Cleaning with Young Kids

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Most of us like having a clean house. Now whether that means your house is actually clean or not is a different story. But I'm sure you like the idea of having a clean house. I always have the best intentions to clean, but sometimes at the end of the day I just never get to it. I don't clean during nap time because that's time I take to myself, so if I don't clean while my kids are awake, the house stays messy.

One reason it can be so hard to find time to clean is because we want to spend time with our kids and cleaning doesn't exactly sound like fun, to them or you. But it doesn't have to be that way. Cleaning can be fun and even if your child isn't exactly 'cleaning', they can stay entertained long enough for you to get your living room picked up.

1. Buy the fun cleaners. My daughter absolutely loves to clean the toilet because we have little white and blue pads that connect to our cleaning stick and it turns the water blue. So when I clean the bathroom I put her to work cleaning the toilet. She does a pretty good job too, I usually just give it a good scrub once she loses interest and it’s good to go. While she cleans the toilet I do the mirrors, sink, and countertop. You can find the pack of cleaning stick, flushable pads, and stick stand here. For pad refills you can get them here.

2. Get your kid their own scrubbing pad. My daughter uses a blue scrub sponge just like me, except hers is nicer looking because she doesn’t do the heavy cleaning. I spray down the bathtub, then pretend spray her section and we get to work scrubbing the tub. Sometimes I even fill an old shampoo bottle with water and a little bit of hand soap and let her “clean” her own section. She loves to see the bubbles come up while she cleans. When I do this though, I expect water to get all over the floor so if you aren’t going to be okay with that, don’t give them their own bottle of soapy water.

3. Vacuuming - it’s hit or miss on this. Sometimes she loves to help me and holds the cord for me while I vacuum. She also asks to be the one to turn it on and off when I need her to. Other times she is scared and runs for the nearest closet to hide in while I vacuum. Either way I am able to work it in. You might suggest that your child grab his/her favorite blankets/toys to sit on the couch with them while they watch you vacuum, but only if they're scared.

4. Sweeping - Let your kid help by buying them their own broom set, or buy some type of floor cleaner (for example we have a swiffer sweeper that my daughter uses) and let them sweep while you sweep. The only problem I run into here is that sometimes she wants to sweep EXACTLY where I am and ends up stepping in the pile of dirt. So sometimes I have to re-sweep an area twice. If you don’t want your kid sweeping with you then move the dining room chairs out of the kitchen (which is where I assume you’re sweeping) and put them all next to each other for your kid to climb on. My daughter loves walking back and forth on the chairs and I let her eat snacks on them while I sweep and mop. She also brings her toys on them and makes her own “jail” through the bars. It’s a world of endless possibilities.

5. Dishes - If you're loading the dishwasher, rinse of the silverware and let your kid put them in the dishwasher. Same with plastic cups or anything that won't break if dropped. If you're emptying the dishwasher do it in reverse. Ask them to hand you the 'pink cups' or the 'long forks' and make it a game to see if they can get all the right pieces to you. Or you could make it a race to see who can get all of the spoons put away the fastest.

6. Dusting - the simplest way to do this is to get your child their own duster and let them follow you around the house. You can ask them to dust certain things or just let them find their own things to dust.

7. Another fun thing to do while cleaning is put on some Disney songs (or whatever your kid likes) to keep them singing and dancing while you clean. Usually this is enough of a distraction until my daughter decides she can play on her own while I clean.

Have fun and enjoy your clean house!