Cleaning Day: How to Get the Whole Family Involved

Here at Jordan Essentials we like to clean our homes with natural products, but we also like to get the whole family involved! You know what they say – many hands make light work!

Here are some of our favorite ways to make cleaning day more fun and efficient for the whole family.

Make a list! Before you begin, talk a walk around the house with your family and make a list of every task that needs completing. Include everything from folding the laundry to sweeping the kitchen to tidying the playroom to cleaning the bathrooms.

Assign jobs! Make sure that your list includes a handful of tasks suitable for each age in your family, and then assign every member their tasks for the afternoon. For younger children, it is always beneficial to incorporate some visual aspects for their tasks. It can be as simple as writing their tasks in a unique color on a dry erase board. They also will be more effective when they are given specific tasks. For example – ‘Clean your room’ can be overwhelming for a toddler, but ‘put your shoes in your closet,’ and ‘put your pillows on your bed’ will be easier for them to grasp.

Provide supplies! Once jobs are assigned, determine what supplies everyone will need to accomplish their cleaning tasks. For little ones in specific, they love having their own tools. Here are some age-appropriate supplies and tasks.

Old socks for dusting: Throw old socks on your little one’s hands, and have them go around the house dusting shelves, tables, blinds, and anything they can reach. If the dust and allergens give them the sniffles, simply use our Allergy Magnesium stick under their nose (children 2+).

Broom for sweeping: An adult may want to handle the mopping, but allow your child to practice sweeping at whatever age you deem appropriate.

Green and Clean for the kitchen table and other surfaces: Although Green & Clean is safe enough for a nursery, save this task for older children capable of spraying and wiping down surfaces. It can be used on everything from doorknobs to toys to cell phones and more!

Healthy Home Cleaner for the bathroom: Use the power of Tea Tree Oil to clean the sink, bathtub, tiles, and more! When it comes to cleaning the bathroom, save this task for someone 10+.

Offer rewards! It’s amazing what a small reward can do for the motivation of a child and teen alike, so determine a fair reward for their complaint-free afternoon of cleaning beforehand. This can be anything from more screen time to sweet treats to a trip to the local zoo!

For younger children, you can also hide small rewards in the laundry or any area they may clean, so they can find these as they go. This can be chocolates or tokens they can turn in for rewards (books, toys, movie afternoon, etc)! Be creative and tailored to the likes of your children.

Make it competitive! Make cleaning fun by setting competitive time goals to reach. This is a great way to incorporate some tunes. Play your child’s favorite song, and see if they can finish cleaning their room before it ends. You can also give each child a bucket, and have them collect toys or dirty laundry for the duration of a song. Whoever has collected the most items at the end, wins!

Maintenance routine! After a successful afternoon of cleaning, create a set list and routine that the family is expected to participate in as often as deemed necessary. Of course, you can also create smaller lists that can be completed more frequently such as weekly or even daily.

Every family is different, so it may take some time to figure out what works best within your home. Our best advice is to have fun and be confident that when you use Jordan Essentials products, you are using natural and safe products for the whole family.