TIP #88: 7 Art Room Clean-Up Hacks to Save Your Sanity
Art projects can be fun and rewarding, even when they’re messy! But if you feel overwhelmed by the clean-up, it can steal your enjoyment and add stress to your day.
Don’t let the fear of making a mess stop you from creating art with your students. Having a few art room clean-up hacks up your sleeve can help your projects run smoothly from start to finish.
Here are 7 Art Room Clean-Up Hacks that will save your sanity and keep the focus where it belongs… on creativity!
1. Use Dollar Store Shower Curtains for Easy Table Covers
For those really messy projects, grab inexpensive shower curtains or liners from the Dollar Tree to cover tables or groups of desks. Spray painting outside? Shower curtains make ideal drop cloths.
These lightweight shower curtains and liners are the perfect weight to drape easily and stay put during messy projects. Afterward, simply wipe them down or fold them inward to trap small scraps before shaking them into the trash.
Pro tip: If your Dollar Tree is out of stock, you can order online and get free shipping to the store.
My favorite are the clear liners because they won’t clash or distract from the project at hand.
2. Cover Small Work Areas with Press’n Seal Wrap
For individual desks or personal work areas, Glad Press’n Seal is a lifesaver! It sticks right to the desk and doesn’t slide around while students work. It can even be used to mix colors on for small painting projects. When the project is finished, simply peel it off and toss it.
No scrubbing and no stress!
3. Use Plastic Cutting Boards for Paint Palettes
Tired of throwing away so many paper plates? These small plastic cutting boards from the Dollar Tree make fantastic reusable paint palettes for tempera or acrylic paints.
Kids can mix their colors right on the board. Then after class, just wipe, rinse, and dry and they’re ready to use over and over again. They’re sturdy enough for even the youngest kids to manage.
4. Pick Up Glitter and Scraps with a Lint Roller
Do glitter and tiny paper scraps drive you crazy? Keep a lint roller handy!
Simply roll over surfaces to quickly pick up these wayward messes without spreading glitter everywhere. It’s fast, satisfying, and even fun for kids to help with.
5. Erase Sharpie from Desks the Easy Way
Magic Rub erasers work wonders for getting Sharpie off desks and tables.
Let students gently erase any stray marks as part of their clean-up routine.
For tougher spots, adults can color over Sharpie with a dry erase marker.
Then wipe it all away with a white board eraser or an old sock—it’s like magic!
6. Use Baby Wipes for Quick Hands and Desk Cleaning
Place a baby wipe (I like Costco’s) at each student’s workspace when it’s time to clean up. Then ask students to first wipe their hands and then their desk, using the same wipe.
Most children’s art mediums will come right off with just one wipe. Even oil pastels are no match for a single baby wipe! (Don’t be surprised if your students object to the name “baby wipe”, and prefer you call them “wet wipes”. But just be sure to use the ones that are made for babies and don’t contain Clorox or Lysol!)
This simple clean-up hack will prevent that dreaded gridlock-at-the-sink for hand washing. And for classrooms that don’t have a sink, it’s a total game-changer. Your custodians will love you when they walk into your room and see those clean desks!
7. Turn Clean-Up Time into a “Ticket Game”
Make cleaning up fun by using trash and recyclables as “tickets” to leave the art room.
Ask each student to find two (or more, depending on the mess) “tickets” (a.k.a. “pieces of trash”) before lining up. Then stand by the door with the trash and recycling bins, ready for “ticket collection”.
Kids love the challenge and it gets the room clean in record time!
Final Thoughts
Everyone’s clean-up needs will vary, based on their room set-up and the materials they’re using. But a little preparation and a few creative hacks can help make your art room clean-up fast and stress-free.
Try these 7 Art Room Clean-Up Hacks so you can spend more time inspiring your students and less time worrying about the messes they make. Remember, a messy table might just be the sign of a masterpiece in progress!
an inspiring quote
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” ~ Pablo Picasso
This classic quote begs the question, “Exactly how do we remain an artist as we leave childhood behind and become adults?”
One thing that can help us “remain an artist” is removing any barriers to creating art, whether real or imagined. Learning to manage the mess involved with making art eliminates one of those potential barriers!
As we model how to manage these messes, kids will see that clean-up doesn’t have to become a barrier, or something to dread. Having some art room clean-up hacks can be an important tool for supporting a lifelong love of art!