13 Weekly Home Cleaning Must-Haves for Your Kids

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Oof, your child’s room or playroom is a mess, huh? Even with your best efforts, that original tidy look doesn’t always stick around. Toys and books get strewn everywhere, and the kids aren’t great at keeping their dirty clothes in the hamper. But the real concern is all the germs and allergens that can build up in these spaces. If you don’t clean regularly, those invisible invaders will thrive, which could make your kids sick or trigger their allergies. Doing a quick weekly clean of key areas helps keep those germs and allergens under control, so your child’s room stays nice and healthy.

Think about all the high-touch spots in the room – electronics, books, tables, craft supplies. Germs can transfer from your kid’s hands to these areas. And allergens like dust, pet dander, and mold spores can settle on every surface. Even the storage bins and trash cans can become germ hotspots. Cleaning and disinfecting those spots weekly is key to keeping the space clean and healthy.

Toys are germ magnets – they’re covered in bacteria and viruses that can make your kids sick. Babies and toddlers put toys right in their mouths, giving those germs a direct route to infect them. Even older kids can pick up illnesses from touching toys that other kids have played with. Cleaning and sanitizing toys weekly helps cut down on sickness by removing those germs before they spread.

Use diluted bleach or hot soapy water to disinfect plastic and rubber toys. Porous toys do best with just soap and water. You can also toss washable stuffed animals and fabric toys in the washing machine on hot. For babies, you may want to clean their toys even more often, like every day or two.

The storage bins, baskets, and shelves used to organize toys can also get covered in germs. Every time someone touches a bin with germy hands, or puts a dirty toy in it, they transfer those microbes to the container. Dust, allergens, and crumbs can settle in the bins too. The last thing you want is to put clean toys back into a dirty bin, where they’ll just get contaminated again.

Wipe down any shelves, toy boxes, and other large containers with a disinfecting spray or wipes. Smaller plastic bins might be able to go in the dishwasher with the toys. For fabric or wicker bins, give them a gentle spot-clean with a damp cloth.

Tablets, TVs, gaming systems, and other electronics in the playroom can be real germ magnets. Tablets especially pick up microbes when your child takes them out of the house. And even devices that stay put can collect illness-causing germs and fingerprint smudges. Clean those screens and electronics at least once a week, and even more if they travel with your kid.

Use microfiber cloths to wipe away grease and fingerprints. Compressed air helps dislodge debris. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations for safely sanitizing each device – usually alcohol wipes work well without damaging the components.

Those designated activity areas, like art tables and easels, can also collect germs and allergens. Clean up spills right away, but also do a deeper clean and disinfect those surfaces weekly. Hot, soapy water or disinfecting wipes work well for hard surfaces.

Don’t forget to wipe down the edges, bottom, and tray of the table or easel, since those are high-touch areas. And clean the tools like scissors and brushes too.

Books can pick up germs from little hands and mouths, as well as dust and allergens when sitting on the shelf. Wipe down books weekly with a microfiber cloth or slightly damp cloth. For cloth books, you can toss them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle.

Disinfecting wipes are safe for most book covers, but test them on a hidden spot first. Make sure to dry the pages completely before putting the books back.

Crumbs, dust, pet hair, and other particles can really build up on soft surfaces like couches, chairs, and curtains. Those allergens can decrease air quality and trigger allergies or asthma. Vacuum all the soft surfaces weekly to suck up those particles and keep the space as clean and healthy as possible.

Pull off any removable cushions to get deep into the crevices. You can also steam clean the soft surfaces to kill bacteria and lift out stains. And make sure to wash any throw blankets and pillows regularly.

High-touch surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, remotes, and computer keyboards can harbor lots of germs from everyone’s hands. Wipe those down at least weekly, or more often if someone’s been sick.

Disinfecting wipes work great for most hard surfaces. Use specialized keyboard cleaner for computer keys, and wipe light switches with a cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol. Make sure to leave the cleaner wet for the recommended contact time to fully disinfect.

Dust, pet dander, and other allergens can build up on furniture and shelves. Dusting every week helps remove those particles before they accumulate and affect air quality. Work from high to low, and use a soft dusting tool that won’t damage the surfaces.

Don’t forget spots like windowsills, blinds, and baseboards. You can use dusting sprays to help grab more dust, just check that they’re safe for kids’ rooms.

The floors in a playroom or bedroom can get filthy fast. Vacuum or sweep and mop weekly, depending on the flooring type, to keep dirt and germs under control. Check for small toys first so you don’t accidentally suck them up.

Carpets are tricky – they trap a lot of gross stuff. Vacuuming and deep cleaning the carpet weekly is ideal. For hard floors, use a cleaner made for that specific material.