Shannon Lush - Kids can clean

Cleaning can be fun, really !

Is your room a mess and you dont know where to start? Are Mum and Dad nagging you? Its not as bad as you think. There are some tricks to make cleaning fun.

You can do much more than you think you can . You can build your own toys, you just have to stretch your imagination, and have just a little know-how. You can recycle and help save the planet. You can learn to look after yourself and other people too. You can cook.

You can do so many things but the most important thing to remember is you can have fun doing all of them.

My name is Shannon and Ive been writing books for adults about cleaning for a while now. When I was growing up all the kids in our family learned to clean. We made a lot of our own toys and contraptions, too, as well as inventing our own games and I loved it.

When I decided to write this book for you I thought it would be a good idea to have my 10-year-old daughter Erin to help write it with me. That way, you can see how easy it is to do all these things too.

My name is Erin and Im 10 years old. Like my mum says, cleaning really can be fun. I know what youre thinking All you do is pick stuff up and put it away! But if you put fun stuff into it, like the Cleaning Olympics, you can be happy while you are cleaning. And after youve cleaned you can enjoy a nice tidy house. Then you can relax and have a treat (maybe even two!).

All of us can make mistakes and its a really good idea when this happens to try and make it right. But if you cant make it right, then theres no better way to say sorry like a good suck-up. Here are some examples of why you should suck up:

You feel really bad about something youve done and you are trying to make up for it (like your report card).

You want to go out with your friends.

You accidentally broke something precious and you want your parents in a good mood before you tell them.

Christmas is less than 12 months away and so is your birthday and happy parents are far more generous!

So they wont embarrass you in front of your friends.

So you can twist them around your little finger. Grandparents are even easier to suck up to because they think you are perfect anyway.

You really do think you have the coolest parents in the world.

Here are 10 ways to suck up to your parents:

Make a gift even if its a bit wonky they will love it.

Give them a compliment, the soppier the better (like telling Mum she looks beautiful even in her old trackie daks).

Clean your room without being asked.

Tell your parents dinner is so great its better than takeaway.

Clear the dishes after dinner without being asked, even if its not your turn.

Write a special poem just for them (make sure you include the words I love you, its a guaranteed winner).

Do a chore without having to be asked or reminded.

Get your homework done without being asked.

Feed and water your pets and clean up their poo without being asked.

Is your bedroom a terrible mess? Do Mum and Dad constantly nag you to Clean it up!, but you dont know where to start? Heres an easy way to clean your room in 15 minutes a day!

How to find your bedroom floor again

To clean the mess up off the floor, get a hulahoop or use a skipping rope and form a big ring. Place it over the messiest part of the floor. Now, only put away the things inside that circle area in their right places.

Toys go in the right place for your toys. Make sure you sort them as you go. Rubbish goes into the bin. School stuff goes back on your desk or into your school bag. While you are looking in your school bag, any special notes need to go to Mum and Dad. (More about tidying your desk and school bag in School stuff.) Put dirty clothes straight into the laundry hamper, and put clean clothes on your bed ready to fold.

When youve finished cleaning inside the area, hang your hulahoop or skipping rope up on the wall, ready to be used again tomorrow. Now youve got to remember not to get that spot dirty again. If you clean a new circle on the floor every day for 15 minutes, in a week your room will be clean and much easier to keep that way.

How to find everything in your wardrobe

If your wardrobe is tidy you will always find your favourite T-shirt or jeans without having to take everything out and dump it on the floor where it will get dirty. I sort each section of my wardrobe by colours so that all of the red shirts are together and all of the blue trousers are together. This makes it easier to find something that matches something else and your wardrobe looks like a rainbow. Cool!

Make a wardrobe sachet

Heres a nice smelling mixture to keep unwanted nasties out of your wardrobe. In a bowl, place:

2 bay leaves (these scare moths)

5 whole cloves (these scare silverfish and kill mould spore)

1 black tea bag (kills dust mites)

1 or 2 lavender flowers (they smell nice and scare away flying insects)