In our family, the kids are the main source of the mess. It?s especially true when it comes to the car?my husband and I often joke that we would have a much nicer and cleaner car if it weren’t for the kids drawing pictures and dropping crumbs in the backseat.
As my kids get older, I want them to learn how to clean and how to fix things when they make a mess. Just like when it comes to keeping the house clean, another great way I?ve found to do this is to clean the car as a family. It?s a small space, so it doesn’t take very long, but it lets my kids see just how big a mess they are making and what it takes to clean it up.
To begin, set aside a time when everyone is available to clean the car. For us, it takes place after lunch on Saturday when everyone is rested and fed and ready to tackle a new project. We gather all of the supplies we need (see this list for the best car cleaning items) and make sure that everything is ready to go. Being prepared helps everything go as smoothly as possible.
Photo Credit ANTHONY THOMAS http://mycanon7d.com/
Each person is then given a job to do. My husband and I tackle some of the bigger jobs that require people with more height, but the kids can each work on something that is age appropriate. My older son likes to dust the dashboard and steering wheel and my younger son likes using the leather wipes and using the hand vac. To keep everyone motivated, we have fun music playing and we enjoy a treat together after the job is done. I often take a before and after picture so the kids can see just how much progress we made.
It definitely would be quicker to clean the car on my own, but cleaning it as a family gives us time to spend together and teaches my kids responsibility?and that is something that is worth a little extra time.
How do you clean as a family?
