I am eyeball-deep in spring cleaning right now.  Every year, we celebrate the Days of Unleavened Bread where we clean all of the leavening out of our homes, from loaves of bread down to the tiny crumbs in the silverware drawer.  For the last few years, I’ve had pretty good reasons to simply stick to deleavening and not do any extra spring cleaning (first having a newborn, then being on bedrest with Kelvin, then having two children under the age of two).  But this year, I don’t really have any good reasons, so I’ve been busy!  (I should probably use that same logic to get myself on that refurbished fitness equipment, but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.  Wouldn’t want you to pass out!)

Anyway…

Anytime I clean I have lots of “help”!  Normally, if I told you I had help, you’d think it would help me get the job done quicker, but not in this case!  In this case, it means I have a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old emptying every box I fill, climbing on chairs to reach the stuff I purposely put out of their reach, and fighting over all the stuff I unearth from under the couch!

Here are five tips to make cleaning with children more enjoyable, without plopping them in front of the TV.  Not saying there’s anything wrong with letting them watch TV in moderation so you can get a few things done, but obviously you don’t want to be doing that every time! 

1. Give them a job.  If you don’t give them one, they’ll find their own and it will probably be one you don’t want them to have!  As I’ve been cleaning out cupboards the last few days, I hand them things as I take them out and let them put them on the floor so I can sort through them.  I also let them load up boxes with things that we’re packing away (and then I re-organize the box later when they’re not looking).
2. Give them “special” cleaning supplies.  My kids would love nothing more than to get their hands on all the cleaning bottles under the sink, but I don’t want them getting chemicals on their hands (for obvious reasons).  Instead, I fill clean squirt bottles with plain water, give them a rag or paper towel and they never know the difference!  You can even get brightly colored bottles, which they love even more!  I also have a child-size broom and dustpan that they use while I sweep.
3. Make it fun!  Turn on upbeat music, challenge them to a race, ask them to hand you all the red items (then blue, then yellow, etc.).
4. Have alternative activities on hand.  Even the most helpful child will probably run out of steam before the job is done, so have puzzles or books nearby to keep them busy while you finish the job.
5. Plan an easy follow-up meal.  I don’t know about your kids, but mine would not appreciate spending time helping me clean only to have me turn around and start cooking dinner.  On days when I have quite a bit of cleaning to do, I have a casserole thawing from the freezer so I can just pop it in the oven when it gets close to dinner time.  You could also plan something simple like soup and sandwiches.

What are your best tips for cleaning with your children?

For more great tips and tricks, visit Works For Me Wednesday temporarily hosted at Rocks in My Dryer.

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