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[quote=Anonymous]I know this might sound trite to some.  But this has reached a boiling point for me. We have 4 kids.  Youngest is 10.   So with 6 people in our home, I have relaxed my standards considerably over the years, and only desire a minimum standard of cleanliness in our home.  There are always shoes out, books, papers, etc.  It truly doesn't bother me, and I realize a certain amount of this clutter is normal.

But there is just a line that has been  crossed for the past few years.  My husband is the worst, with my 2 sons following right behind him.  The 3 of them are completely oblivious to being able to put anything away that they use.  I have been unable to change this dynamic no matter what I've tried, and it's gotten to the point that we can't even walk in the garage anymore unless I'm constantly on top of them to clean up.  One of them is always doing some kind of project (washing cars, painting something, building with wood, etc.), but they NEVER put anything away.  I tried to get my bike out today and couldn't even get to it.  It's disgusting to me.  They do it inside the house, too, but I'm able to contain it in the main living areas, and if it gets too bad, I will stack up their things in a neat stack and ask them to put it away before dinner.  Which they do, but I'm sick of having to ask.

This is extreme because our partially finished basement is the same way.  If someone took a picture of the half of our basement that isn't finished, we could be candidates for the hoarding show.  I never go down there (hobby room, foosball, storage area) so I don't keep on top of it.  My son painted a few things as a hobby, and there is literally every single thing he used still sitting out down there in the middle of the floor for about a month now.

I know the kids get it from my husband, as he can make a repair, for example, and just literally drop the tools where he used them and never look at them again.  EVER.   Unless he needs them again, and then he will be aggravated that he can't find them and get angry that things are a mess.  He will even open a package , for example hinges he had to buy to replace a broken kitchen cabinet hinge, and leave the package right where he made the repair and never think to clean it up.

We have a nice sized piece of property, and this happens all around the property too.  He uses  a pressure washer, and just leaves it where he used it.  It is still sitting there, along with the hoses and wires, etc.

I have tried to maintain some semblance of minimum orderliness, but I cannot keep up.  Besides the fact that I'm tired of telling people to do these things, and sick of living with the piles of crap everywhere, I'm also sick of the annoyance they have for me expecting them to put these piles of crap away.   This is not a pile of School books out, shoes out, unmade beds.  It's to the point of ridiculousness.

Any suggestions on how to handle this are appreciated.  I'm tired of not being able to even get to my things.  I spent an hour straightening one side of the garage the other day so I can get to the toy baskets, my extra household supplies we keep out there, etc, and within 2 days, the whole side was covered again with boxes of "stuff" someone had used and just dropped there.  Car washing supplies,  an empty box from Amazon (put it in the damn garbage can), cans of spray paint, tools, hoses, crap, crap, crap.   I again cannot get to the shelf I need to get to. Every single day there is stuff used and never put away.

Probably what annoys me the most is the attitude they have towards me asking that they put aside a half hour and clean up a certain area because we need to use it for something else or because I need to be able to access what is being blocked.  My 15 year old seriously seems to think it's absurd to have to put things away when you're done with them.  I cannot understand how anyone can live like this and I feel powerless to get through to them without feeling like a nag or that "I" am the one being ridiculous for expecting them to respect our home and all the things we own.

I know this is long.  Thanks for reading.  
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