Want to Get Your Kids Excited for Cleanup Time? Use Laila Ali’s Genius Trick

Anyone who's ever lived with, babysat or birthed a child knows that they're tiny, walking mess-makers. Such is the reason we're always on the hunt for tricks to get them involved in cleanup. 

Enter this excellent set of tips from Laila Ali. We recently chatted with the mother, former professional boxer and home guru at a press breakfast for the plant-based cleaning line, Home Made Simple, and Ali was kind enough to share the quick n' easy mom hack that saves her when she's expecting company.

"When guests are coming over, I want the house to be perfect," Ali told us. "So what I do is I have this big, clear container and if there's any clutter lying around the house, we put it all in that container and stash it in the closet so it's in one, neat place."

Next up, she has her kids sort through the bin and return items to their rightful places after guests have left. (Toys to the toy box! Books to the bookshelves!). How does she get them involved, you ask? She has a points system: Each kid has a chore chart in the kitchen. When they complete a task, they get to add a gold star to their name.

"This is just to get them used to having responsibilities," Ali explained. "Sometimes as a mom I just want to get it done or do it for them...this reminds me to hold them accountable!"

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