For many kids, during the pandemic they were home all day every day; others went to school in person. Whether your kids have been at home full time or are gearing up to do so for the summer, it’s a great idea to create a Cleaning Checklist together to keep little hands busy and help make the housework light.
In our experience, simply telling kids to clean their room is a bit like telling a novice baker to make a cake. Where do you start?! It helps to have a recipe, a to-do list that breaks it down into easy and repeatable steps. In fact, you can divy up the job of cleaning every room in the house into such a checklist – you might be surprised at how quickly and well children can contribute to making your house a healthier and cleaner home.
Prep Step: Do it with them the first time.
The author James Baldwin once said: “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. They must, they have no other models.” By going through the checklist side by side, you show them that keeping the house clean is everybody’s job! And they’ll watch, learn, and remember.
Step One: Take Out the Trash
Whether it’s a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, or shared space, start with a garbage bag. Beginning at the door, work your way across the room, picking up anything that should be thrown away. Don’t forget to look under the bed, in drawers, and of course to tip any trash cans into the bigger bag. It’s a good feeling to start off by making decisions about what stays and what goes, and the room already feels cleaner. But don’t stop there...
Step Two: Everything Where It Belongs
Next, return cups, dishes, towels, and dirty laundry to the places they should be (instead of on the floor or desk and countertops!). Then go through the room and put things back on shelves, in drawers, and the like, but of course resist the temptation just to stuff them out of sight. Your kids will see that it’s worthwhile to take an extra step to organize or fold things before you put them away – especially next time they’re looking for them!
Step Three: Get Down to the Real Cleaning
The basic idea here is to start high and work your way down. Dust top shelves first, so anything that falls will get picked up as you go along. And when you use an Infuse microfiber cloth, you know that you’ll trap more dust than with a traditional duster or a paper towel. Then break out the Infuse Spray Bottle with your favorite scent of concentrate, and clean every surface: walls, counter or desk tops, windows, and mirrors. With our cleaning formulas, you can make every surface spotless. And finally, it’s floor time. If it’s a hard surface floor, then the Infuse Spray Mop makes short and easy work of the project, and it’s as easy for little hands to use as for grown ups.
We’ve even created a printable room-by-room checklist, to make sure you didn’t forget anything. Click on the image below to print it out and hang it on your fridge.
Summer is more fun when your home is clean. And working together keeps kids busy as well as giving them a sense of pride in the space your family shares.
To recap:
- Take out the trash
- Put everything where it goes - whether it's the laundry, dishwasher, shelves, or drawers
- Use the Casabella Infuse Kit to get a spotless clean.
