For most parents, it can be a pain to clean up their kid’s bedroom. There are toys all over the floor, their clothes are left hanging here and there, a month-old piece of bread finds its way behind their desk, and who knows what else is lurking in the nooks and crannies of their room. Don’t get all riled up about cleaning their room with some sound advice from the cleaning experts at Pristine Home.
Handy Tips
If your child or children have the luxury of enjoying a space of their own, it is important to make them feel responsible for their bedroom. Depending on their age, you may delegate tasks that are appropriate for them.
You don’t have to do all the cleaning; while bigger tasks can be performed by you, such as vacuuming and dusting high places, delegating cleaning tasks will help ease the burden.
Toddlers
Toddlers definitely can’t clean their room themselves, but you can never start too early when it comes to teaching them how to clean up after themselves.
Begin by assigning simple tasks like returning their toys to its proper place and placing books back to the shelf. Remind them that dirty clothes go straight to the hamper, shoes should be left outside the bedroom, and try minimise eating inside as much as possible. Toddlers are at a stage where they want to please their parents so take advantage of this.
Young Children
Starting the age of 6 or 7, children become more independent. Sometimes they want to do things on their own, so let them (but under your supervision). This could include cleaning their room.
By this time they would be able to read so why don’t you put up simple rules that they can easily see? Setting up a reward system helps motivate them as well. For example, if they can maintain a certain level of cleanliness in their room for a week, they’re entitled to a trip to the movies with you one weekend. Positive reinforcement works so much better than punishing them.
Older Children or Teenagers
If you have a teen who just craves to be left alone then it can be quite the challenge to clean their room.
If they have gotten used to having someone cleaning up after them when they were younger, it can be difficult to inspire or motivate them to clean their space. Here are some ways you can deal with a stubborn older child:
- Have a sit down with them and talk about how a clean room will help them feel better. Try to avoid talking about the way the room looks; focus on them, not the room.
- Make cleaning a task you can do together at first. Leave them alone with how they want their blanket to be folded or how they want to organise their desk, etc. The main goal is that they begin to enjoy cleaning. When you’re both done, it will hopefully make them feel good about themselves as they have accomplished something.
- If all else fails, sometimes leaving them alone works. No one enjoys living in a messy environment; hopefully they come around to cleaning their room themselves.
- When it comes to life skills, some say the earlier the children learn it the better, but It is never too late to instill in your child the importance of a clutter-free living space.
Organise Clutter and Cleaning Tips
Here are some ways to make cleaning easier and more fun for you and your children:
- Spend one weekend going through clothes and items that your child has outgrown or don’t want anymore. Place them in three separate boxes: one for throwing away, one for donating, and the last one for keeping. Make your “to keep” box the smallest one possible to avoid holding onto things that will just take up precious space in your home.
- Invest in some colorful containers that will make organising fun and easy. For younger children, show them where to keep their coloring materials, toys, and such. Model the behaviour and they will follow you. For teens, let them do the organising so they feel independent. It will give them the feeling that they can make decisions of their own.
- Have rules in your home about cleaning. The rules shouldn’t be confined to their bedroom; it should extend to other parts of the house as well. Place these rules where everyone can see them and make sure to be consistent about them. Nothing confuses a child more than an inconsistent parent. Letting someone off the hook isn’t a wise way to deal with a broken house rule. Children should be aware that there will be consequences to their actions and it is your responsibility to help them gain awareness of this. No need to go hard about it though.
- If you have more than one child, make cleaning their bedroom a friendly competition. Make the prizes fun and exciting.
Call Pristine Home
Let us help you and your children turn your home into a clean, clutter-free space. Contact us for a quote and schedule a clean today. Enjoy $20 off your first booking and see the difference. Your safety is our utmost priority; we use your cleaning materials to avoid cross contamination and all of our professional cleaners have clean bill of health.
