A Functional Children’s Toy Cleaning Set

If your child loves to help you around the house with daily chores like cleaning, it’s time to give them their own kids cleaning set. I love the parenting mantra, “don’t do things for your kids that they can do for themselves.” 

My first son was about 15 months old when I started encouraging him to help me clean around the house. The expectation was never for him to do a good job per se. My goal was only to spark his interest, make him feel important and included in my tasks.

Now my son is almost 4 and he is fully capable of tasks like wiping spills, sweeping piles into a dust pan, transferring clean laundry to the dryer, folding small towels, putting toys back where he found them, and more. His baby brother is now 16 months old and I’m starting the process of encouraging him to clean beside me as well with kids cleaning tools.

With that said, non-functioning kids cleaning toys are not going to keep your child’s interest for long, nor will they help your child learn how to complete the cleaning task at hand. The “toys” included in this post are all functional cleaning products that are simply child-sized. 

Kids Toy Cleaning Sets

Melissa & Doug Cleaning Set 

If you’re interested in a one-stop-shop for child sized cleaning tools, this is a great option. This Melissa & Doug cleaning set is extremely popular because it’s affordable, functional, and not made out of cheap plastic. Included is a standing broom, a hand broom, dust pan, duster, and a mop. If you sweep and mop your house regularly (we have to after every meal with our kids!), your child will likely be very happy to “help” with this set of simple kids cleaning tools.

Kids Floor Cleaning Tools

Is your child interested in certain cleaning tasks more than others? My son is VERY interested in helping me sweep and mop the floors since we have to do it so often (did I mention that toddlers are messy?). Below are my recommended children’s mop and broom set and vacuums.

Functional Toy Broom

I like this broom because it is well made from sustainable materials. I also like that it has a leather hook so we can hang it on the wall in our kitchen. My son is practicing putting objects back where he found them so having a designated hanging space for his broom is helpful.

One thing to note, this broom is about 36” tall from top to bottom. My younger son is a tall 16 month old but he still has trouble managing this broom. Until he fully grows into it, he will continue to get more use out of his hand broom.

Kids Hand Broom

A hand broom is great for sweeping piles onto a dustpan. It’s also a nice alternative for smaller toddlers who aren’t able to manage a kids standing broom just yet! This woven whisk brush is extremely light, making it easy for small hands to manage. It’s also sustainably made from materials that are easy to compost.

We love ours so much we have one dedicated to inside messes and a second for outdoor messes. My boys tend to dig soil out of my pots and raised beds so lots of sweeping to do outside too!

Kids Dustpan

This kids dustpan is excellent for toddlers. It’s small and lays flat on the floor so your child doesn’t have to hold it steady while they sweep debris into it. It’s wood so it isn’t too heavy like a metal dust pan but it isn’t flimsy and won’t move around on the floor like plastic versions.

Functional Toy Mop

When I deep clean our floors with my spin mop, my son loves following me around with this cute kids rope mop. I love that it doesn’t have any plastic components. My son loves that it looks similar to my “grown-up” mop.

But for everyday floor mopping, I usually turn to my Cuban mop. I am still figuring out how to make a miniature version of one for my kids. As an alternative, my boys have really enjoyed practicing with the flat mop from this Lovevery Storyteller Play Kit.

Toy Vacuum

When my first son was younger he was OBSESSED with vacuums. There was a months-long period when we had to say “hi” to our vacuum in the hall closet every time we passed it. My mother-in-law noticed this and gifted him a small toy Dyson vacuum of his own. These two toy vacuums advertise actual suction capabilities, but in practice they are pretty ineffective. Great for copying mom or dad but not great for enabling kids to actually clean the floor.

Hooks

Now that you have a children’s broom set and possibly a toy vacuum for your child, where are you going to store them? We hang our kids toy cleaning set on hooks in our kitchen area. Hooks make it easy for my boys to take their kids cleaning set items down and put them away when they’re done. 

Kids Window Cleaning Tools

Both of my boys absolutely love washing windows. At least once a day my younger son grabs his children’s spray bottle and squeegee and runs over to me so I can help him spray down our sliding glass doors. Below are the child-sized window washing tools that he uses and loves.

Spray Bottle

I bought an 8oz glass spray bottle because it’s easier for my toddler to carry than my regular 16oz spray bottles. His hands are still a bit too small to manage the spray function, but he carts his little spray bottles to me so I can help him wet down our windows. I fill it with non-toxic DIY window cleaning spray so I don’t worry about him using anything dangerous!

Squeegee

The squeegee is the primary reason my boys love washing windows so much – I had to purchase two so they could both squeegee at the same time. Even if coordination is lacking a bit, the effort is what counts!

Microfiber

After trying their hand at the squeegee, I pass my kids a microfiber to wipe down the excess drips. To make it easier for my younger son to manage, I cut one of my microfiber cloths into quarters so they fit in his tiny hands.

Child Sized Surface Cleaning Tools

My kids love their table and chairs (we started with this set, which was great for crawling age to around 3 years old then upgraded to this table and chairs, great for taller 18-month-olds and up). They eat snacks and work on craft projects all at their little table. After these activities are over there is usually a bit of a mess to clean up… Below is the kids cleaning set they use to help me wipe down surfaces.

Small Wash Towels or Cloth Hand Mitts

I cut up a few of our wash towels into quarters so they’re easier for my kids to manage. Ours are stored in a low kitchen cabinet so the kids can grab one whenever they spill something wet.

I have also seen people sew small wash towels into little rectangular hand mitts (you can also buy pre-made hand mitts). These make it easier for small kids (15-24 months) to wipe up spills effectively.

Sponges Cut in Half

I cut our regular dish sponges in half to better fit their little hands. For my youngest, I’ll get one wet and hand it to him after meals. He wipes it around on his high chair tray for a few seconds before I pull him out. 

Again, in all of these tasks my only goal is to help them develop the habit of cleaning up after themselves. My hope is that once good habits are established, the repetition of each task will eventually lead to better and better skill.

For more ideas on “practical life” kids toys, I encourage you to read my post on minimalist toddler toys inspired by Montessori learning. Plus here are my toddler must-haves and a few tips for keeping a minimalist play room.