I do not do DIYs much anymore just to do a DIY, maybe when the pandemic is over and life returns to a new, more calm normal, I will get back to it. The DIY for the toddler toy cleaning set was inspired by Cole and his one thousand toy cars. Everyday, his car toys littered the living room and I may have slid across the floor before by stepping on one of his toy cars. I used a broom to sweep them up everyday, rather than pick up the cars with Cole one by one. I swept in one pile and Cole would put in his toy basket. I decided why not make Cole his own toddler sized toy broom? He would try to sweep himself with the adult broom (which made it take much longer) but it was much too large for him!
I made the toy broom in minutes one day with some simple supplies from Home Depot. As usual, I went extra and thought, why not a toy mop with some yarn and create an entire toy cleaning set? Why not a toy mop bucket? Why not a spray bottle with a cleaning decal, why not a mini laundry bag from a cute bag I got with one of my linen sheet sets? And down the rabbit hole I went. Everything is super easy to make, the mop does sound complicated, but basically it is some glue and scissors.
I am not kidding, Cole absolutely LOVES his toy cleaning set, if you follow on instagram stories, you already know he is obsessed with the toy cleaning set. He uses the toy broom for everything (including “washing our windows”, lol, he is not quite sure how to use a broom and he is still quite terrible at putting his toy cars in one pile with the toy broom.
The cleaning spray bottle can be filled with some white vinegar and water, maybe you will get lucky and some actual cleaning will be done.
Materials:
2 wooden dowels cut down to size– depends on age of your child- I went by Cole’s height to make a size that would work for him for the broom and mop
Broom Dowel- must be same size to fit into the broom head
Chop-saw (to cut down wooden dowels or ask your friendly home improvement store)
Screw & Drill
Leather Cord
Broom Head (I cannot find the one I used online, it is small and in the $5 price range at Home Depot- it is the perfect size)
Yarn
Strong Glue
Bucket (I used a beach bucket from Target & redesigned it) Easter is a great time to look for a bucket!
Spray Bottle
Optional- Cleaning Decals- here is my cricut design space for the ones I used
How to Make a Toy Cleaning Set
Broom: Place the dowel into the broom head hole and drill a screw thru the dowel and connect to broom head
Mop: Take an entire roll of yarn and place dowel inside it to figure out how high you want the mop yarn to be.
Cut a few strings of yarn and tie tightly around yarn and dowel- this will form the mop head
Slide the yarn down a little and apply a heavy amount of glue to the wooden dowel and move yarn to the glue area. (use a very strong glue)
Trim yarn as needed on bottom to create the length (I forgot the photo for this step but here is a closer shot of the mop)
Obviously, I love the confetti yarn choice, if you want a “real” mop, use a darker color and or use a mop head from home improvement store and trim. You cannot wash them as they are glued to the dowel, however, I am going to stick mine in some bleach and water every so often)
When you are done with both the broom and mop, drill a hole on top and thread leather cord and tie for easy hanging (we have it hung in our playroom on his height level. This step is not necessary, but does keep it organized.
Here is another shot of Cole cleaning (his slide)
Happy Spring Cleaning with your kids!
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