Isn’t it funny how babies and toddlers seem more fascinated by basic household items, like vacuums and dustpans, than toys? Children love to mimic adults so it’s no surprise that when you’re cleaning the home, your little helper wants to clean with you. Cleaning toys for toddlers are great because they are safe, they help develop fine motor skills, and they are fun for pretend play. Below we break down the best toddler vacuums (including those that really clean), laundry toys, and cleaning supply toys.
Best toddler vacuum toys:
LeapFrog Pick Up & Count Vacuum
The Pick Up & Count Vacuum from LeapFrog is a great cleaning toy for toddlers because it includes 10 colorful “dust chips” that the vacuum actually “sucks” up and stores in the back of the toy. When a dust chip is picked up, the toy vacuum recognizes and calls out its color, helping your toddler to learn the names of 5 different colors.
- Ages: 2+ years
- Batteries: Requires 4 AA batteries (batteries included for demo purposes only)
- Best feature: Actually sucks up toy dust chips!
BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Junior
Modeled after the modern BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster, the Dustbuster Junior makes realistic vacuum sounds with a press of a button. When pressed, beads begin to whirl around inside creating a realistic vacuum effect even though the toy itself doesn’t actually suck anything up. This is a great “mock vacuum” toy for pretend play.
- Ages: 3+ years
- Batteries: Requires 3 AA batteries (included)
- Best feature: Looks and sounds like the real thing!
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Light-up Learning Vacuum
The Laugh & Learn Light-Up Learning Vacuum from Fisher-Price features two audio options: one for music/phrases (including phrases about colors, numbers, and shapes) and one for realistic vacuum sounds. Like a real vacuum, this toy vacuum can be tilted up and down for the perfect angle. It also helps develop fine motor skills!
- Ages: 1-3 years
- Batteries: Requires 3 AAA batteries (included)
- Best feature: Audio option to play music/phrases or vacuum sounds
Casdon Little Helper Dyson Toy
Any toddler who sees their parents cleaning with a cordless Dyson vacuum will be thrilled to have their very own Little Helper Dyson Toy from Casdon. What’s really cool about this cleaning toy for toddlers is that it actually sucks up little pieces off the floor. Toddlers can use the toy vacuum as a floor vacuum or as a handheld vacuum.
- Ages: 3+ years
- Batteries: Requires 3 AA batteries (not included)
- Best feature: Really cleans up messes!
Related articles:
- Teach Your Child to Clean Up After Themselves
- 15 Daily Cleaning Routine Ideas For Kids
- Things You Can Teach Kids to Clean So You Don’t Have To
- 10 Tips for Keeping a Clean House With Kids
Best toddler laundry toys:
Little Tikes First Real Washer
The First Real Washer from Little Tikes features realistic laundry machine sounds and includes 11 accessories for pretend play. Children can turn the dial for a variety of laundry settings, watch the drum spin, and fold and sort laundry. Your little helper can work on cleaning their laundry while you work on yours!
- Ages: 2+ years
- Batteries: Requires 4 AA batteries (included)
- Best feature: Realistic laundry machine sounds!
Melissa & Doug Laundry Basket Play Set
The Laundry Basket Play Set from Melissa & Doug is a great laundry cleaning set by itself or as an add-on to a washing machine toy, like the one above. In classic Melissa & Doug fashion, the iron and ironing board are made of wood. The included activity card is reusable, allowing kids to mark off their washing checklist over and over.
- Ages: 3+ years
- Batteries: N/A
- Best feature: Wooden ironing board and iron will last for years.
Best cleaning supplies for toddlers:
Fisher-Price Clean-up and Dust Set
The Clean-up and Dust Set from Fisher-Price features a fabric duster and sweeper-mop with sturdy wooden handles. The “dust bunny” and “cobweb” accessories can be placed around the home for your little helper to clean up. After the floors are swept, the sweeper cloth can be removed and washed.
- Ages: 3+ years
- Batteries: N/A
- Best feature: The sweeper cloth is removable and machine-washable.
Melissa & Doug Dust! Sweep! Mop!
The Dust! Sweep! Mop! cleaning toy for toddlers from Melissa & Doug includes 5 main cleaning accessories: a dustpan with brush, a mop, a broom, and a duster. Each accessory conveniently hangs from the stand, making it a great cleaning toy for toddlers who play in small spaces.
- Ages: 3+ years
- Batteries: N/A
- Best feature: Durable wooden material
Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House! Spray, Squirt & Squeegee Play Set
Another great cleaning set from Melissa & Doug is the Let’s Play House! Spray, Squirt & Squeegee Play Set. This set includes 9 cleaning accessories including a handy caddy for carrying and storing all the pieces. Children can really put water in the spray bottle, powder can, and soap bottle. As they clean, they can mark items off their reusable cleaning checklist.
- Ages: 3+ years
- Batteries: N/A
- Best feature: Real water can be used in the squirt bottle, soap bottle, and powder can.
What better way to teach your child responsibility and help develop fine motor skills than by letting them have their own cleaning toys that are safe and fun to play with. By introducing cleaning and chores to your child at a young age, they’ll have the idea down when it comes time for them to really sweep the floors, do their laundry, and complete other chores. They will love helping mom or dad with cleaning and get a sense of generosity and working together.
Does your toddler enjoy helping you clean? What do they love to help with most?
Morgan French is a wife, mom of two, writer & editor. After traveling for 3 years with her family, she now lives back in her hometown of Dayton, OH. She makes frequent stops for coffee, enjoys the outdoors, and loves board games.
Our son also adores the Melissa and Doug cleaning sets. We’ve also shortened the Swiffer handle to be kid sized and he loves it!
We had both of the Melissa and Doug cleaning toys and our kids used them SO MUCH they ended up getting destroyed from overuse. Definitely buying again for this last kiddo :)