Kids Can Help Clean {and It Can Be Fun} | Inspiration Laboratories

Getting kids to help clean can be a struggle. Having routines and setting expectations is a good start, but what I’ve found work best for my son is to make cleaning time fun. It’s true. Kids can help clean and it can be fun.

Sneaky Ways to Make Clean Up Fun

My almost 5 year old, Aiden, only has two cleaning tasks I expect him to do on a regular basis. He is expected to pick up his toys and put his dirty clothes in the hamper. We try to have a system where he has to pick up the toy bin he has out before he can get another out. And each evening after dinner, we clean up what he has out.

Sometimes toy clean up is a battle. I have found 5 sneaky ways to get him to clean up. You can read more about them in this Do 3 Things Listening Game post.

Use a large cardboard tube as a clean up tool. Drop toys down the tube into a bin.
Use other toys to help clean up – dump trucks, shovels, ramps, etc.
Make cleaning up a race.
Go on a scavenger hunt for toys.
Play the Do 3 Things Listening Game.

Kids Can Help Clean

Whenever I am doing other clean up tasks – vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, mopping, dishes – Aiden asks to help me. He thinks these clean up tasks look fun. While I’m tempted to say no, I usually say yes. Even though letting him help may make cleaning take longer and I may have to do it again, I let him help. Aiden has been helping unload the dishwasher since before he was 2. Vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting have been more recent.

Swiffer Makes Cleaning Easier

Swiffer sent us a Big Green Box with some products to try out. I have actually already owned these products. That means now I have two – one for me and one for Aiden. We can clean together.

When I put together the Swiffer sweeper, I left out one of the pieces. This made a shorter sweeper – the perfect size for Aiden.

He happily swept the entire kitchen – and did a great job. The Swiffer Sweeper makes it so easy for him to help clean up.

Aiden was also excited to try out the duster. I vacuum and clean regularly, but I often leave out dusting. Now with the Swiffer duster, Aiden can help with that clean up task, too.

Meet Anea

Not only do I have 2 kids to clean up after, I have a German Shepard mix as well. She has so much hair. It ends up all over my house. Thankfully Swiffer helps with this problem. A regular broom and my vacuum just don’t cut it on my kitchen floor. The Swiffer Sweeper dry sweeping cloths pick up the hair they leave behind. The Swiffer wet cloths are perfect for cleaning up muddy paw prints Anea tracks in after it rains.

Just check out all that was on my kitchen floor!

According to the Swiffer Cleaning Index, half of Americans say that concerns about pet hair and shedding in their home is one of the top reasons they worry about getting a pet, wouldn’t get a pet, or don’t have one. 38% of pet owners also say the leading source of “pet cleaning tensions” in their home is hair, dust bunnies, and/or shedding. I’m so happy that Swiffer can help with these cleaning challenges.

Swiffer is supporting the ASPCA {American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®} in a year-long effort to help find homes for animals in need and help make the challenges of cleaning up after a pet less of a concern after adoption. Swiffer will donate Big Green Boxes to more than 100 shelters nationwide and will gift each of an estimated 7,000 pet adopters with a free Swiffer Sweeper during the ASPCA Mega-Match-A-Thon. Learn more about Swiffer’s partnership with the ASPCA here. {The dog on their website is just adorable.}

Sharing the #SwifferEffect

Swiffer sent me 2 Big Green Boxes – one for us and one to surprise a fellow pet lover. I naturally chose my best friend, Karen. She’s a mom of 2 kids, 2 dogs, and a cat. Aiden was in charge of delivering the box. He was excited to knock on the door and hand over the package. Watch the video below to see what happened.

The week after receiving her Big Green Box, Karen told me the Swiffer was big hit with both kids and they {as a family} been cleaning more. Cleaning has become fun.

Do you use Swiffer to clean up after your pets? Do your kids think it’s fun to help clean, too?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.