Two of these giant green boxes with cleaning supplies showed up on my doorstep last week from Swiffer. Ordinarily, I would never get excited about cleaning supplies but Swiffer is in a little bit different category – I think because it’s so easy and disposable, the minimal amount of effort needed to swiff is not as daunting as, say, vacuuming which requires physical exertion and a considerable amount of time because you have to lug the vacuum up and down the stairs (muscle strain!), plug it in to the wall (SUCH a hassle), vacuum the room (finally), then have to move to another plug because the extension ran out (grrr frustrating), etc. A swiffer, on the other hand, just requires the device and a dust insert.
Actually, it’s so simple that kids can use the Swiffer. So, I had a Swiffer playdate with our next door neighbors, and the activity for the kids was to clean our floors – particularly under the couch and furniture. SURPRISE, KIDS! NEW TOYS!!!
I made the Swiffer Sweeper shorter by only using 2 out of the 4 rods to create the handle. Perfect size for an almost 2 year old and a 4 year old!
The little blond, our neighbor, has a serious love for the broom, so I knew this new toy would be a very exciting gift: and sure enough, within minutes of giving it to him, the child was clearing off the dust from our floors.
Even my husband likes the Swiffer and used it today to do a little light dusting on the floor behind some furniture, and as he was hunched over, asked “Why in the world is this thing so short!?” haha
My friend and her cleaning toddler got to keep the other box for themselves, and I would just like to note that I selected her as the recipient not because she needs cleaning supplies, but because she is 1) next door and 2) has a son that loves to sweep. It has nothing to do with the state of her home.
I taught Thomas to clean under the furniture like the sofa and the shelves, a very amusing activity, until he wanted to touch the dust that the Swiffer trapped and I had to intervene with a new lesson about keeping your hands on the handle and the Swiffer on the floor.
Interesting fact from Swiffer: Eighty-five percent of American couples say that cleaning tensions add stress to their relationships at home. However, 96 percent of adults say that having a clean home makes them happy. So, no one wants to do the actual cleaning but everyone wants a clean home. I’m not sure a statistical study was necessary for that conclusion, but, I too would like a clean house without having to do any of the actual cleaning. So this new plan to get my child involved with his new Swiffer Sweeper toy is a great solution.
Another tip: I’d suggest sticking to the Swiffer Sweeper, handing over the duster nearly ended in disaster when he tried to dust the counter we had a lot of breakable things on, like my camera that I’d just set down, the concept of “being careful” and “dusting just the surface” didn’t quite resonate with our 4 year old who wanted to dust at high speeds.
And if you love Modern Family, you’ll love this video with Eric Stonestreet (Cam) and his mother.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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