CLEAN: Kids and Their Bedrooms

Children and cleaning don’t always go hand-in-hand but there are ways to introduce cleaning to your children so that they pick up good habits. The professional domestic cleaning company, MOLLYMAID, provides this guide.

Set a good example. Parents are childrens’ first role models. Do you take pride in your home? Keep your own things in order? Have a positive attitude towards the daily tasks of keeping house? If the answer is yes, you’re halfway there.

Help create a sense of pride. Ownership helps to instill a sense of pride. Find ways to give children some control over their space. For example, let them rearrange the furniture or choose the colour of paint for the room. They can also decorate boxes to organise their stuff and choose or make pictures for the wall.

Explain exactly what cleaning a room means. In fact, make a checklist that children can refer to with pictures for little ones and simple words for older ones.

• Make your bed.
• Put laundry in the laundry basket.
• Hang up clothes.
• Put toys and equipment away.
• Turn off your computer
• Vacuum or sweep your floor.

Organise. Provide boxes and bins. Work together at labeling and deciding what goes where.

De-clutter constantly. Make it a rule that for everything that goes into the room, something needs to come out. For example, if your daughter gets a new skirt, an old one goes to the local charity shop. A new toy means an old one must be passed along. This rule teaches children that keeping things tidy makes them feel good. It’s also important to keep the room clean of washing up and rubbish, and to put clean clothes away after it’s been laundered.

Together. Show children how it’s done rather than tell them how to clean. As they master the skills and no longer need step-by-step encouragement, you can use that time to converse.

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