Share with Cif your top tips for getting family members to clean up after themselves - you could win a £250 voucher NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We know that sometimes getting the family to clean up after themselves can be a difficult task, so Cif would like to hear about your top tips.

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So, what are your top tips for getting your family to clean up after themselves? Do you give your DCs pocket money for doing their chores? Or maybe you try to make cleaning fun by starting a 'who can clean the fastest' contest?

Whatever your top tips are, Cif would love to hear about them.

Everyone who adds a comment will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £250 voucher for the store of their choice.

Please note comments on this thread might be used by Cif on their website or on their social media channels: please only add a comment if you're happy for your comment to be used.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

My top tip for getting others to do their fair share around the house is to leave them to it! I tidy/clean regularly but am happy to leave things if I feel they're for others to put away or clean. I think that sometimes by asking or encouraging others you give the impression the housework is your overall responsibility and it can be counter-productive. I feel it's a shared responsibility between me and my husband (and in time our son will take a (lesser) share of that).

DD is too young to clean up after herself (almost 2) but she is very good at putting things in the bin (so if she eats a banana she doesn't need to be told to put the skin in the bin). She knows if there is banana peel or an apple core on the floor she isn't allowed any more snacks until it's been picked up.

DH is fantastically house proud. He is especially keen on keeping floors clean so I don't really have to do much reminding there.

I'm probably the one who lets the side down!

I have a just gone 4yr old and a nearly 2yr old. My 4yr old has always enjoyed filling and emptying the washing machine and putting clothes into the dryer. When she was little I think she just liked pressing the buttons. We shake everything as it goes in the dryer which they both enjoy doing.

I have a long handled dust mop for the floors and they both like pushing that around, though not to much good effect. My oldest even hoovers quite well but mainly because she likes pressing the button to wind up the cord. My youngest just likes turning the Hoover off at the plug

I use a dilute spray with a tiny bit of washing up liquid in for dusting and the kids love squirting the spray and wiping up. I also have a brightly coloured flick duster that they like to waft around but it gets quite a lot done!

I have always asked them to tidy up spills by standing on an old towel and jumping etc so they don't have a problem with cleaning up their messes.

Everyone has a putting away basket with their name on in our house. They live on a bookshelf in the hall. Then when I find random bits and pieces scattered about the house, I just chuck them in the relevant basket (have one myself for stuff I cba to put away properly at the time. Then oneor two night a week after dinner, everyone has to clear their basket.

With the 15yo dss (who's now finished school after gcses) I just leave a list of what I want doing if its additional to his basic things which include making bed, putting washing away etc.
sometimes it is comprehensive, but I find a list works well, so being washing in, fold, empty washer put clothes on line then strip your bed and put on washer again.

He does do it, albeit grudgingly. He is also expected to either wash or dry pots as well, I just find I have to ask, leave a note or text him and it gets done.

DD1 is 6 and she does little bits - like clearing the table and tidying her own stuff away (with some help/"encouragement" from me).

She has started to see how great pocket money can be - but I'd rather not tie pocket money up to doing chores - I don't think it is helpful to pay her for contributing to the home we all live it. Cleaning etc is more personal responsibility that something to pay members of the household to do.

DD2 is 3 and loved wiping us messes she has made.

I have to bribe my husband to clean by rewarding his hard work with cakes!

they have to tidy up to earn computer time.

dd likes cleaning the bathroom basin, and they both like cleaning the windows with vinegar. ds likes loading the washing machine and they both have the job of collecting washing to bring to the machine.

Top tip : i believe kids learn watching you ! So me and OH tidy up while my DD try to help us. simple ;)

I have teens, I have Facebook, I am Facebook friends with both. My knack is embarrassment. This was posted on DS's Facebook wall after he left it in the living room and went out. His friends teased him mercilessly for the rest of the evening

My top one is to accept no mention of them being 'my' chores, or people helping 'me'. They are our chores and we all help out. Sounds a bit militant but I am determined that in no way will chores sneakily become my responsibility given that both parents work.

The other one that worked when the kids were young was having a set song that we played for 'tidy up time'. That song comes on and everyone stops and tides up - but in a fun dancey fashion. I know that makes me sound like a pillock but it worked.

Dd is 2 and loves to tidy away, she has her own little tidy up song and does it without being asked. I'm sure this will change soon. I can't bear tidying up!

nag nag nag nag nag nag nag nag nag

My dad's are 2 and 1 so not much help out of them yet but we do try really grad with our 2 year old to get her to tidy her things up at the end of the day and if we have been at anyone else's house. We turn this into a fun fame of racing to finish mist of the time, with her as the winner.
She also loads the washing machine up with her dirty clothes as soon as we change her and has now started doing her little sisters. So far she is a great little helper.

I have two preschoolers so no pocket money yet.
They have their toys in big, light plastic storage boxes so they can push them around filling them back up.

They help me with the washing, loading the machine, unloading and hanging socks etc on the clothes horse. They actually enjoy doing it, so I just make the most of it and try to make it fun.
And don't moan when they're doing it awkwardly.

my dd who is 10 has a shoe bag to put her washing in. when thats full she brings it to the washing machine. the next step is getting her to load the machine!!!!

I don't have any tips! I need all of yours so will be watching this thread with extreme interest!

My DD is almost 2 and loves to help around the home. She has her own toy kitchen and cloths which she spends ages playing with. Hopefully keeping it fun while she's young will turn into good habits as she grows!

I try to encourage my children to clean with me. My youngest is two years old and is more than happy to follow me round with a spray bottle of water and a micro fibre cloth. She loves to copy mummy and I set out little tasks for her to clean things like the table and the hearth. Setting an example I think is the key to having a clean and tidy household x

Start when kids are young. Sharing tasks by asking ‘will you do this while I do that’ sets them up to be helpful. It has worked in our house of BOYS.

My boys dont really like doing chores apart from the youngest age 7 who likes to help me hoover etc.He recently cleaned the tv and unit with a whole can of polish whilst i cleaned elsewhere luckily the tv survived the polish attack. I find a bit of encouragment and pocket money usually gets the chores done quicker. or the eldest when he cant find his clean laundry tends to help put it away!

I have a wooden wine box in the corner of the sitting room that I chuck all stray toys into. The kids empty it and put everything away twice a week.

Their bedroom is tiny and DC2, who's 3, sleeps on a truckle bed, so their bedroom has to be tidied every night after their wash before bed or we can't pull the bed out.

We have categorised storage bins for most of their things, which helps massively, as they know where everything goes.

My kids av always done chores -as little ones they earned glass beads they could save an exchange for pocket money

I use the bin bag threat too though sometimes this doesn't work on my dc (10 & 8), my other son who's 1 loves helping load the washer or dryer. He also loves sweeping but is scared of my hoover as it's really loud. My main tip is buying nice smelling cleaning products either wipes or those flash sponges although the novelty wears off but the threat of no money usually works. By the time I was their ages I used to wash dishes iron my clothes put the washer on the lot but was brought up in a single parent family and my mam was at work quite a bit so it was down to me and my sister to do the household chores or my mam would of had to do it on her only day off bless her :)