Ordinarily, having a messy house is unlikely to affect your child custody proceedings. Parents – especially those with babies or toddlers – are certainly not expected to keep their homes looking magazine-worthy at all times. Having piles of clean laundry on the coffee table, a few dirty dishes in the sink overnight, or toys scattered around is the norm for most families. Typical clutter is not worth mentioning in court when you are fighting for custody of your child. However, if the home is so dirty that it poses a health hazard to children, or the clutter is so bad that it borders on a hoarding situation, this could impact a court’s child custody decision. If you are involved in a child custody battle, you need an experienced Lisle, IL child custody litigation attorney on your side.
A Messy Home and an Unsanitary Home Are Different Issues
When a parent works full time and is newly single, letting the housework slide is normal. If a parent is behind on cleaning – perhaps the kitchen counters have not been wiped down in a few days, or the carpet has some crumbs on it – this is not the sort of mess a court would be concerned with. However, if the home is unsanitary and poses a health hazard, the court may be reluctant to allow children to visit the parent who lives there in the home. A dangerously unclean environment is not in a child’s best interests. Unsanitary messes the court might be concerned with include: