How to clean up after toddlers
Toddlers can be a joyous rollercoaster of fun days out in the park, finger painting and piggyback rides. Every day should include thrilling new adventures which bring laughter and long-lasting memories to be treasured for life.
However, as you have probably experienced, toddlers can be messy creatures. With all the excitement, accidents are prone to happen. Children are no strangers to spilling their juice on rugs or marking walls with crayons.
Cleaning up after toddlers is a lot of hard work. In this article, TidyChoice provides top tips on how to clean up after your child and minimise mess.
Create a play area
Children love an abundance of toys to play with, and although it’s a great idea to keep them entertained with lots of toys, don’t underestimate the mess it can make!
Create a designated play area or room in the house where the kids are able to play freely with their toys and that way you won't have to worry about accidently tripping up on their toys whilst carrying your laundry basket!
Invest in a toy box where you can put all the toys so that you don’t have to worry about clutter around the house.
Be prepared for spills
Toddlers are full of wonderful surprises. Sometimes those surprises can come in the form of spilled milk or orange juice! Accidents are bound to happen but the best way to get ahead of them is to plan ahead. If your toddler is drinking milk or juice be sure to keep a paper towel handy.
When drinks spill onto the carpet or onto the sofa, be sure to grab your paper towels and dab the stain to soak up as much of it as you can. Time is of the essence to minimise the impact of the spillage.
Once you have soaked up as much of the spillage as possible, mix two cups of warm water with a tablespoon of washing up liquid and use a clean cloth to sponge the stain with the mixture until its gone.
Be sure to gently sponge and not scrub as this can lead to the stain spreading.
Clean up with the kids
Messes will be made and cleaning up is inevitable. However, it does not have to be boring as you can involve your kids and turn it into a fun game! Even young kids can surprise you in what they can do.
Kids naturally like challenges and love playing games so it should not be too hard to motivate them. Who can pick up the most toys or tidy up fastest? A reward at the end for the winner will really motivate them. Even if they are not doing the best of jobs at least they won't be making more mess!
If you have a baby that you need to look after simultaneously, then perhaps invest in a baby wrap. This would allow you to clean with the other kids and look after your new-born.
Conclusion
We hope that you found these tips useful. We would love to hear your suggestions and comments.
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About the author
Guest post by Harry Peters.
Harry Peters is a digital marketer at TidyChoice, a cleaning service platform based in London, UK. Harry writes extensively about cleaning tips and tricks as well as best practice. You can find more cleaning tips and tricks on the TidyChoice blog.