How to Clean the Tough Stuff: Your Kid’s Bedroom

Aren’t children the cutest? They’re the apple of your eye, your ray of sunshine, and your worst nightmare when it comes to managing a clean household.

Although they may leave their stuffed animals and games all over the house, the biggest cleaning challenge that comes with children is trying to keep their rooms clean. Today I’m going to give you just three tips the little tricks you can use to do some heavy duty cleaning in one of the most notoriously dirty rooms in the house.

1. Organize, organize, and organize. This goes without saying, but when you have children, your biggest weapon is to be organized. Being organized with children means that every toy has a place, only specific pillows belong on the bed, and every item of clothing that is too old or too small to wear is donated to charity or thrown away.

So in order to accommodate all of your child’s stuff, be prepared to be a regular visitor to the plastic bin and container aisle. Buy different colored bins for different groups of toys. Let your little one decorate and personalize the storage units for each type of toy/ game. Buy several bookshelves that are shorter or can hang at their level so they can help mommy or daddy put away all their things.

2. Remove the sticky stuff. So even though everything now has its place, the battle with your child’s room has just begun. When it comes to the sticky stuff (gum, candy, stickers, you name it) there are a variety of good and natural ways to get rid of them all. Remember to test these out before you really start to scrub away. We want to make sure that your surfaces don’t get scratched or faded with these methods. Here are just a few ways to clean common sticky items:

-To remove gum from the carpet, put a cube of ice on the area and
wait until it melts. You should be able to lift the piece right up.

-To remove stickers from any surface, dab a little bit of petroleum
jelly on the sticky area and start to scrub. If it doesn’t work, try
alternating with a warm soap washcloth and the petroleum jelly.

-To remove candy from solid surfaces, try scrubbing with a warm
and wet sponge with a few dabs of white vinegar. To remove candy
from carpets or upholstery, place ice on the gooey area and scrape
when completely melted. If there’s a stain on the carpets or the
furniture, call KIWI for a carpet cleaning or upholstery cleaning
before the stain sets.

-Protect your carpets and upholstery with carpet sealant and
furniture sealant. Trust me. It’s a life saver.

3. Cleanse the toys. Making sure all of your child’s toys are nice and clean is especially helpful during cold and flu season, but it’s a good habit to get into for the whole year.

Put dirty stuffed animals in individual pillow cases and tie a good knot so they can’t escape during the washing cycle. Make sure to watch out for stuffed animals with batteries or plastic pieces and leave them out of the wash cycle. All other plastic or wooden toys can be easily disinfected in a bath of warm water with 1/3 cup of distilled white vinegar.

Use these three simple tips and you’ll be well on your way to making your ENTIRE home clean. Happy cleaning, and happy new year!