Ali - yes, every morning after taking to school I have a big "put away" - empty DW, fill/empty WM/fold/stack/put in drawers/ general clutter stuff that has gone to the wrong room - and it is at least 30 minutes, often an hour. DH thinks I'm kidding when I say I spent an hour just having a general tidy (and that is only a general tidy so that we can actually move around, not an actual tidy so that things are indeed fully put away).
DD (5) has brought home her boy-who-is-a-friend for tea today whilst DS is out, they are shut in her bedroom (which is easily within earshot) playing with the teddies or whatever.
Funny isn't it, that right now, them shut in there is actually a GOOD thing ie. I know precisely where they are and they cannot possibly come to any harm at all.
In a few years time, I'd be freaking out!!!!! 
Can't wait to tell DH, as he is going out with the little boy's dad tonight so that my DH can say to him "your son spent the afternoon in my daughter's bedroom"!!!!!!!!!! And they can actually LAUGH about it.
He is such a cute little boy too!