Now that Spring Cleaning has rolled around, I REALLY miss my housecleaner. The level of cleanliness in my house leaves much to be desired and would be a challenge for any Mom: three soccer-playing boys (turf, grass and mud) and a super-shedding Shepherd (dirt, hair and torn-up stuffed animals). I fear have a monumental task ahead of me to get to the bottom of the dirt. But maybe if I enlist some “free” help, I’ll be able to get it done.

Free help? Yes, most of us have free help. Mine are lying on the sofa watching “24” as I write this blog. But what can my 9-, 11- and 40-year old boys do to help me out?

Cleaning Out the Refrigerator – A pair of kids, one young and one old can handle this. Talk to them about expiration dates and have them empty out the entire fridge. If you need to, you can do the wiping out but you’d be surprised what they can do if left to their own devices.

Washing the Windows, Inside and Out – This is a great father-son or father-daughter job. The little one can perch on the shoulders of the big person for the tops of those windows.

Scrub Toilets, Showers and Tubs – This needs a lot of elbow grease so what a great job for the man of the house. Plus, men make most of the mess in those rooms so they might as well get in on the cleaning.

Remove the Dust Bunnies From Under the Beds – Children were MADE for this one. They’re small, mobile and can get up and down from the floor much easier than we can. Give them a broom or the vacuum attachment and see what they can find.

Wipe the Dirty Fingerprints From the High Traffic Areas – Kids know where they go and what they touch so they should find them easily. Give them a paint-safe cleaner on a rag (or just soapy water) and send them on a finger-print hunt!

Prep the Outdoor Furniture for Summer Use – If you want kids to have fun, just give them a hose. If you send a pair of them out to clean the furniture, give them each a scrub brush and be ready for them to come in soaked but happy.

We hope we’ve given you some good ideas for enlisting the troops in your Spring Cleaning!

Darcy Ratner
Co-Founder, Rubbingnickels.com

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