8 Household Items That Become Disgusting with Kids

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You might not guess it at first glance, but I’m a bit of a neat freak. I love a clear counter, spotless carpets, and sparkling toilets. Being in a tidy space makes me feel content. It’s kind of like watching a fish in a freshly cleaned tank—so serene. But then, I have four kids.

Four kids who definitely don’t share my passion for cleanliness. Seriously, I could toss out the trash can and replace our couch with heaps of dirty laundry, and they wouldn’t bat an eye. They seem immune to clutter, which I both envy and loathe. It’s like they have a magical ability to make a mess without even trying. You could vacuum one area, only to turn around and find that the Goldfish cracker fairy has sprinkled crumbs everywhere. Or they might step in something unpleasant outside and track it right across the floor you just mopped.

Kids have a unique talent for turning once-clean items into something you’d rather not touch. Here are eight household things that can quickly become disgusting when kids are around:

1. Chairs: For adults, mealtime is straightforward: fork, mouth, repeat. But for kids? It’s a chaotic affair. They talk with mouths full, gesture like they’re on stage, and spill drinks everywhere. Chairs take the brunt of this, collecting all sorts of sticky, crusty remnants. If your kids love to run around sans clothes, be prepared for extra messes involving little naked bottoms and their not-so-great wiping skills.
2. Appliances: In a child-free home, appliances stay pristine. But when kids enter the picture, expect your dishwasher and fridge to be covered in smudges and fingerprints before you can say, “How did that footprint get on the fridge door?!”
3. Trash Can Lid: Throwing things away should be simple, right? Not for kids! They can’t seem to toss out half-eaten yogurt tubes or juice boxes without first smearing them all over the lid.
4. Computer: I have a strict no-food rule near electronics, yet my laptop keyboard is perpetually crusty, and the screen is dotted with who-knows-what. It’s a mystery how it gets so messy!
5. TV Screen: If you have kids, you can say goodbye to viewing your favorite shows without a layer of fingerprints smudged across the screen. My kids seem to think they can poke at characters on the screen for some reason—like they’re helping the Ninja Turtles fight crime or something.
6. Light Switches: Kids don’t care about cleanliness when it comes to flicking light switches. They handle them with hands covered in everything from peanut butter to paint to who knows what. I’ve found my bathroom switch mysteriously coated in an unidentified orange powder—was it Cheetos? Doritos? Who knows why they were in there in the first place!
7. Walls: Cleaning walls is not something most people think about, but when you have kids, it becomes a regular task. Walls transform into canvases for boogers, toothpaste, handprints, and who knows what else. My dining room walls look like they survived some kind of food fight.
8. Doors: It’s wise to sanitize doorknobs occasionally, but with kids around, you’ll find dirt and grime everywhere around the knob as well as the knob itself. The areas near the bottom of the door remain a mystery too. It seems like they just can’t help but create messes while trying to sneak snacks or talk to you while you’re in the bathroom!

Cleaning with kids in the house is like building a sandcastle only to have the tide wash it away—over and over again. The standard cleaning is exhausting enough, but these extra messes make it feel even more overwhelming.

If you need me, I’ll be scrubbing some mysterious brown smudge off the wall and convincing myself it’s just chocolate.

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Summary

Managing a clean home with children can be an uphill battle. From messy chairs and appliances to grimy walls and light switches, kids have a unique ability to turn even the cleanest spaces into their personal playgrounds. It’s a constant cycle of cleaning and re-cleaning, but with a bit of humor and patience, it’s all part of the parenting journey.