How do you keep your house tidy with kids?

[Jen567]

I'm at a complete loss. I have 3 children under 7 and my house is a constant mess! I tidy the kitchen, the kids mess the living room up. I tidy the sitting room, they touch things in the kitchen. I send them upstairs, they go in the bathroom and throw everything down the toilet. It's never ending mess.
I understand kids are messy, but it's not toys, they're ruining everything. My friend has 4 kids and her house is immaculate. I feel like I'm cleaning all the time and the second I sit down, it's back to normal. I can't give them pens or pencils because they'll draw on the wall.
Me and my husband take them out all the time but they still destroy the house when we come home.

Get them to tidy up their mess. And tell them not to play with things that aren't toys.
It's not easy and it does feel like your still constantly tidying up.
I would just restrict privileges. 'when you've put abc away, then you can have xyz'
I have to admit my oldest is 5 and she's not very messy, she likes to help cleaning. My youngest however is very messy and hates tidying up.
Good luck!

Have you got a garden or a dining table? Could you send them in the garden to play whilst you tidy or set them up at the table with an activity like Play-Doh whilst you tidy up?

Id also try and box up as many toys as you can and put them away for a while. Once they've gone to bed, put away the toys and bring out a couple more in the morning.

I've found the TOMM method to be useful. Even if you only manage to do the basics like clean the toilet abs do the washing up things seem a little better.

Are they getting plenty of exercise too @Jen567?

We have three children, 5, 7 and 10 looking for advice on how to instil a (basic) level of tidiness in the house i.e. not leaving wrappers on the floor, putting apple cores in the bin, picking up underwear etc. I am at my wits end and totally sick of tidying up after them!