How to Make Cleaning Fun for Children – Part 2 of 3

November 12, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

During busy seasons, just giving my house a once-over is good enough to keep the dust bunnies away. When I know that I cannot get to the deep cleaning, I relax.

No need to worry and stress over a spic-and-span house since it just isn’t going to happen right now. However, I can enlist helpers to assist in a quick cleaning.

In part 1 of this 3-part series, I shared how to make cleaning fun for children by creating a game. Games are fun, but if the older child is winning every time, then the younger ones get discouraged.

To add variety to our household, we give our children a cleaning tool.

Part 2: Provide a Tool

To assist in cleaning our home, I keep a broom, mop, Scrubbing Bubbles, sponges, steam cleaner, buckets, disinfecting wipes, and numerous other items. These tools increase my efficiency which helps in using time wisely.

To make cleaning fun for children, I empower them with a cleaning tool and a responsibility. Armed with their tool, they own their job and enjoy getting our home looking nice. Three of the tools my children use are duster, magic eraser, and vacuum cleaner.

Duster

I keep 3 Swiffer dusters in my cleaning closet. Usually if one of my three children wants to dust, so do the others. To eliminate the “I asked Mom first,” I just keep three. When all three are dusting, I either assign them to a room or to a task.

If assigned by room, then they are not to invade each other’s space. If assigned by task, then they need to work together. My toddler loves to dust the baseboards. She can reach all of them and enjoys getting behind the furniture and under the tables.

Giving my toddler a task and my older two a room, the job gets done quicker. However, my toddler does not always hang in there as long as the other two. By combining the options, I have more flexibility. My choice one day will differ from another day depending on how my children are working together.

In keeping the cleaning fun, Paul jumps in to dust the ceiling fans as he reaches just fine. I, on the other hand, would need a chair. 🙂 I usually manage the cleaning routine and help as needed during the entire process.

Magic Eraser

My favorite cleaning tool ever is the Mr. Clean magic eraser! When I get that broom scuff on the wall or the crayon scribble on the table, the magic eraser restores the wall and table back to normal.

Though a bit tough to scrub, I allow my children to clean up the messes that require the magic eraser. My girls do a great job using this sponge to eliminate the crayon from their desks and craft table.

Vacuum Cleaner

Where my toddler runs from the “loud” vacuum cleaner, my older children love to vacuum the floors. With an upstairs vacuum and a downstairs vacuum, I can accommodate both of them. Of course, there is no quiet for my 2-year-old, but she survives. 😉

With a special tool like a duster, magic eraser, or vacuum cleaner, children want to help clean. For them, the use of a special tool is cool.

Now, my children are young, so these tools are big deals. If you have older children, then maybe a pressure washer, steam cleaner, or Swiffer mop might encourage them to do their chores while having fun (though they probably won’t admit it :-)).

As you work smarter rather than harder, make cleaning fun for your children, and they will ask for more ways to help. In using time wisely, a little planning for fun really pays off. Enjoy these times with your family while maintaining your home. Happy playing!

Question: What cleaning tools do your children want to use?

How to Make Cleaning Fun for Children – Part 1b of 3

November 5, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iClipart

With cleaning and maintaining our homes, these tasks do not need to carry a “boring” or “dreaded” tagline. As my children enjoy a clean and organized home, Paul and I work really hard to help them own our home with us. We all pitch in to help keep our house clean and clutter-free.

Last week, I began this series on how to make cleaning fun for children by sharing two games we use while doing laundry.

These games can be adjusted to other items around your house because one way to spice up cleaning is by creating a game.

Part 1: Create a Game

The Who makes the most points? and the Where’s the match? games add variety and fun. In addition to these two games, our family also plays the following two games while doing a general pickup of our home:

Bucket in the Middle

With this game, we place a container (e.g., laundry basket, box, bucket, etc.) in the center of the room. Then we pickup all objects not in their place and place or toss them into the container.

The goal of the game is a general pickup. I can then distribute the items to each child for delivery to their rightful place.

For a variation on this game, we have everyone pickup 10 items and see who gets done first. Another change is to assign sections of the room to each family member and see which area has more items in the container. This game provides lots of fun options resulting in a cleaned, or at least picked up, space.

Stop. Set. Go.

This game is great for those few minutes before dinner is ready, right before bedtime, or when you need a few uninterrupted moments. (You know you need a little non-interrupted time within your day, don’t you. :-))

Just have everyone stop what they are doing. You choose the room that needs cleanup, set the timer, and go. Watch your children tidy a room to beat the clock. For small messes, I set the timer to 2 minutes. For larger messes, I start at 5 minutes. Usually, the project is done with time to spare.

Whether you choose to create a game of your own or try the Bucket in the Middle or Stop.Set.Go, get your family involved while making it fun for everyone. My children always want to help, and I continue to learn ways to encourage their willingness and teach them how to clean while making it fun. Happy playing!

Question: What games do you play to encourage your children’s help?

How to Make Cleaning Fun for Children – Part 1a of 3

October 29, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

I am not great at delegating. Whew . . . I said it. When it comes to working with children, I am learning how to teach my children while delegating responsibilities to them.

Sometimes allowing them to help is more work than just doing it myself, but I need to teach them to contribute.

In my family, the key is to make cleaning fun. From my many experiments, I will share in this series some strategies that work in my household.

Please share in the comments what you have found to work in yours as I’m learning and love the extra help.

How to Make Cleaning Fun for Children

Create a Game – Part 1a and 1b

Provide a Tool – Part 2

Give Non-monetary Rewards – Part 3

Part 1: Create a Game

My children love to play games. From matching to Candy Land to Sorry!, my children thrive on the goal of reaching the finish line. Moving this natural desire for accomplishment from a board to our house not only shows them how to apply their knowledge in one area to another, but also how to confidently take on new tasks.

Though any task can convert to a game, we play the following games while keeping our house organized and cleaned up:

Who Makes the Most Points?

With our top-loading washing machine, I love the extra help adding clothes to the washer. With the open washer acting as a basketball goal and backboard, my son and older daughter see how many items they can accurately “shoot” into the washing machine.

Though the tasks takes a bit longer than if I just loaded the clothes, those moments are filled with laughter, giggling, and “scores.”

A benefit for me is letting my children exert their energy while I monitor the process. They have a blast and enjoy helping. As they discover that household tasks are fun, they want to help more. 🙂

For a variation, allow children to pickup their dirty clothes and another clothes or towels around the house and “shoot” them into the laundry hamper or basket.

Where’s the Match?

My older daughter loves patterns, games, and puzzles. She sees patterns in everyday life, and I enjoy finding ways to encourage her and strengthen her desire to learn. A game she loves to play is matching the socks. When the basket of clean laundry arrives via Dad, brother, or Mom, she runs to find the socks.

At the beginning, I had her put them all in a pile. I then checked that all the socks were inside-out, then she began matching them. As she has grown, she is beginning to correct the socks before matching. This game has become her own in our house because “how dare anyone take her socks.” 🙂

In using time wisely, games like Who makes the most points? and Where’s the match? help to make cleaning fun for children. Empowered with the rules and the goal, they can seize the task and accomplish it while having fun.

In next week’s installment, I will share two additional games my children enjoy which helps me save energy and time. Happy playing while accomplishing!

Question: What tasks do your children find fun?

Cleaning: Our Gas Fireplace

September 17, 2012 by Tracy

On this chilly rainy day, I dressed in a lightweight long-sleeved shirt and welcomed the changing weather pattern in front of our gas fireplace.

Though it’s not here yet, my favorite season is autumn. In anticipation of falling leaves and pumpkin decorations, I replaced my summer candle with a pumpkin spice flavor to spark a new scent throughout our home.

Though we are not yet ready to turn on the fireplace, I noticed that the dust had built-up on our gas logs. As I took off the glass plate, I met cob webs and a thick layer of dust. In between a few sneezes, I wiped down the entire fireplace resulting in a pile of dust.

NOTE: My pilot light had been shut off. If you attempt cleaning your gas fireplace, turn off your pilot light before taking anything apart.

After a thorough cleaning of the inside and outside of the glass plate using Windex, I put the fireplace pieces back together.

Even with a deep spring cleaning each year, our fireplace had collected quite the dust. As we continue preparing our home for the changing temperatures, the current dust-free logs in our gas fireplace will warm our home while we wrap up in blankets all snuggled together. Did I mention that I love autumn? 😉 Happy fall preparations!

Question: Do you have any tips for cleaning a gas fireplace?

Cleaning: Ridding Mildew from the Dishwasher

September 10, 2012 by Tracy

Upon returning home from our vacation, I found mildew growing in our dishwasher. Disgusting!

My house was nice and clean with I left, so I was surprised that my dishwasher did not enjoy its vacation from us. 🙂

Since we do not use paper plates in our home, I serve each meal on our everyday ceramic dishes. With dishes from three meals a day and snacks, our dishwasher gets a workout.

The warmth inside and the bout of inactivity brought on a growing case of mildew.

Though the black residue was only on the sides and the vent of the door, I quickly started ridding mildew from the dishwasher.

Ridding Mildew from the Dishwasher

Tracy’s Tools of the Trade

1. Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner

2. Toothbrush

3. Old towel

Tracy’s Cleaning Technique

1. Spray the mildew with the Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner

2. Wait about 5 minutes

3. Use the old toothbrush to remove stubborn mildew from the sides and vents

4. Dry off with the towel

One of the sides needed extra scrubbing to release the mildew. To get a thorough cleaning, I scrubbed inside the rubber seals around the dishwasher door which trapped mildew in the creases.

Preventing Mildew from the Dishwasher

In running our dishwasher almost every day, I did not realize that frequent use keeps mildew away. Simple wipe downs and scraping food from the dishes prior to loading the dishwasher keep the appliance parts clean and clear to operate efficiently.

For more tips, visit this How to Clean and Maintain a Dishwasher post which explains how to take the dishwasher apart for a thorough cleaning.

As you load and unload your dishwasher, check and rid mildew before it builds up. Keeping your appliance clean and clear of debris prevents overworking your dishwasher. Yes, it takes time, but in using time wisely, your efforts can lengthen the longevity of your household appliances which saves you money, energy, and time. Happy cleaning!

Question: How often do you run your dishwasher?

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