover round, but it's still far from spotless.

I live in a showhouse. Full of beautiful (to me) things, everything is ALWAYS in its place, never messy, no laundry around, stuff strewn about etc. It's not spotlessly clean though, although it's definitely not filthy either. I do clean, just not obsessively. Mess is more important to me, it has to be tidy at all times and beautiful. That's just personal preference.

I do have a child and her room is messier than the others, although not a bombsite, she knows she needs to keep it reasonably tidy.

That said, I definitely wouldn't judge your home. It sounds fairly normal, nothing bad about it. As long as it's not VERY very messy (and I truly mean monumental levels of mess) and REALLY really filthy - not my business at all, no judgement and I'd be glad to be invited. I come to visit people, not scrutinize their homes :)

I would be able to live in a show home but for my filthy hair dropping dog and my untidy sons. But then I'd be sad and lonely.

My house is clean, tidy and sanitary but not to a insta show house standard. I would prefer to be in the gym, walking and out doing and seeing things than being tied to housework. Nobody lies on their deathbed wishing that they would have spent more time cleaning.

My home has never come anywhere near looking like a show home. When my 3 children were young there was no time and no point. Now they're all adults and have left home and I'm semi-retired.

I still don't keep my house like a show home - I have more interesting ways to spend my time 🙂

I do just enough to be able to invite someone in if they call.

I’d rather be outdoors than cleaning, when I’m off work.

Mine was like yours OP, as long as the bathroom and kitchen were clean i was happy. Now its just me and DH in iur totally renovated home. Got rid of clutter, everything we updated was done with the once and done in mind and to be be very easy kept. I love it and whilst not quite show home is pretty much visitor ready majority of time.
Also DH is a joiner so made very practical under stair storage pull out cupboards that house coats, shoes and granddaughters toy buckets.
Dont sweat it your doing great.

My house is a tip because it is a home.

’Showroom’ makes me think of places that sell cars.

Our ground floor probably does look ‘Instagram perfect’ because our kids are grown and we have no clutter. We always have flowers, candles and general tidiness because it’s easy when there are no toys around and also, I love it to look nice. We had our kitchen and utility room designed with maximum storage, so there is absolutely nothing crowding any surfaces. There is very little effort involved in keeping it looking lovely.

Agree. My Mum sent me a copy of this poem when mine were little and I was stressed about the house being clean.

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Me too
I am a bit obsessed about the kitchen and toilets for some reason , if they are clean I am not to fussed about the rest of the house

Today it looks like a bomb has gone off in a few rooms.
DD 18 and ds 2 was baking in the kitchen and they made so much mess I'm sure there's more flour on the floor than in the cakes.
The living room well 8 year old and 3 year old are doing crafts and there glitter, and alsorts on the floor.

With kids? No.

Before kids? Also no. Ha, I like our place to look nice and find mess stressful. but as soon as a bit of mess creeps in it seems to escalate. We always run around tidying before people come over. I remember one friend's husband commenting on our tidy place with a newborn and I laughed and admitted my H had done a speed sweep of the place before they arrived as it was carnage beforehand. I think most people tidy before visitors so I wouldn't trust that their houses are always showhome perfect.

I'd kiss your feet if I saw the junk model project on the dining room table.

Your children's teachers probably know your children come from a home where they are encouraged to build, play creatively, use scissors, and focus on play, and they're grateful to you.

I've been in homes that are spotless and homes that are grimy. Neither is ok for small children. A home like yours where there is ample evidence of a life well lived with small children is what really should be called a model home, imo.

It looks like walled chaos with a (leaky) roof.
5 of us, 3 of whom are teenagers in a 3 bedroomed house.
Too much stuff... not enough space or time.
Plus, the girls are studying art, and sharing a room, so sometimes there will be something like a giant (fake) deers head on the table for weeks.
I have a small quiet corner I can hide in, that's all I need.
I don't give a toot what anyone else thinks of it.