How To Have a Cleaner AND Responsible Kids

Many parents try to figure out whose job cleaning is. Should their children take part in it? Should they hire a professional cleaner? Within these decisions, we seem to walk a fine line between responsibility and entitlement, clean and dirty. Is it possible to have both responsible children and a clean home? The answer is yes. Find out how to have a cleaner and responsible kids.

Does the following mental monologue sound familiar?

I want my children to learn how to clean, to not feel entitled, and to respect and be responsible for their home and belongings. I also want a truly clean house, but do not have the time to get it done the way I would like it, and my children, aren’t the best at it. They cut corners, are eager to get to playing on technology, and frankly don’t have the skill set or dexterity to complete cleaning tasks to the level I’m hoping for. I’m not sure I need to end this cycle of frustration. How can I have a cleaner and still raise responsible kids?

If I Hire a Cleaner Will My Children Still be Responsible?

If you wonder whether hiring a cleaner will spoil your kids, you are 100% normal. We all want our children to grow up to be successful humans and, as such, they have to dig in and do some dirty work. Learning how to tackle physical tasks like household cleaning builds resiliency, skill, and perseverance. If we remove these valuable growth opportunities, children face the risk of facing larger life challenges on a crumbly foundation built of meager accomplishments. Next, apprehension and risk aversion ensue and the likelihood of failure increase. So it’s important to have children take part in routine and even deep cleaning tasks.

Fortunately, there is a way to do this and still have the results of an exceptional clean trough a professional cleaner.

So How Do I Keep My Kids Responsible?

The key is knowing which cleaning task children are capable of and then providing them with the tools and teaching to successfully complete each one.

Luckily we created a quick chore list to help you out. The list below breaks down each area of your home into tasks that can be assigned to children. Begin by assigning your child a mere part of a task and then, as they grow, add on elements (for example: pick up the toys in your room -> dust and wipe down furniture surfaces -> make your bed -> organize your bookshelves: sort & categorize / purge / organize / stage -> vacuuming -> changing out light bulbs, dusting ceiling fans -> clean your room). Adapt assignments depending on the abilities of each child.

As you assign simple household cleaning tasks to your child, you will reap the benefits of both a clean home and responsible children! Your children will learn valuable skills and develop traits that will serve them and others well throughout the remainder of their life. In the meantime a professional cleaner can ensure that the more dirty, heavier trafficked and high risk areas of your home receive the proper cleaning and sanitation they need.

Check out the checklists below to see who tasks are divided between children and a professional cleaner.

The Responsible Kids Checklist

The Cleaner’s Checklist

Are you ready to hire a professional cleaner AND have responsible kids? Give us a call for a 60-second estimate and to book your first cleaning today. Mention this blog and we will get you started with a kid cleaning plan and customizable chore list like this one.