Do you feel anxious when you walk into your kids’ bedrooms? Do you find that they’ve shoved everything under the bed and in the closet when you’ve asked them to clean up? If so, you’re not alone.
Kids’ bedroom cleaning can be a large task for parents. Cleaning after kids is tiring and keeping them motivated can be draining. Thankfully, there are ways to help kids with their bedroom cleanup.
If you find that you’re having to clean up your kids’ bedrooms more often than you’d like, here are a few cleaning tips you can start implementing with your kids today.
Declutter
One of the things that’s most bothersome about children’s rooms is the amount of clutter they accumulate. Things like papers, toys, food, clothing, and more seem to litter their floors. Clutter causes stress and anxiety.
Decluttering is one of the best things you can do to keep your child’s room clean. When they have items in their rooms that they’re actually using, it creates a more functional space, and it’s easier to clean.
To declutter, start by labeling boxes or bins: keep, throw away, or donate. This keeps everything organized and neat while you declutter.
Make It a Game
Young children love games, so make bedroom cleanup into a game. How quickly can they pick up all their toys? How quickly can they put away their clothes?
Make sure that the game is equivalent to their age. You could start with 5-10 minutes for younger children, and increase the time for older kids. Set a timer with a fun count-down clock so kids can see how much time they have left.
Don’t forget to work with them the first several times so they understand how to clean up properly.
Gather Your Supplies
Cleaning a bedroom requires a few cleaning supplies. You’ll likely need boxes for sorting through items, a trash can or trash bags clothes hamper, a mop, vacuum, dusting mitt, or broom. Having all of these items ready to go and easily accessible makes the clean-up go smoothly.
Throw Away Trash
Among normal clutter like clothing, school books, or toys, there are likely a few pieces of trash lingering in your child’s room. One of the first things to do when you start cleaning a bedroom is to throw away all of the trash. Throwing away trash helps you focus on things that need to be put away or sorted.
Organize
Once you’ve tossed all the trash, it’s time to start organizing. You can start wherever want, with clothing, toys, or other items.
Your organization system should be easy to access for your child. They should be able to reach their toys and other safe items they use. It should be simple for them to find things and also to put them away when they’re done using them.
Bins with pictures of toys or clothes for little ones work well, as they can see the picture and know what belongs in what bin. Labels for children who can read are age-appropriate. Remember, your organization should be simple enough for children, and not so complex.
Clean Daily
After fully cleaning your child’s room, you don’t want all that hard work to go to waste! Continue to keep it clean by helping them pick up their room daily for a few minutes. Start with putting away toys and items on the floor, and even making the bed.
Try to make the pickup time age appropriate. In other words, don’t expect a three-year-old to clean up for more than 5-10 minutes. It’s ok to help them if they need help, and this can be a teachable moment in how to pick up their room well.
Make a Chart
Some children are motivated by rewards. Making a reward chart for keeping their room clean several days out of the week is a visual reminder for them to have their daily pick-up time.
Talk with your children before you set the boundaries for their rewards for cleaning their room. Help them understand that this is to develop the habit of picking up their room, instead of a one-time reward.
Make a Checklist
While it’s important for you to help and teach your children to clean their room, creating a checklist for them gives them a sense of responsibility. Here are some things you can put on their checklist:
- Put away clothes
- Vacuum
- Pick up toys
- Throw away trash
- Put away school books or supplies
- Take dirty dishes to the kitchen sink
Remember to make the checklist age-appropriate and adjust it as your child gets older. As your child works through their checklist, they learn how to clean and what to look for when they’re cleaning their space.
Cleaning Services
Sometimes families are too busy to clean. In this case, it may be wise to hire cleaning services to help around the house, especially if you have multiple children or work full time. Hiring cleaning services can help take some stress off of your life so you can focus on spending quality time with your family.
Get Started on Your Bedroom Cleaning
Kids’ bedroom cleaning doesn’t have to be tedious and tiring. With a little planning, daily clean-up, encouragement, and motivation, you can help your child keep their room clean and your mind at ease.
Do you need some help cleaning around the house? Our home cleaning services are here to serve you. Contact us today to get a quote or book your cleaning appointment.