I’m tackling my 31 Days with a Mentor Mom series, and teaching your kids to clean definitely ties in with building character in our children. I’ve learned that it takes a team to keep a house clean. 🙂
Developing responsibility in our kids, as well as stressing a strong work ethic at an early age creates not just a sense of purpose within a family, but helps ward off that entitlement mentality that so easily settles into our kids. But if you prefer, I do have 7 Highly Effective Ways to Raise Lazy and Entitled Children. It’s super easy to be that perfect parent. 🙂
We often reference, “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” This rings true in our home, but I am continually grateful for the modern conveniences that make our work so much easier.
Don’t ‘miss the new printable: Speed Clean a Bathroom in 15 minutes, plus 15 Minutes to a clean kitchen checklist for you and the kids, as well
It astounds me just what accumulates in our kids’ rooms. While they were teeny tiny, it all stayed put, but year by year, it’s become a magnet for mysterious mayhem.
Varying personalities of our children sure do play a part in this and since our kids all share rooms (I’ll write a post about our decision behind that), it’s a finger pointing fest as to whose mess it really is.
Having our three boys share one room for all these years has really bonded them, but it’s also been a test of wills to keep it close to sanitary, while the girls’ room is the pride and joy of the house.
Our 14 year old daughter loves things neat and orderly, so she makes sure her ten year old sister cleans up messes. (Trust me, you all need at least one child like that, it’s amazing.)
As we prepare to welcome guests next week, it’s going to be critical to get some heavy duty deep cleaning completed and of course, as a responsible mentor mom who wants the best for her children, many of those chores will be delegated.
Responsibility within the home must be a team effort. 😉
While deep cleaning isn’t something we do regularly, when guests stay in our bedrooms, we attack it with diligence. Yes, guests are a great excuse to get things done that we typically ignore.
We desire our kids to be able to master certain chores and we’ve learned that by giving clear cut directions to follow, it eliminates the “I didn’t know what to do.”
This is the bedroom checklist that each of our children use to master the “art” of deep cleaning their rooms.
Kids Bedroom Checklist (Deep Clean)
- Remove all clothes and toys from floor, dressers, door knobs, hooks – double checking corners, behind doors and under beds. If the clothes are clean, do NOT put them in the hamper!
- Remove the sheets and mattress pad.
- Clear dust off all furnishings. Wipe off electronic equipment, desk, bookshelves, dressers, blinds, lamp shades, picture frames, and knick knacks.
- Vacuum the entire bedroom floor, paying close attention to the perimeter of the bed.
- Move furniture and get under bed, chairs, table etc.
- Use attachment and vacuum baseboards and window sills, followed by wiping them down with damp cloth.
- Vacuum any upholstered pieces, including chairs and sofa.
- Wash windows with glass cleaner and wipe light switch plate at same time.
- Leave a happy welcome note for guests because this is as clean as these rooms will ever be.
Am I missing anything that I need to add to the list of deep cleaned bedroom?
We are thrilled to welcome grandpa and granny to our home, but most excited to introduce them to our new porch. It’s just so relaxing. Yes, this is our porch that literally took seventeen years to build. I didn’t realize when we built it just how much upkeep comes with it. It’s an extension of the home, yet one that gets cob webs, pollen, mud, bugs and our beautiful woods brought to the forefront.
I spend more time cleaning out there than in the house.
Now to just get the kids as excited to start cleaning, but before I can even start the checklist, there are a LOT of clothes to put away.
Do you know the feeling?
What are some of the chores that your kids tackle by themselves? Did you start them early?
(I’ve created some free printable for Speed Cleaning a Bathroom in 15 minutes, plus 15 Minutes to a clean kitchen checklist for you as well. Head on over to print those as well. They are great reminders.)
Hee hee. “Mysterious mayhem”. Yes. We remodeled our house three years ago, turning our big office into a master suite and allowing our girls to have separate rooms. I still regret not making one bedroom into a shared study space/office and the other into a shared bedroom. I also have one neatnik and one pigpen and it was good for them to have to work together to keep things spic and span, and also good for them to have that “pillow talk” time together. Daughter #1 is going away to college next year, and I may convert one room back to an office and make them share when the older one comes home.
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I would like to know how, with 3 girls, did I not get one single “neat freak”?? That’s not fair. I did get one that understands the “the faster you get it done, the faster you move on” logic. Great list and I can’t wait to see the porch post!
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Jen Reply:
October 8th, 2013 at 8:53 pm
Not ONE neat freak?? Oh yes, out of our five kids, she is the only one, poor thing. I feel for her living with all of us, but for this momma, it’s a BLESSING!! She whips ME into shape. haha
Hope you are doing well, sweet lady. 🙂
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Remember the closet! 🙂 Our girls’ closet has a mysterious mouth that’s able to swallow anything to it’s deep, and dark corners!
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Jen Reply:
October 17th, 2013 at 11:00 am
OH MY WORD! How did I forget to add this to the list. You are SO right. Everything I asked them to take off the floor probably got STUFFED in the closet and if that guest dares opens it to hang something, LIFE WILL HIT! Literally. hahah
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I have to wash the walls, trim and doors about every 3 months or so it’s amazing all the finger prints and dust that can collect on them eww… And my 6 year old son does help. He has had his own real vacuum since he was able to push it at about 3 he likes it and I’m glad!
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I think you might be missing a step or 2 at the top….so after you put away the clothes, how exactly do you “dust” around all the toys?! 20,000 Legos on a table is never going to look neat 🙂
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Lisa Reply:
December 13th, 2013 at 11:24 am
@Emily,
My Mom used those under-bed storage bins with wheels for all the lego. My brother would stand in-progress pieces on the closed lid and slide the whole mess under his bed. It kept it all together and out of sight but didn’t require he dismantle his masterpieces.
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Jen Reply:
December 13th, 2013 at 11:50 am
That is a PERFECT idea for the LEgos!!!
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Lisa Reply:
December 13th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
@Jen,
Can you tell that I had a super type A accountant for a Mom? Our rooms had to be spotless and were cleaned top to bottom every week. Any toys left on the floor were confiscated until the following week. But when I got to university I was shocked at how messy the other girls were and how little they knew about how to keep an apartment clean. Don’t worry – I quickly knocked them into shape.
This is a great list! I plan on using it to incentivize my kids to get their rooms “guest” ready as we are selling our house. The only thing I would add to your list is the closet, which, in my house becomes a haven for anything that doesn’t have a home. Things just get thrown up onto the top shelf.
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Jen Reply:
February 28th, 2014 at 11:55 pm
You are so right. The closet is the catch all pit.
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This is a great list! I have 2 boys who also share a room and since they have very different personalities, neat and clean, it was a conscience decision to do this and use our other bedroom for a craft/homework/sewing/catch-all room. Our boys LOVE their Legos and this is a tough area to clean and keep neat. We use stacking small drawers and display shelves so it looks nice. The only thing I would add to your list (because I always forget to do it) is clean the light fixtures and in our case, ceiling fan! Amazing how much dust and bugs they collect!
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I have an awesome crotche buisness so i have lots of yarn and this checklist made my moms day!
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Multiple vacuums are awesome. Even in our single story, 2 is the minimum. The kids are old enough to work independently, not manage a tool sharing co-op arrangement with a time limit. Be proud! And I thrifted my vacuums, so the 25 dollar investment pays!
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Jen Reply:
June 24th, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Nice – who can pass up a $25 helper? 🙂
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Our cleaning list also included sweeping corners and around the ceiling. Also, light fixtures and ceiling fans! My 3 sons know how to clean well it is getting it done that is a challenge!
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You left out “empty trash.” If I don’t explicitly include this one, it doesn’t get done by anyone but me.
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I’m 14 and the only neat one in my family of nine people. Do you have any tips on how I can help the house start clean?
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Aryia Reply:
February 29th, 2016 at 3:49 pm
@Ava, when you walk by things out of place just simply put it back
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I’ve been teaching my daughter to clean her room. She needs a time limit and direct consequences without “one more chance.” If we don’t do this, she wanders into her room, starts playing and makes an even larger mess. She learns urgency, consequences, and we don’t have to get angry. This is the rule, period.
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Love this! My now teenage children have physical challenges so they cannot vacuum and do a few other chores but they are responsible for keeping their rooms and the rest of the house maintained and always have been.
I know this is an older post but I would love to have you link it and others to our Saturday Sharing link up party at TreasuredTidbits (dot) com.
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I really LOVE this IDEA! and this is a great tips.we
are hopefully we get better idea from you 🙂
In our every house there are small
kinds/ children’s. and most beloved of parents.We never do not
want that,Our children became sick.So we should always be on
guard.So, as well as our clothes, our homes and keep clean.Cleaned
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