Party Clean-Up With Kids

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Party Clean-Up With Kids. The party's over - and the mess remains. Here are 6 post-party jobs kids can help with so you can call it a night.

Note: If the kids are under the age of 10, they're better off in bed and out of the way.

Older kids, however, are fair game here. Take advantage of it while you can. Not only will you get the house clean faster, you'll be teaching your children a few critical life lessons:

-- If you live here you must pitch in to keep the home clean;

-- No one should expect someone else to clean up after, or for them; and

-- Moms aren't expected to be the family maid. It's a self-service affair (for the most part, depending on age of course.)

Job 1: Trash patrol.

Give your youngest non-sleeper a trash bag and instruct him to collect all disposable products. Remind him that your best silver is not disposable.

Job 2: Scrap scrapers.

Have one kid collect dishes, plates, and silverware. Assign another to scrape the leftovers into a garbage bag or into the disposal.

Job 3: Leftovers inspector.

Mom can decide what is salvageable. But be careful here. If perishable food has been sitting out too long, you're better off tossing it. Remember though, two hours is the rule for most meats and prepared foods with cheese or eggs. You don't want food poisoning along with a hangover, do you?

Job 4: Glass collector.

This worker carefully gathers all glasses and deposits them very carefully in the sink.

Job 5: Laundry tosser.

Now that the table is clear, assign a child to hunt and gather tablecloths, napkins, and washable place mats for the laundry. Treat any stains tonight, not tomorrow when they'll have dried to a crisp. Toss 'em in the washer. Turn it on before you retire.

Job 6: Dish washers.

On the counter by the sink, organize the dishes by type. Glasses together, plates, serving dishes, and pots and pans. Now you have a logical order in which to rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher. This is a two-person job, by the way. Once the dishwasher is full, run it while you hand-wash the pots and serving dishes and anything else that didn't fit in the dishwasher.

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