This is a guest post.
Many busy moms cannot afford to set aside a whole day for cleaning. Yet, they keep on struggling with the chores day after day without asking for help or thinking about involving their kids.
Let me tell you something: cleaning is everyone’s responsibility; your spouse’s and your kids’. The more family members, the bigger the messes. You don’t have to be a cleaning slave.
Another set of hands can cut your cleaning time in half, so how about you coax your children into lending a hand? Now, no matter how old your kids are, they can all get involved.
Here is a guide, divided by age and room, to cleaning with your little helpers. Let’s get to it.
When you have work to do and you let your kids “entertain themselves” for 10 minutes.
Kitchen
An average family spends a huge amount of time in the kitchen. As a result, the room accumulates lots of germs, grime and clutter.
Here is what your kids can do about it.
Ages 7+
- Dry dishes
- Wash dishes
- Load and unload the dishwasher
- Sweep the floor
- Set and clear the table
- Wipe down shelves, island and counter-tops
- Mop under the table
Ages 5-6
- Take the trash out
- Clear some items from the table (napkins, spoons, plastic cups, mugs – no sharp objects)
- Set the table
- Wipe down the table
- Wipe down the front of the dishwasher and oven
- Sweep the floor, remove crumbs
- Unload dishwasher
Ages 2-4
- Throw items into the trash bin
- Put away food (carry it to the fridge or pantry)
- Put napkins on the table before meals
- Gather all spoons and forks from the dishwasher and put them back where they belong
Bathroom
Another germy area in the house is your bathroom. Check out what your children can do in the bathroom.
Ages 7+
- Clean the sink
- Wipe down the mirror
- Mop the floor
- Clean the baseboards
- Clean the toilet
Ages 5-6
- Bring all dirty clothes to the bathroom
- Sweep the floor
- Clean the baseboards
Ages 2-4
- Carry dirty clothes and towels to the room
- Clean baseboards
- Empty trash
- Living room
Ages 7+
- Dust furniture
- Vacuum
- Put away out-of-place things
- Fold laundry
Ages 5-6
- Straighten pillows
- Dust blinds and furniture
- Put away your clothes, toys or items that don’t belong
- Fold blankets
Ages 2-4
- Check under furniture for socks, objects, books and toys that don’t belong
- Dust baseboards and window sills
- Put away books, shoes and toys
- Dust baseboards
Bedroom
Ages 7+
- Change sheets
- Dust furniture
- Fold clothes
- Vacuum
- Make beds
Ages 5-6
- Make beds
- Put away books, toys and clothes
- Put clothes into the hamper
- Dust
Ages 2-4
- Dust windowsills and baseboards
- Pick items from the floor
- Check under furniture for out-of-place objects
- Put away toys
Playroom
No matter how old your child is, he or she can always pitch in with putting toys away. So by all means this is a chore for any age. Teach your small one that it is important to gather all his or her toys after he or she finishes playing.
Use see-through plastic containers to hold all the toys and keep them in a place they can reach: under the bed, on a lower shelf, etc.
Feel free to add chores to the list. Once your children get into the habit of doing a little cleaning every week, there will be less clutter in your home and you’ll have more time for yourself eventually.
This was a guest post by a small company called DPC Cleaners Kilburn.
