Clean Your Bathroom … and Let the Kids Help

The youngest kids will be happy to clean right alongside you—so long as you create a playful atmosphere. “Use music to make cleaning fun,” says green cleaning coach Leslie Reichert, author of The Joy of Green Cleaning. “And remember: not your favorite music, but your child's favorite.”

Get your kids thinking about organization early on. “Have them put their toys away after bath time,” says organization expert Jennifer Ford Berry, author of Organize Now! Color-code your toy buckets or use stickers so kids can start to learn what goes where, and then place them under a bathroom sink.

It’s important to make cleaning a routine. However, younger kids may need something more than just learning the value of hard work. “Try to figure out what motivates your child,” says Reichert. “Some children like charts, stickers or even just a small treat. Whatever motivates your child, use it to help them learn how to make cleaning a habit.”

RELATED: 13 Common Cleaning Mistakes

By preschool, your children can handle all laundry that comes through the bathroom space. “They should put dirty clothes that they take off into a nearby laundry basket, and hang up their towels on hooks,” says Ford Berry.

During elementary school, your kids can take more initiative cleaning their bathrooms. Start with the basics, and wipe down a window. “Have your children learn to clean with just water,” says Reichert. “Fill up a spray bottle. Have your child use the spray bottle and a microfiber cloth to help you clean windows. By using microfiber and water, you may actually get your windows clean!”

Continue with the water wipe-down, having your kids clean bathroom sinks and countertops. Ford Berry recommends children do this a couple times a week. If it’s helpful, designate two days for bathroom cleaning and ask your kids to remember them so you don’t have to nag.

RELATED: Spring Cleaning Tips

Old toothbrushes, empty shampoo bottles and broken brushes have no place in your kids’ bathroom. Have children nix old items at least once a month. “Clutter is the main reason that rooms don't get cleaned,” says Reichert. “Teach them that they can get rid of the things they do not use, and show them where and how to do it.” That could mean recycling empty containers or taking items to the trash bin.

Not-so-breaking news: Cleaning toilets and mirrors are not fun tasks. However, Ford Berry says you should teach your kids how to do both these chores by age 10 or 11. Show them how it’s done once or twice, and then they can add these to their weekly to-do list.

By their teenage years, they should have all the skills to keep up near-spotless bathrooms. “Kids should scrub bathtub and shower weekly, launder the shower curtain or change it out every few months, wash the floor with water and vacuum out all vents,” says Ford Berry. And remember: Model all cleaning behavior with your own bathroom, because your kids are watching your cleaning habits. They will instinctually follow your lead, for better or worse.

Lastly? “Take a picture of what their bathroom looks like clean,” says Reichert, who says kids can keep this shot in a drawer for reference. Before they’re done cleaning, they can take a quick peek at the photo and recognize which chores they might have forgotten.

RELATED: Making Cleaning Fun for Your Kids