You never truly know how messy life can get until you have kids. You will find glop and goo on yourself and around your home that you never even knew existed. They will spill anything and everything. They will touch everything and anything with goo on their hands. There are days it can feel like a full time job trying to keep up with the messes your kids make. Just when you think there are no more messes to make, they make another one. The only way to survive it to make sure you have these 10 tools for cleaning up your kids’ worst messes.
Baby wipes
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Baby wipes are not just for cleaning baby’s bottom. They are so versatile. I’ve used them to wipe the walls, stair railings, car interiors and much more. My kids are way out of the diaper stage and we still carry a pack in each car for cleaning messy hands and faces. Here are 10 more surprising uses for baby wipes you may not have thought of.
Carpet Cleaner
Our carpet cleaner is one of the best cleaning tools I have ever paid for. While carpet cleaners are not cheap, they are well worth the price. I would much rather use the carpet cleaner to clean vomit and other fluids out of carpet than hand scrub it. This is especially true in the middle of the night. I’ve also used it to clean furniture and auto upholstery. My car has a tan cloth interior and my kids had managed to get the seats pretty dirty despite the car seats being on them. I have used the carpet cleaner multiple times to clean the car seats and make them look like new again.
Vacuum Cleaners
I know a vacuum cleaner is pretty obvious. Most people own one. The trick, is to invest in multiple vacuums of different sizes. This can be so helpful depending on the mess that your kids create. We have an upright vacuum, a cordless hand vacuum, a small canister vacuum and a shop vacuum. The upright will keep your floors clean and allow you to suck up dry spills on the floor quickly. The hand vacuum and canister vacuums will allow you to pick up small spills or hard to reach spills in the home or the car. The shop vacuum is for bigger areas in the garage or outside.
Some moms I know also have the self propelled vacuums and love them. I don’t know how you would use them if you have a large, unexpected mess though. I would definitely have at least an upright vacuum and a small hand vacuum in addition to the self propelled vacuum.
WD-40
WD-40 is marketed as a lubricant for metal parts, but it can also be a terrific stain remover. It can remove is a Crayons from walls, spaghetti sauce from carpet, remove sticker adhesive and oil and grease stains. You should keep it away from clothing and be sure to wash any clothing or fabric it comes into contact with, because it does have a distinct odor.
Whiteboard Markers
You may wonder how on earth a whiteboard marker could be a cleaning tool. You would be surprised. Whiteboard markers are one of my secret cleaning tools. If your child gets hold of a permanent marker a whiteboard marker will take it off of many surfaces. I’ve used it to get marker off of walls, book covers, appliances and many other household items. I would always test an area first. The white board marker will not work on fabric and other porous objects.
Tide Stain Pen
I am waiting for the day that Tide makes a giant stain remover pen. That would make my day. Why? Because Tide stain removing pens are so awesome for getting stains out of clothing. There have been times when they truly make stain disappears of my kids clothes. Stains I thought would not come out. I love that Tide stain removing pens are small and can be kept in a purse or travel with you on vacation.
Goof-Off
Goof Off is one of those super versatile products that take a variety of stains out. It can help remove adhesives like duct tape, or marks from crayon , wax, super glue, latex paint, wine and stickers. At one point or another as a mom you will definitely need to remove stickers or crayon from something! As with any stain remover, be sure to follow the directions.
Goo Gone
We love Goo Gone at our house. It smells good and does an awesome job of removing sticky goo from items around the house. I’ve used it the most on getting stickers and price tags off of items.
Dawn
The makers of Dawn are not kidding when they say it takes grease out of your way. There is a reason they use it to clean up animals after an oil spill. It works. If you find a favorite shirt or pants ruined by a grease stain, treat it with Dawn . You just rub some Dawn and water into the spot, let it sit for about 30 minutes and then wash.
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
Most people have heard of Magic Erasers. If you haven’t, you need to run out and get a package. They really are magic at getting out stains especially on white surfaces. I use them in sinks and the tub. I also use Magic Erasers on the plastic interior of the car. This is another item that you should test out before you use it too much. As a friend posted on Facebook, do not use it on your child’s skin.
Lots of Patience
Let’s face it, kids are messy. They make messes by accident and on purpose. You can totally lose your cool and yell at them or you can save your sanity by being ready for anything. If you have these tools on hand at your home you will be able to combat most messes they make pretty easily. The best way to handle the messes is with patience, grace and lots of love. After all, they will only be young once.
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