Before we go into what is involved, the best thing you can do is involve your child. They need to see that their actions have consequences and what those consequences entail. This is not about punishment but more about teaching them to take responsibility for themselves, which is the whole aim of potty training in the first place. So instead of doing all the cleaning up by yourself because it’s quicker and easier, get them involved and help them to learn a valuable life lesson. The level of their involvement depends to a certain extent on their age so you will need to judge for yourself what you think they are capable of. However, you may be surprised to find that they can handle themselves better than you expect.

The other benefit of getting your child involved in the clean up is that sometimes there can be extra mess even if they made it to the potty on time and you want to instil in them an awareness of the need to clean up when they are done. I’m thinking particularly of boys ‘missing’ the toilet but it applies to both girls and boys.

Cleaning up urine
Apart from doing it as quickly as possible so that no one else steps in it or slips, the best way is to use paper towels to wipe up (paper towels are better than toilet paper because they don’t break down and leave any unhygienic scraps on the floor). To rinse away any residue, use a spray bottle of water to wet the area and wipe again. Put the used paper towels into a plastic bag and then straight into the garbage can outside.

If they have had an accident on carpet, then blot the paper towels against the wet stain until it as dry as possible. Don’t rub as that will only destroy the fibres and won’t help dry the carpet. Again use your trusty spray bottle of water to spray and rinse the area and then press more towels into the carpet to get rid of any liquid.

A few drops of tea tree oil is not only a great antiseptic but is also a great way to mask any lingering odours. Alternatively if you don’t like the smell of tea tree you can purchase a smell remover from the supermarket which will do the same thing.


Cleaning up after a bowel accident
Once again it is best to do this as quickly as possible so that the stain doesn’t have time to set.

On tile or wooden floors this is relatively easy as per cleaning urine. However, you may want to use toilet paper to scoop up the majority of the poop and flush it down the toilet. Then use paper towels for the clean up as per above.

On carpet it is a little more difficult. But once again use toilet paper to take away most of it. If the bowel movement is loose or runny then you will need to clean it up as best you can by using paper towels to gently blot the area and then reach for the foam carpet cleaner and follow the directions on the can. If you’d rather not use chemicals where your children are likely to play then you can try sponging the area using a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water.

You could use one of the many antiseptic products on the market to help with cleaning up but if you are involving your child then it is better to only use water and then either you or another adult can follow up with something to take away the smell.