Cami Graham, contributing writer, tidbits-cami.com
WANT TO KNOW my secret to getting my kids to clean? It’s not a monthly allowance. It’s not the reward of having a friend over. It’s not even candy bribery. I’ve tried all those things and more. A mama has to have a big bag of tricks to make chores and cleaning fun, especially if they are to elicit some help for spring cleaning!
This year I’ve set the stage to make cleaning bright, fun, and cheerful with this DIY kids cleaning caddy. They can easily grab it and clean to their heart’s content (which may or may not last more than five minutes).
Creating your own kids cleaning caddy doesn’t take much more than a few essentials. Here are the supplies and DIY cleaning products I love to include in my natural, toxin-free caddy (because you know they will end up spraying more cleaner than they need, and I can hardly blame them when the cleaner smells so lemony fresh!)
You can get a free “Room Cleaning Checklist” printable for kids on my blog, find links to my sources, and see what I like to include in my big girl cleaning caddy (sometimes a mama could use a little cheerful motivation, too!).
kids cleaning caddy supplies
• All-purpose cleaner
• Linen/room spray
• Small dustpan and brush
• Microfiber rags
• Cleaning gloves
• Cleaning checklist
To make DIY Natural All-Purpose Spray, you will need:
• Dr. Bronner’s liquid pure-castile
soap
• Water
• Spray bottle
Dr. Bronner’s is readily available at your market or on Amazon. We love the Citrus scent for cleaning! It is very concentrated, so add a few squirts to the bottom of your bottle and fill the remainder of the bottle with water. I also do this for foaming hand soap in the bathrooms.
To make DIY All-Natural Citrus Linen Spray, you will need:
• Small misting spray bottle full of
water
• 10 drops of lemon essential oil
• 10 drops of orange essential oil
Nothing is better than spraying down a freshly cleaned room with citrus room/linen spray. It will make the bedding, closets, and drawers smell like a tropical vacation. Your kids will love it so much, they will be begging you to let them clean their rooms. (One can hope!)