| The most important thing about cleaning away | | | | If damage is on carpet, then use paper towels to |
| after potty accidents is that you don't see it as | | | | blot the area until it as dry as possible. Don't rub |
| only your responsibility, involve your child as much | | | | as that will only destroy the fibres and embed the |
| as possible. This way they will be able to see for | | | | stain deeper in the pile. Once again use your spray |
| themselves the consequences of their actions. | | | | bottle of water to rinse the area and then blot |
| This isn't about punishing them but rather showing | | | | again to remove any remaining liquid. |
| them how to take responsibility for themselves, | | | | A few drops of tea tree oil is not only a great |
| which after all is the point of training them to use | | | | antiseptic but is also a good way to mask any |
| the potty. So don't just take care of the cleaning | | | | lingering odors. Alternatively if you don't like the |
| because it's faster and simpler if you do it, instead | | | | aroma of tea tree you can buy a commercial |
| teach them what to do and let them play a part | | | | smell remover which will do the same thing. |
| in fixing things. How much they will be able to do | | | | Cleaning up after a bowel accident |
| obviously depends on how old they are so you will | | | | On hard floors follow the same process as for |
| need to decide for yourself what you feel is an | | | | cleaning urine. However, you may want to use |
| appropriate task to give them. However, you | | | | toilet paper to scoop up the majority of the |
| might be amazed at what they can take care of | | | | damage and flush it down the toilet. Then use |
| themselves given the right support and | | | | towels for the clean up as per above. |
| encouragement. | | | | On carpet it is a little more difficult. But once again |
| The other benefit of getting your child involved in | | | | use toilet paper to take away most of it. If the |
| cleaning is that they learn that they need to be | | | | bowel movement is loose or runny then you will |
| responsible for any mess they make. For | | | | need to clean it up as best you can by using |
| example, it is never to early to start teaching | | | | paper towels to gently blot the area and then |
| boys to wipe up any spills if they happen to miss | | | | reach for the foam carpet cleaner and follow the |
| the bowl! | | | | directions on the can. If you'd prefer not to use |
| Cleaning up urine | | | | chemicals where your children are likely to play |
| The main thing is to get to it as soon as possible | | | | then you can try sponging the area using a |
| to avoid any accidents, particularly if it is on a | | | | mixture of equal parts vinegar and water. |
| hard floor. Use paper towels to clean the area | | | | Of course, there are many stain removing |
| (paper towels are better than toilet paper | | | | products around that can help with toileting |
| because they don't fall apart dropping any | | | | accidents but its better to stick with water if you |
| unhygienic scraps in their wake). Then spray | | | | are including your child in the process and then |
| water over the area and wipe once more (you | | | | either you or another adult can follow up with |
| might like to keep a water bottle with a nozzle | | | | something to remove the odor. |
| somewhere handy just for this purpose). | | | | |