How I Got My Kids to Clean the House

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If there’s one thing I can count on, it’s my kids to make a mess.  A big mess.  Give them one toy and 5 minutes alone and they can leave the house looking like a tornado just swept through.  It’s astonishing. There are finger prints everywhere, some sort of juice on the floor and that one toy has somehow turned into 20 different pieces, one of which I will step on at least twice before they finally pick it up.  And while I love my girls with all of my heart and soul, I have reached my breaking point when it comes to the lack of cleanliness in our home.

Over the last 12+ years, I’ve tried just about everything.  I bought them the little play broom and vacuum.  I started a chore chart. I paid for an app that reminds them to clean and gives them stars for each chore completed.  We’ve asked nicely, begged and even yelled at them and nothing seemed to work… until now. I’m excited to share how I got my kids to clean the house!

I was on Instagram last month and saw a post with this beautiful blue spray bottle from Cleaning Essentials.  It intrigued me enough that I went to the website to find out what it was filled with.  Turns out, it was empty, but what would be inside would change the way my kids looked at cleaning.

When it came to the products we use to clean, I’ve always made sure to keep them out of reach of my kids.  If it’s something that would come in direct contact with their skin, they had to either wear gloves or not use that product at all.  I’ve heard all sorts of things about the dangerous chemicals and would never put my kids in harms way, no matter how dirty the house became.

I’ve always wanted to try and make my own cleaning products but I never knew which ingredients or how many to use. Cleaning Essentials actually takes the guessing out of the equation and makes it easy for you to mix the perfect solution using everyday items that you probably already have in your cabinets at home.

Each bottle lists the type(s) of cleaner you can make in that particular bottle and includes fill lines and instructions.  It’s so easy a kid could do it (with parental supervision, of course).  The more I read, the more I wanted to try them out.  I knew almost immediately that if I could make this fun, my kids would want to participate.  They would want to clean.

As soon as our bottles arrived, my 5 and 8 year old couldn’t wait to get started.  They both really love science and mixing up their own “cleaning potions” was right up their alley.  Iyla chose to work on the green fresh bottle.  With three kids and a husband, we can use all the “fresh” we can get.  There are two different types you can mix… one for the air and one for your gear.  With just 4 ingredients, it was mixed and ready to spray.  The great part about it is that you can choose the scent or switch up the scent by choosing a different essential oil.  We decided to go with lavender.

Once it was mixed, Iyla walked around the house and sprayed just about anything she could find.  I’m sure she would have sprayed her older sister if she had been home at the time (though I don’t recommend spraying people).  The couch, the chairs, the rug… everything had a new fresh scent and our house still smells amazing.

Next, we mixed up the glass cleaner.  For some strange reason, my girls love washing the windows.   This easy to mix cleaner was not only effective, but smelled great and is safe for them to spray!  Falynn had a blast cleaning just about every window she could reach (and asked for a chair for those that she couldn’t).  The next day she was asking if she could wash them again.  I can’t remember our windows ever being so clean.

I think their favorite of all was the DIY wipes.  Reading the instructions on the back of the jar, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t done this sooner.  When I think of the amount of household wipes we have gone through in our home, I’m embarrassed.  I could have been making my own this entire time and reusing them!  Making simple, effective cleaners with ingredients from the home not only reduces the amount of chemicals you use, but it also reduces garbage and saves you money. Oh the money we would have saved on wipes alone…

You just fill up the jar, shake it (giggles are inevitable) and then fill it with cut up cloth, which soaks up the cleaner!  It’s that easy.  Once the liquid had been completely soaked in, I asked “Who wants to clean the counter?”  Would you believe that these two girls raised their hands and were shouting “ME!!!!!!” like I had just asked who wanted to eat some chocolate?  They were cleaning and they LOVED it.  After the counter, they asked what was next. They were actually looking for things to clean!

Once that little wipe was full of dirt (and that wasn’t long), they ran into the other room to show Daddy what they had done.  They were so proud that they not only made the cleaner, but used it to get rid of the daily dirt and grime that filled our home.

The best part is that once these containers are empty, we just refill them!  Each time you refill a Cleaning Essentials container, you eliminate one container from the garbage system. I can’t imagine that we will ever go back.  I look forward to watching my girls fall even more in love with cleaning and trying all of the containers that Cleaning Essentials has to offer.

Have you ever made your own cleaning products? Comment below and share your experience!

This post was sponsored by Cleaning Essentials, however, all opinions expressed are my own. 

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