Summer Cleaning with Kids

Please welcome my guest today, organizing maven, Lydia Quibbin-Jones.

Keeping a house organized is always a challenge, especially if there are children at home. Like other mothers out there, I’ve tried practically every tip in the book to make my boys clean their rooms. From syrupy bribes to gentle coercions—You mess the house up, and you mess with momma—to even some tearful episodes down the road, there was just no way of turning my kids into neat-freaks overnight.

With comic books, game boards, used clothes, sports equipment and art works lying around, it’s become tempting to just let things be—knowing that after all mess had been cleaned, my two boys will come running in our house, carrying all sorts of stuff from school.  I don’t mind having a bit of clutter in our house (my home is far from perfect, and I don’t see it becoming ship-shape clean anytime soon)  but I’d like to find ways on how to keep things at bay without spending endless hours on cleaning and organizing.

Since it’s summer once again, our house is busier than ever. I don’t want to spend the fantastic summer picking up after my kids and for sure, you don’t want to do the same. The following tips are taken from my own experience of teaching my two boys how to do things on their own. Mind you, it takes a lot of time and effort to do these, but once you get past the stage of ‘breaking in’, you’ll see the reward in the end.

1.  Define your expectation of “clean”

For most children, the words “clean your room” could mean a variety of things. Without being told exactly what needs to be tidied up, your child might get lost in the process without ever accomplishing anything. Does your child need to sort out his clothes according to season? Do you want him to pick up his toys and store them in a box? Specify what needs to be done, and break down the chores into smaller tasks so that your kids won’t get overwhelmed.

2.  See things through your children’s eyes

If you have small children, it wouldn’t make sense to stack up their belongings too high. First of all, it’s dangerous, and second, it makes cleaning (your children will do it, not you) virtually impossible. Put labeled storage boxes in your children’s room wherein your kids can easily throw in their toys and put in clean socks and underwear. For the closet, hang lower hanging rods and hooks, and place two hampers (one for light and another for dark-colored clothes) near your children’s door for effortless clothes organizing.

3.  Get your kids into the process

Keeping your children’s rooms organized shouldn’t be a solo battle. Form a “clean team”. Involve them in the whole process of sorting their stuff and maintaining organization the whole year through. Start by teaching them how to make their beds neatly if they are old enough to do so. This is very helpful especially if you have a teenager at home (like I do) who are itching to get out of the house first thing in the morning.

4.  Maintain a schedule

Sometimes clutter can get out of hand if you don’t keep a sharp eye on it. Write a schedule of the tasks your children need to do for the week. This gives them a sense of responsibility, and at the same time, keeps their rooms organized. A small cork board or a makeshift blackboard hung on the children’s doors would work fine.

5.  Give them a reward

Okay, I know you’re not supposed to bribe your children into cleaning their rooms. You know how it is for you when you get something done and you just want to celebrate for accomplishing something? It’s the same thing for your kids. It wouldn’t hurt if you treat them out for gelato ice cream once in a while, wouldn’t it?

Your house doesn’t need to be one hot mess even if you have children at home. Teach your kids the skills they need in order to build independence. This could be a family project that you can do this summer. Don’t forget to have fun!

Lydia Quibbin-Jones is a work-at-home-mom (WAHM) and organizing maven who attests to the wonders of practical living. A mother of two, she sees every day as a great opportunity to teach her young boys the importance of keeping a neat home. Aside from being a dedicated parent and wife, Lydia works part-time for light fixture retailer Hinkley Lighting Gallery, where she puts into practice many of her homemaking skills.