Aww Mom, Do I Have to Clean My Room?

This week, let's talk about spring cleaning - with kids! What do you do to get the kids to clean their room? Do your kids do chores to help clean the house? We asked the Moms Council if they had any tips on keeping toys from taking over their houses.

Laura: Knock on wood, my youngest still thinks cleaning is fun, so it's easy to get her to help around the house. My seven-year-old isn't quite as thrilled with it anymore, so we recently started doing a chore chart and allowance to give him some incentive to help out. 

The thing that keeps us from keeping toys from overtaking the house is plenty of storage bins and baskets. I've long since given up on the idea of "a place for everything.” As long as it's all in a bin or basket by the end of the day, I'm happy and the house looks straightened up.

Tracy: Spring cleaning can be a daunting task, especially in a house with eight people. My way of tackling the spring cleaning is one room at a time. I start in one corner of the house and work my way through every room until the task is finished. I am fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom. If I do one room a day, I can be done in a little over a week. 

When I get to the kids' rooms, I give them the option of helping me. They can either help me and I give them final say in what is kept and what needs to find a new home, or they don't help and I get to decide what items are no longer needed by them. My kids are usually split right down the middle on that decision. Half want to be there and the other half are perfectly alright with me making those decisions for them.

I recognized early on that my house could very easily be over-run by toys. I started teaching my kids the importance of honestly evaluating the use of a toy at a very early age. Every birthday and Christmas, before they put away their new treasures, my children go through and clean out the things they no longer use. They donate the things in good condition and throw out any broken items. It is all they have ever known, so it really isn't an issue for them. 

Wendy: We just did some spring cleaning in Alec's room. I think it helps if you get in there and help them. I don't think they know where to begin if their room is really messy. I still have to remind him every day to pick up his room. During the summer I have him do more chores around the house. During the school year I think he has enough chores to do keeping up with school work, reading and keeping his own room clean. 

When the kids were younger I always had them pick up their toys before they went to bed. Anything left out was mine to throw away.

Michelle: Jordan does dishes, takes the trash out and hangs up laundry on regular basis. He does other chores as needed. He keeps his own room clean - or else.

Jordan knows where it's OK for toys to stay out and where they aren't allowed.

Denise: I’m pretty lax when it comes to cleaning and I’ll admit I haven’t been very strict with my boys. I’m a big fan of boxes and bins, so my little guy’s toys often get tossed willy-nilly into toy boxes when I need the house straightened up quickly. My oldest is 12 and I need to get more serious with him helping out around the house - even if he doesn’t do a good job at first, he’ll never learn if I don’t give him the chance!

I think part of my problem is that I was a messy kid, so my boys' rooms feel natural when it's messy, too. And as a work-at-home-mom, I just don’t have time to do more than a quick pickup most days. Fortunately, my husband understands that I have my hands full and pitches in to help with dishes and clearing the kitchen. I always do a more through cleanup before my parents come over to babysit!

As far as the boys' bedrooms go, if I can get in to tuck them without killing myself on Legos and train tracks, I'm happy. I've got better things to do than have a spotless house right now.