A Simple Tip for Cleaning Up Legos
My boys were introduced to the wonderful world of Lego this Christmas. Secretly I love to following a step by step booklet and ending up with a wonderful creation
The only downer? The clean up. Or missing one and stepping on it with bare feet. YIKES!
Want a simple tip for making Lego clean up a breeze? (I stole this genius tip from my mother-in-law.)
Use a fitted sheet under the dumped Legos. Keep the Legos contained to on top of the sheet area, and then when finished scoop up the Legos inside the sheet and dump back into the container. So easy. So simple. So foot pain-free!
The bottoms of your feet will thank me later! =)
This post is linked at We are THAT Family’s Works for Me Wednesday.
I just read about another neat idea for whenever you drop something little. Take a pair of pantyhose and stretch part of it over the end of the vaccum hose, securing it with a ponytail holder or rubber band. Then sweep “up” the item. This would work for those few that get away or for the back of your earring that you can’t quite see, but know it’s hiding around somewhere 😉
I used to think it was cruel, but a good policy from day one is if I step on it, it goes in the trash. It doesn’t have to REALLY go in the trash, but if they think that, they are more careful with things with pieces.
Our boys (7 and 5 yrs) play lego at the kitchen table because they have a little sister who likes to put things in her mouth. We have the lego sorted into 4 shallow clear A3 sized tubs. The tubs stack neatly and are light enough for the boys to get in and out of out toy cupboard – if we had all the lego in the one big container they wouldn’t be able to find the pieces they want. I have also been pulling the instructions apart and laminating them, I use a hinged ring to keep them together, its a bit bulky but at least the instructions aren’t ripped and fall apart.
So smart! We also keep our special projects on cookie sheets with sides. Easy to transport and not lose a piece. Enjoy this time with your boys!
oh my goodnes–this IS genius! There’s nothing like a logo in the foot! My boys them love–and my girl just got hooked {I blame it on her brothers} so this will definitely come in handy!
That is very clever! I use a cookie sheet with higher sides when we are doing one of the small sets too! I was also going to tell you about the pantyhose over the vacuum hose attachment, but Kathy beat me to it! 🙂 Laminating the sheets is a great idea. Those poor books don’t last too long.
So simple, so genius! Thanks for the tip.
If only my daughter would play legos in one neat, contained area ;). I like commenter #1’s idea though!
LOVE it!! thank you MIL Murray! Currently the Legos of my boys have taken over my dining room table. It was a big discussion New Years Day. My hubby wanted to created a town (+ Star Wars World)…I fought it but finally surrendered. Maybe I can talk them into a fitted sheet option? 😉
Love it. Whatever Legos fall on our floor, the dog eats. This might save me a costly vet bill one day.
When my boys were young (long ago) they played with Legos. I had purchased a pouch for the Legos that was a circle perhaps 3 – 4 feet across. The circle had a draw string around the edge that you just pulled when finished playing and you had all the legos in a bag. Great thing that was. It was just hung on their door knob. The could do this themselves. Do not know if it is still available but is worth a try.
Love your blog. Your boys are adorable.
My son LOVED Legos and I’ve definitely stepped on more than my fair share over the years. Your idea is awesome and I wish I knew about it when he was little (he’s 24 now). But something that worked for us was having an area dedicated to Legos. At one point we had a large family room and the furniture was in the center of the room. There was a space behind the couch that was perfect for Legos. He had them all out in that space and only had to clean them up once in a while so we could vacuum. He loved laying on the carpet and playing with his Legos. He was able to work on big projects and not worry about having to put anything away. And we never went back there so we didn’t have to worry about stepping on Legos. And his friends thought I was the coolest mom ever for letting him leave them out. It was a win-win.
My cousins also had an area dedicated to Legos – it was their “rec room” at the back of the house. My aunt & uncle did not use the space, it was totally dedicated to us & the toys, so we had all the Legos in shoe-box storage bins under the bench seat, and a table set up with Lego mats (those big flat pieces you build on top of) all over it so we had a whole city. 🙂 A very fun time!