Getting Kids to Clean

Posted by: Diane Brady on June 18

The Maids Home Services just shot out an e-mail, telling parents how to make cleaning “fun” for kids. Some of their suggestions sound like more work than picking it up yourself.

And I have another question. If you hire a cleaning person (I don’t—but should), how do you get your kids to appreciate the fact that they’re still expected to do chores around the house?

Here’s what they suggest to children involved:

• Don’t expect kids to use adult tools to clean. Instead, create supplies that are kid-friendly. Use an ice-cream pail for mopping chores or shorten an old mop handle or broom to make it kid-sized.
• Fill a squirt gun from a solution of a gallon of water and a drop of dish soap. Let kids squirt windows and mirrors and wipe dry with paper towels.
• Cover kids’ hands and arms with dad’s old athletic socks then squirt the socks until lightly damp with a safe solution of vinegar and water. Send them off to dust around the house.
• Got a pile of blocks or action figures strewn on the floor? Scoop up toys in a few swoops using a kid-sized leaf rake to form a pile for easy pick-up.
• Make cleaning a game; give young kids grill tongs and challenge them to pick up toys and put them in a toy box or bin only using the utensils. Keep score and see who wins!
• Don’t forget the fun music to help your kids get a groove on as they boogie around the house cleaning.

Boogie? Good luck.

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