14 cleaning jobs your kids could be doing

14 cleaning jobs your kids could be doing

Most parents would agree that their kids should help them out around the house to some degree.

Apart from the time you could save with a few extra helping hands, learning how to do basic household chores is a life skill kids need to learn. This weekend could be the perfect opportunity to kick-start a few new good habits...

So easy the kids can do them

1. Get them started on washing-up. As well as being useful, it can be fun, as who doesn't love lots of bubbles! Drying-up is a useful skill, too.

2. Baking is a brilliant activity to share. Try making brownies for the week ahead... and cleaning up together too.

3. Washing the car together, with you supervising, is great for teamwork. Even small children can do the hubcaps - you'll just have to wait until they've grown a bit before they can do the roof! Hubcaps can be cleaned easily with a bucket of warm, soapy water.

4. Stripping the bed is a satisfying job, especially for kids. You can also teach them to help you change their duvet covers.

5. Get them to help you with the dusting - give them a microfibre cloth and off they go! Dampen the cloth first for best results; your kids can help you do this.

6. If you have pets, this is a no-brainer. Feeding pets and cleaning out bowls, beds and cages, or helping with the fish tank, is definitely a job with their name on it and a great way for them to learn about responsibility. You can also show your kids how to use lint rollers to remove pet hair. These are cheap and easy to use, even for younger children.

7. Older kids, from 7 upwards, can make their own bed and draw the curtains. Encourage them to do this every day to inspire good habits.

8. Get them into the habit of hanging up their towel after a bath or shower (this can be surprisingly difficult, especially for teens!). Encourage your kids to hang towels near an open window - not on a radiator - to avoid increasing the risk of mould.

9. Ask your children to bring their plates to the kitchen after each meal and, if they are older, to empty the dishwasher. You could even encourage teenagers to help polish cutlery. Make a paste of three parts bicarbonate of soda to one-part water and then apply this to cutlery with a lint-free cloth.

10. Encourage them to put their shoes away when they come in - and help when you are polishing them. If you're worried about the fumes from shoe polish, get your kids to clean the soles of their shoes. This can be done using a cloth or toothbrush dipped in a mixture of water and washing up liquid.

11. Get little ones to hand out the pegs when you are putting the washing on the line... and hang out the washing when they are tall enough.

12. Ask for help with watering the plants - with the appropriate size of watering can (you don't want to tip them over!). If possible, get them to water plants just before they go to bed. This way, the heat from the sun shouldn't be too intense, meaning water doesn't evaporate as quickly from the grass and your kids don't risk sunburn.

13. When doing the laundry, let them sort the clothes into whites and colours. Explain to this is to prevent colours running in the washing machine, as it's never too early to learn handy cleaning tips!

14. Encourage their green-fingers. Give them a corner of the garden (or a pot) to grow plants in and get them raking up leaves and sweeping up outside.