Just how hard is it to clean up LEGO bricks after play? The answer to this question can vary it seems. There are those who claim it’s time-consuming; from this line of thought comes the concept of brick vacuum cleaners. LEGO made an April Fools’ joke of it, but some builders have actually made them. And then, there’s this “hack” brought up by a mother on the Facebook page “Kmart Mums Australia”, a group that offers some delightful household tips to make things easier for homemakers (it’s not actually affiliated with Kmart despite the name). One Aussie mum, Ange Dobbin, suggested using a LEGO pooper scooper to pick up those pain-on-the-foot ubiquitous pieces.
You probably know this specialized (if borderline extraneous) household tool used to pick up your pet’s waste. Some variants even have long handles so you can remain standing while you scoop LEGO bricks to dump them back in their containers.
Reactions to that post seem to range from high praise to incredulous commentary. Still, plenty of housewives on “Kmart Mums Australia” seem eager to try the LEGO pooper scooper hack. Other even offered their alternatives such as getting a large play-mat and making the kids play with their LEGOs on it; when it’s time to clean up, the mat is simply rolled or folded up (with the bricks brought along) and stored.
That’s all well and good, and certainly cheaper than the DIY LEGO vacuum. But surely picking up LEGO the old-fashioned way isn’t as back-breaking as these alternatives make it seem.