Dust! Sweep! Mop! By Melissa and Doug Review

Reviewed by Karen H

When this product arrived in the post the first words out of my 4-year-olds mouth were ‘wow’ so I knew it was going to be a great hit for us. The minute it was out of the packaging both my 2- and 4-year-old got stuck in sweeping the floors, dusting the sofa and moping the windows (2-year-olds have interesting imaginations).

A little background for you. Melissa and Doug are a wife and husband team who started their business from Doug’s parents’ garage and built it up to be what we all know and love today. Each product is tested by their own children before being put into production and all of the toys are focussed around developing children’s gross/fine motor skills, problem solving and cognitive skills to name a few.

The cleaning set comes in a simple but durable box with a clear window so you can see the products before you open it up. Once inside the items are held together in the box using cardboard so no unnecessary plastic use which is an added bonus as around 80% of the packaging can be recycled.

The cleaning set is marketed for 3+ but my 2-year-old has had a brilliant time playing with them this week so I wouldn’t be put off if your child isn’t quite 3 years old. (Editor’s note – with adult supervision)

The stand and handles of most of the items are made from wood which makes it really durable and easy to assemble. From opening the box to being ready to play with took only a couple of minutes, so no hanging around for the kids asking if it was ready yet. The stand simply connects together by pushing the wooden base and pole together then the broom, mop, duster, dustpan and brush all hang from the pegs. It feels really robust and sturdy, which is a good thing when young kids are tugging away at it every day. So far it hasn’t fallen over, despite my youngest being quite heavy handed, plus it looks great on the stand when it’s altogether and not being played with.

I love that this product helps children to become independent by cleaning up after themselves. Each item works for the intended purpose but don’t get your hopes that they will be whizzing around taking the cleaning off your hands. This past week I’ve noticed that both children have been inspired by this toy to pretend play and it’s helped them to use their imagination and create some brilliant games. As well as playing they are both keen to ‘help’ me when I’m cleaning up and the dust pan and brush have been a wonderful tool to work on my youngest hand eye co-ordination.

If you are looking for a toy as a gift for an upcoming celebration or to expand your children’s toy collection, I would highly recommend this product. It is good quality toy at a good price and practical for helping your children develop some independence. The only thing my daughter would say is missing is a mop bucket but she seems to be doing a good job of ‘borrowing’ mine.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £29.99

This product can be purchased from Amazon here.