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Spring Cleaning with Kids

By Annette Benedetti

Spring is on its way and that means it’s time to tidy your house before the summer’s madness and mayhem arrive.

If you are dreading the task of clearing the closets and wiping the dirt from the walls, try reframing your mindset. Instead of looking at spring cleaning as an overwhelming chore, think of it as an opportunity to clear the clutter from the long, dark, winter days, meanwhile bonding with your kids before the season of pool parties and outdoor adventure arrives.

Getting The Kids Involved

Getting your kids to help is not a pipe dream. The following tips will do more than just get them involved in the cleaning; they’ll be invested!

1. Give them a say: Your house is a home to everyone who lives in it. Let your kids have some say in how the cleaning and reorganizing will happen in shared spaces like the family room, game or TV rooms, and especially their own rooms. Get their input on how they’d like furniture rearranged and items reorganized. A little bit of power encourages their buy-in to the process, especially when it comes to their personal space.

2. Make cleaning time family time: Kids are more likely to be amenable to cleaning if they feel like the family is in it together. It becomes something they get to do with you rather than something they are being made to do by you. Don’t underestimate the bonding power of quality time together, even if it is spent going through drawers and chasing dust bunnies.

3. Make it fun! Grab your kids’ favorite snacks, turn on your family’s favorite tunes and turn your tidying sessions into the Spring-Cleaning Fest! Get creative. If your kids like reading, put on an audiobook while you work together. If gaming is their thing, play “I Spy” together. You might be surprised at how much fun you have.

4. Adjust your expectations and don’t nitpick: Know that your kids, especially the younger set, aren’t going to do any cleaning job at your level. Remember to praise them for the work they’ve done before correcting them. A good cleaning spirit is easily broken.

5. Work for reward & celebrate! Dangle a carrot and remind your kiddos to keep their eyes on the prize. Let your young workers know that at the end of each task or workday you will celebrate with something that brings them joy (and you too). The payoff can be a treat, a special outing or something they choose with you in advance.

Spring Cleaning Tips

Now that you’ve got your cleaning crew together, the following are some tips that make spring cleaning simple:

Go room by room: Divide and conquer may work for a crew of adults, but families that work together avoid fits, boredom and jobs left half done. Make a task list for each room and knock out the entire job before moving on.

Getting rid of things: If you find it difficult to throw things out, start by dividing them into these four categories: trash, give away, store, or put away. Things that go in the trash or recycling include old paperwork, expired items, broken toys and clothes that are torn and badly stained, and get rid of those mismatched socks! Unworn clothes can be given away or donated, and winter supplies can be stored. Everything else should be put away.

A place for everything: Once you’ve trashed, stored and done the donation drop, find a place for everything else. If there isn’t a place, then make a place.

Go for the big refresh! Once you’ve decluttered and cleaned, do the big refresh. Move furniture and add some colorful pillows and blankets to give your environment an updated feel. Let your kids pick new posters for their walls and new sheets for their beds. If you feel like going all out, freshen up the walls with a new coat of paint.