The early elementary-age child is beginning to help much more in the kitchen. It is natural for them to start assisting in more of the cleaning process. Some people have a lot of small appliances out on their countertops. Since you have or will be teaching them how to clean the countertop at this level, It is just practical for them to learn to wipe off small appliances since they’re already there.

A safe way to clean small appliances is to unplug them first. Take a paper towel or a clean rag and spray it with Windex. Then start at the top and wipe the appliance all the way to the bottom, making sure not to miss any creases or crevices. Help them understand that washable bowls and pitchers or containers that go on the food processor are washed in the dishwasher, and there is no need to wipe those down. You can choose whether you would like them to plug the appliance back in or leave it unplugged until the next use.

When cleaning the toaster, there is also a small tray at the bottom that is removable or opens so that it can also be cleaned. Show them how to do that so that it can be adequately cleaned. Another appliance that has some tricky parts is the coffee maker. You can use this opportunity to teach them how to make coffee. But, you will want them to understand what parts are removable and what components need to be wiped down regularly.

While this task does go hand in hand with wiping off the countertops, it would be best to master cleaning the countertops before attempting to clean all of the appliances. Also, because of the size of most children at this time, it is not recommended that they clean the microwave. There are just too many safety concerns.