How to clean lunchboxes on the go … kitchen helper
It’s after school pick-up and the kids are complaining about being hungry, you hand them their half-eaten lunch boxes, but they hardly look appetising. Spilt yoghurt, soggy sandwiches…. it’s a mess.
Below we’ve got some handy hints to clean lunch boxes on the go, refresh what’s left, and, some of our favourite ways to avoid the mess altogether.
- Baby wipes – Baby wipes are every parent’s best friend. Don’t abandon the baby wipes once the kids are out of nappies. The humble baby wipe can help clean a multitude of messes, including a grubby lunchbox. If you are wiping out the spilt contents of a lunch box, it’s best to use fragrance-free wipes with the highest water percentage possible.
- Drink bottle – Berries and cut veggies can often be left banging around inside your child’s lunch box. Fruit and vegetables can easily be revived with a little water; so make use of the drink bottle to give them a rinse and they’ll be ready for round two.
- Food pouches – While we aren’t huge fans of the single-use food pouch we think that refillable food pouches are pretty amazing. Great for yoghurt, pureed fruits, and other foods with a cool and liquid consistency like salsa to pair with corn chips, they keep liquids contained and because the kids can suck the contents directly from the pouch they also reduce the risk of mess.
- Paper Towel or silicone containers – Keep mess to a minimum by putting smaller foods like fresh berries, sultanas, or crackers into silicone cases inside the lunch box. This will contain them and avoid a jumble of foods. Adding some paper towel underneath berries, fruits and cut veggies will help absorb excess moisture in the lunch box.
- Leave fruit with the skin on - Why peel a banana when it comes wrapped in natural packaging? The same goes for mandarins and oranges. This will help keep the fruit fresh for later if your child isn’t interested at recess or lunch.
- Hungry kids are hangry kids, so, taking the time to ensure the contents of their lunchbox can last through the day might just save you from the angst of a cranky kid on the drive home.
