5 Simple Tips to Spring Clean Your Child's Room
Even some of the tidiest and bravest parents shy away from regularly cleaning their child’s room. Why? It’s usually a constant scene of chaos. It’s better to shut the door and ignore it. But now that you have some time, thanks to the coronavirus quarantine, it’s time to stop ignoring it. Grab your child – and your gusto! – open the door, and follow these simple tips to spring clean your child’s room.
Tip 1: Declutter, and then clean and organize.
Once you get rid of clutter, you can more effectively organize and clean your child’s room. This goes for toys and clothes.
For toys, start by taking inventory. Have three bags or boxes labeled keep, donate, and toss. Grab a toy, decide which box to put it in, and then move on to the next toy. Don’t think too hard or long about each toy. If it’s broken, toss it. If it’s in good condition but your child doesn’t play with it anymore, donate it. This step is best for you to do alone. If you ask your kid, they won’t want to get rid of anything. Once you’ve gone through all the toys, you can create a kid-friendly toy storage system to help your child keep their toys put away.
After the toys, move onto clothes. Begin with your child’s dresser and take it drawer by drawer. As with the toys, have a pile to keep, a pile to donate, and a pile to toss. As you take out each clothing item, place it in its proper pile, and then once a drawer is completely cleared out, you can neatly fold and put the clothes you’re keeping back inside. Repeat this process with each subsequent drawer, and then move onto the closet. It’s a similar process to cleaning out their dresser; just start at one end of the closet and work your way over. If you keep your child’s shoes and hats in their closet, be sure to sort through and organize those as well.
Tip 2: Clean from top to bottom.
Kids are dirty. They have a way of bringing every kind of germ inside with them. So after you’ve decluttered and organized, it’s time to disinfect their room. The best cleaning tip we can give you is to start at the ceiling and work your way down. Wipe down the light fixtures, ceiling fans, and walls. Next, dust bookshelves and dressers. Then, sanitize everyday toys and disinfect play surfaces. And finally, you can end on everyone’s “favorite” household chores: cleaning the baseboards and vacuuming the floor.
Tip 3: Set a timer.
Decide how long you want to spend spring cleaning your child’s room, and then set a timer so you don’t lose track of time. Sometimes it’s hard to stay on track. You may get distracted as you pull out certain outfits or toys that bring up special memories and sentimental feelings. Setting a timer will hold you accountable, and help you stay motivated to get the job done quickly.
Tip 4: Involve your child.
If your child is old enough, why shouldn’t you ask for their help? It is their room after all. Use this time to teach your child how to clean and organize. There are plenty of things they can help you do, such as folding and sorting clothes, putting toys away in bins, dusting, and cleaning the windows. You know your child best, so you know what they can help you with.
Tip 5: Don’t stress over it.
At the end of the day, it is a child’s room. More often than not, it’s going to look a little cluttered and messy. It’s OK if it looks like a kid lives there. You want your child to feel comfortable and use their imagination in their own room. So be happy with your spring cleaning, remember how amazing the room looked right after you cleaned it, and then try not to get upset if it looks like you did nothing by bedtime.
