Easy Chore Board and Spring Cleaning Tips

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Here in Utah, we’ve been having some beautiful, Spring weather.  We were able to spend a good chunk of a Saturday outside. It was so nice I’m itching to tackle spring cleaning and my new chore board is sure to help!

It’s time to start Spring Cleaning

On Saturday our family played baseball, basketball, did some kite flying, and played on the playground. The sunshine and fresh air were invigorating and got me excited for Spring and spending more time outside.

When we got back home, I was inspired to open the windows and start de-germing our house.  I broke out our cleaning supplies, made a fun chore board, and got the family involved and got to work!

5 Quick Spring Cleaning Tips:

We followed three simple steps to clean in layers;
Clean.  Disinfect.  Aromatize.

Being inside a lot during the winter means germs are regularly being passed from family member to family member.  To combat that I came up with these 5 quick Spring cleaning tips to get rid of the winter germs.

1.  Wipe down light switches, door knobs, handrails, and drawer pulls.  These are things that people touch every day and rarely get disinfected.

My kids donned their work gloves, grabbed some disinfecting wipes and got working.  Many hands make for light work, so we were done with this step quickly.

I like to have my kids take a wipe in each hand and wipe each surface down with each hand. That way the surface gets cleaned well regardless of who cleans it.

Disinfect all the toys.

2.  Disinfect toys, blocks, and other hard surface play items.  I had my kids round up all their toys and tossed them in a large, plastic bin.

Because we have little ones who don’t always keep toys out of their mouths, I used one tablespoon of liquid bleach per gallon of water and let the toys soak for 5-10 minutes.  Drain the toys, let them dry, and they’re ready for the next play session.

Soft toys can be more difficult to clean but if possible I like to place soft toys in a pillow case and run them through a gentle cycle in the washer.

3.  Clean or replace sponges, mop heads, and other cleaning items.  Sponges can harbor lots of gross germs if they are kept around too long.

If you want your mop to do its job you need to replace it when needed, or if it’s reusable, wash it in hot water and let it air dry properly.

4.  Change toothbrushes and clean your toothbrush holder.  You should be changing your toothbrush on a regular basis, especially after being sick.

A lot of people forget to clean their toothbrush holder regularly, and it can hold a lot of nasty germs!

5.  Lastly, wipe down electronic items such as phones, keyboards, and remote controls.  Once again, these are items that get touched all the time and can get saturated with germs and bacteria that will keep the sickies coming back.

Make sure you wipe them down with a cleaner appropriate for the device. If it has a screen (like a phone) make sure you use a screen cleaner. You can use a regular disinfecting wipe on remotes and keyboards and keep those germs far away from your family.

DIY Chore Board

During our afternoon of Spring cleaning, I noticed that my kids were much more helpful than they normally are when I ask them to help with chores.  Then I realized it was because they were helping with chores that aren’t what they normally do.

I wasn’t about to let them off the hook from their everyday chores, but I decided to give them a chance to help out with out of the norm chores.  

I created this fun Chore Board of things that I would love help with.  The chore board also has the reward attached, so they are getting something right then and there!  For some items there is cash attached, a small treat, or a reward coupon that they can redeem.

The kids can check out which extra chores need to be done, get a reward, and I get extra help around the house!  This Chore Board was super easy to put together and I’ve included printables for the chores and rewards to help get you started.

Grab a frame, staple gun, baker’s twine or string, and some clothes pins and lets make a chore board!.

Take your frame and baker’s twine and staple lengths to the back of the frame.  You can do it in straight lines or you can do what I did and just zig zag it from side to side.

Using the clothes pins, you can attach the chore and it’s corresponding reward to the string and there you have it!  Super easy and you probably have almost everything in your home to do it! You can get fancy and add an image to the back or just do what I did and leave it open.

Chore and Reward Tags

If you want to use the same chore and reward tags I used you can grab them below. I even included blank ones so you can create your own chores and rewards.

Make sure you explain to your kids that in order to reap the reward they have to complete the chore they picked.  Everyone will benefit if they follow through with the chores the choose.

Jenn and I were talking about what to do if rewards disappear and she said she would likely lay everything out at the start of the day so they could see that it was all in the house and available and then put it away. Then they can bring the chore card when they’re done and get the reward.

To keep things running smooth and quick make sure you have any cleaning supplies they need to complete the job available to them.

What are your best spring cleaning tips or tricks? Share them in comments!