I like to keep my home really clean. But with three little mess-makers running around here, a clean home can often feel impossible, especially during the holidays! Floor cleaning is, quite simply, the hardest to tackle! No matter where the mess originates, the floor takes the brunt of it. A spill at the kitchen table, leads to a spill on the floor. Dirty boots outside make for a messy floor inside. Holiday crafts and glitter – all over the floor. Don’t get me started on the shoe scuff marks, the crumbs and the sticky grime that kids seem to leave behind! Having a good spray mop is a must and that’s why I use the O-Cedar ProMist every day, multiple times a day! 
I love that I can easily use my own cleaning solution – making my floors clean and safe for my kids. 
The microfiber cloth is also amazing at cleaning and with built in scrubbers, there’s no job it can’t handle. Best of all, I can just toss it in the wash when I’m done and my mop is ready to go again. You can find the O-Cedar ProMist at Walmart in the mops/brooms aisle in the cleaning supply section.
Armed with the right cleaning tools, recruiting some help from the kids is a great way to make cleaning easier. I’m lucky that my kids still LOVE to help – sometimes they even argue over who gets to help mommy with what. With other charts going on in our home and school, I didn’t want to do another chart for the kids. I changed it up a bit with Chore Sticks and my kids love them! 
I assigned each of my three kids a color and used washi tape on popsicle sticks. 
I created my chores while keeping each of my kids age/ skills in mind. I created a list that works for my family and you’re welcome to use them as a starting point or create your own – see below. Simply cut out and glue one chore to each stick. 
I keep the ‘chores’ in one jar and one jar is marked as ‘Done!’ for completed tasks. You can keep all the chores in the jars or assign chores by only keeping a few in the jar at a time. 
As you can imagine, they all want to use the O-Cedar ProMist. It’s quite the popular cleaning tool with my kids! With it’s spray nozzle and easy cleaning, each of them can’t wait for a turn to help me out! 
When cleaning is fun, kids want to help. They feel like they have a role, and it helps to instill responsiblity. Added bonus, your home will be clean for the holidays with less work on your end! 
And my floors – sparkling clean every single time!
What chores do your children help out with ?
If you are interested in downloading my chores to simply glue on your own chore sticks, feel free to download and use these:
Happy cleaning!
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Cristi Comes says
December 8, 2014 at 11:11 amWhat a clever idea! I love how simple it is. My kids would really like that. Thanks!
Beeb says
December 9, 2014 at 10:35 amThose chore sticks are a cute idea! I have hardwood floors also, so I was immediately admiring your mop, lol! I’m curious, what is your homemade mop solution? I might want to try it after I use up the rest of the stuff I have. 🙂
Stephanie C says
December 9, 2014 at 10:40 amThanks, Beeb! I actually just use white vinegar with warm water – I also add in a couple of drops of essential oil. Lemon or Lavender…I find it acts as a bit of a polish and smells great too 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
December 11, 2014 at 1:40 amBoth of my daughters are eagerly awaiting the day they can use the ProMist because it’s so much fun to use! And I love this idea of actually moving the sticks – I’m sure this method really helps little ones to grasp their progress while not only having something tangible and visual to keep track of! #client
Hannah Staveley says
December 11, 2014 at 5:27 amWhat a fantastic idea this is so goo.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
December 11, 2014 at 5:36 amThat is a really great idea. I think I am going to try this with my boys!
Fi Ní Neachtáin says
December 11, 2014 at 6:20 amThe chore sticks are such a great idea. I love the sound of that mop too!
Samantha Angell says
December 11, 2014 at 7:47 amWhat a great idea to get the kids to help out! As a kid, I was always in charge of laundry- no wonder I hate folding socks now!
Mama to 5 BLessings says
December 11, 2014 at 2:04 pmWhat a great idea. My kids have set choirs but this would be a nice way to mix it up a bit.
Angelic Sinova says
December 11, 2014 at 2:06 pmWhat a fun and clever idea! It’s so important to get kids helping out at a young age and this is perfect for them <3
shari says
December 11, 2014 at 2:16 pmwhat a creative way to get your children excited about cleaning. love it.
LauraOinAK says
December 11, 2014 at 2:45 pmI love the chore stick idea. We’ve tried charts, but they don’t seem to work well. But, this might be great with the potential ‘random’ factor.
Echo says
December 11, 2014 at 3:14 pmThese chores sticks are such a great idea! It’s an awesome way to get kids involved and what is it with kids and swiffer type things? They all love them.
courtney says
December 11, 2014 at 3:26 pmWhat a great idea this is!! Might have to save this for when my princess is a tad bit older 😉
Mrs. Mashed Up says
December 11, 2014 at 7:29 pmI’ve actually never seen this before–but I love this idea. Baby Mash has one chore (we started early–he lets the dog out of the pin in the morning). I will remember this idea for when he gets older.
Tonya C says
December 11, 2014 at 9:12 pmChore sticks is such a cool way to get the kids to do chores. My little one is 3 and is just now wanting to get into doing chores.
Myrabev says
December 12, 2014 at 4:52 amVery important to teach kids early on the importance of chores, love these sticks they are very creative and fun looking
R U S S says
December 13, 2014 at 10:32 amI’ve always thought that children should always help their parents in whatever way they can. And, helping at home ( no matter how difficult it may be ) should be family thing. It instills discipline and teaches children to not be lazy. I really like the idea of chore sticks.
Lenze says
December 13, 2014 at 2:48 pmThese chores sticks are a great idea. Does the spray mop work on laminate wood floors?
Lenze says
December 13, 2014 at 2:50 pmDoes the spray mop work on wood laminate floors?
Sharon says
December 13, 2014 at 8:02 pmOkay, love the mop thing…gotta get that, and the chore sticks? BRILLIANT! Why didn’t I ever think of that?
Ellie Swinton says
December 14, 2014 at 7:03 pmThis is really such a wonderful idea! I don’t have kids yet but must bookmark this one for future… x