Casdon Hetty Cleaning Trolley

Casdon Hetty Cleaning Trolley

I find it quite funny that when a child grows into a teenager, they no longer want to help out around the house, yet young children are quite often more than willing to sweep, wash up, mop the floor and other jobs around the house (minus clearing away toys!!). A lot of the time, though, a child as young as my three year old daughter will struggle or even hinder the cleaning of the house as brooms and mops are just too big for them. Therefore, the only option to keep encouraging a young child to continue helping out is to get them some cleaning things of their very own! This is just what my sister did for my daughter for Christmas, and it came in the shape of the Casdon Hetty Cleaning Trolley – in princess pink of course!

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HELLO HETTY
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Most people will know the name of ‘Henry’, the little red vacuum cleaner and accessories made for adults, and also for children in a smaller toy version, though some of you may not know that Henry has a sister; Hetty. Hetty is the pink version of the Henry in both adult size and children size, and just like her brother, Hetty has some very happy features on the face of all of the equipment!

This Hetty Cleaning Trolley can be bought from many different stores, both online and in the street. The average price for this toy Hetty is between £13.00 to £15.00, though Amazon does have a few at the moment for just over £10.00 which is a great price. The funny thing is, the matching red Henry cleaning trolley is slightly more expensive! Usually it is the pink items that go for a higher price, so that is a great bit of news for little princesses who love to clean! (Or rather the parents of these princesses who have to fork the bill!).

The Hetty Cleaning Trolley is the perfect height for a young child, and although the child grows, it still continues to stay at a nice height even when the child has to bend down to push it as it is more the equipment on it that is used. My daughter is three and the approximate 58cm height is just right for her. My sister is seven and although it is a little small for it, she still lokes coming to our house and playing with it so it is certainly a toy which lasts.

The trolley itself is in black, silver and pink, a colour scheme which continues onto the rest of the equipment and looks rather attractive when put together. The base of the trolley has a slightly angled front part to hold the mop with two large wheels at the back which allows the child to tip it back and push it along easily. The recommended age for this toy is three, though in my opinion, as long as the child is walking perfectly then a younger child will be able to use it, though care needs to be given to the fact that the trolley is quite light and therefore can tip backwards on the wheels easily, knocking the trolley on top of a child who is not as steady on their feet. Part way up the trolley is another base which has groves and hooks in place in order to click the equipment into or hang them from. There are three main grooves which hold the mop handle and the broom handle, and another which holds the cleaning fluid bottle (minus any real fluid of course). There is a small, safe, hook either side to hang the small brush and perhaps another brush or dustpan your child may have. My daughter has a spare dustpan and brush toy which finds its way onto the other hook which is quite handy. On the back there are three raised parts, two of which are more for decoration, though the centre on holds the rubbish bag which comes with the trolley. The handle lacks a lot of grip and is quite slippery, though older children from the age of three seem fine with this. The trolley is very light, though is also very durable with no parts at risk from breaking off.

Although instructions came with the trolley to help put it together, we all know that instructions can sometimes be written in a foreign language for all the sense they make! We found it a lot easier to just follow the picture on the box when putting the base together, and found that it only took us about five minutes if that. There are a few fiddly parts though nothing taxing. The cleaning trolley comes complete with six pieces of equipment, and as already mentioned, all fit nicely onto the trolley;

• Broom
• Mop (plus one mop cover)
• Dustpan and Brush
• Cleaning Fluid Bottle
• Rubbish Bag

The mop and broom do need to be slotted together when you first get this, though like the trolley itself, it is simple to sort out. The broom is in pink and silver with some quite rough bristles on the end. The bristles are very firmly attached and so far, none have fallen out of my daughter broom. The mop covers all three colours of the trolley and has a bulky bottom end, though still very light. The bottom is able to move around like an adult mop and so the child can mop in those awkward places! It comes with one mop cover which is basically a slightly thicker piece of kitchen roll. This fits on the mop is a peculiar way and took us a few minutes to realise how it fits on. The main part of the cover goes underneath to make the mop end and then the edges curl around loosely to the top where it can be pushed into four suction cups to hold it in place. This does not hold it in place very well, though, and ours was lost pretty soon after my daughter opened it. This is not too much of a problem, though, as kitchen roll can work just as well. I think that it is made this way in order for young children to take it on and off themselves, though they did not foresee the design flaw of it falling off so easily! The dustpan and brush are in proportion to the broom and mop and so are a bit smaller, though just as well made. Like the broom, the bristles on the brush are secure and safe and the dustpan has the added lovely smiley face of Hetty to make the child smile! This smiley face is also mirrored on the front of the broom, though in that case is a funny lopsided face which always makes my daughter laugh!

The cleaning fluid bottle obviously comes empty (and also comes with that smiley face again!) though the lid can be twisted off easily and if the parent does not mind a little mess, water can be put into it. The water will squirt out quite fast, though, so be prepared for a little mess! Isn’t that always the way, though, when young children want to help mummy and daddy – more mess made!!

The final piece of equipment which comes with this trolley is the quite large paper rubbish bag, complete with handles to hang it on the trolley. This is literally a paper bag and so is very flimsy and easily ripped. My daughter loves collecting bits of rubbish in here, though, which is certainly a help until she decides another part of the floor is the bin!

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CLEANING LIKE MUMMY
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When my daughter opened her present, she was so excited and could not wait to start playing with it. Everything is easily recognisable so my daughter knew exactly how to use everything, and every day will sweep the kitchen floor for me or use the broom to hunt for cobwebs! As I have already mentioned, the mop cover has been lost, though this does not worry my daughter as we simply replace it with a piece of kitchen roll in which she then puts in her rubbish bag after use. She absolutely loves copying me when I am cleaning, and the cleaning trolley alongside her toy hoover really helps keep her entertained whilst I have to clean, at the same time as spending time together rather than being in separate rooms.

I personally think that this is a brilliant buy. Even at its higher price of £15.00, I feel that it is a perfect purchase for a young child. It is very durable in the main, apart from those couple of extras I have already mentioned, and very lightweight which is perfect for young children. It is a toy in which grows with the child and is enjoyed as much by my seven year old sister as it is by my three year old daughter.

The only question is whether the child will actually clean up or make more of a mess!? My daughter loves cleaning though I do find my piles of mess I have swept up, suddenly all over the floor again, and rubbish she picked up, tipped near the bin though not quite in it, though I am one of those parents who is happy as long as my child is happy, and she certainly is with this cleaning trolley.

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FINAL WORDS
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So the question is, do I recommend this cleaning trolley?

I think you probably already know the answer to this! The price is perfect for the toy; it is well made in the main, and provides a lot of entertainment for the young child. If you are lucky, it may even be a tool to get your child used to helping around the house! I am very thankful to my sister for buying my daughter this cleaning trolley, and it is certainly a toy in which will last.

Fully recommended with honours!