We’re about halfway to the beginning of Spring, the days are starting to get a little longer and the sun a little brighter. After a long, cold winter closed up in the house, you may be feeling the renewed energy to tackle cleaning projects around your house. This time of year when it might still be too cold to spend a lot of time outdoors is the perfect time to start those spring cleaning projects.
Work in small chunks
There’s really no rush, so take your time. You may have put off cleaning projects during the colder months and now you’re looking at a long list of to-dos. But, that doesn’t mean you need to do them all in one day. Starting now, before Spring is in full bloom, can help you get a head start so that you can leisurely check off those to-dos.
To keep from getting overwhelmed break up your list into small chunks of time that you can work on at your own pace. Letting yourself work on your cleaning projects throughout the week, weeks, or over the month can help make the projects more manageable and keep you motivated. Improve Air Quality
Use Tools to Prevent Falls
Since falls are the leading cause of injury in older adults, it’s important to use the correct tools when cleaning. Stools are extremely dangerous if you don’t have good balance. Use dusters and squeegees with extendable arms to clean out-of-reach corners and tall windows to reduce the need to climb onto unstable surfaces. Long vacuum chords can be a tripping hazard. A cordless vacuum or a vacuum with a retractable cord are much safer options for seniors. Bending over to sweep debris into a dustpan can cause imbalance and lead to falls, opt for standing dustpan to reduce the need to bend over.
Also, while you are spring cleaning, this is a good time to re-evaluate rugs, furniture placement, and stairs. You may need to do some rearranging to make your home more accessible. Some simple enhancements to help with fall prevention are putting a rug grip under a rug, rearranging furniture so you’re able to maneuver the space easier, or handrails and feet grips for stairs.
Get Rid of Clutter and Organize
A spring clean is the perfect time to look at the junk drawers, mail piles, and dump rooms in your house. These are common areas nearly everyone has around their homes that need to be periodically decluttered and organized. Separating your items into keep, donate, and trash categories can make it simple to declutter.
Decluttering has been linked to positive health benefits that motivate your to declutter your home this Spring. It can reduce stress and anxiety, its even been said to relieve insomnia. Dust and debris accumulate on top of clutter that doesn’t get dusted often, so decluttering removes allergens from your home. And most importantly, cleaning clutter out of walkways can prevent falls and accidents.
- Medical Cabinets
- Now is the time to toss any expired drugs, make sure your first aid kit has all the necessities, and update your emergency/medical document. Contact your city’s waste service to find out how they recommend that you dispose of old medications.
- Miscellaneous Piles Around the House
- When organizing miscellaneous piles around the house, two rules of thumb are; have you used it in the past 12 months and does it spark joy for you. Getting rid of things you no longer use frees up space for items that you do currently use and will make you feel much better when you have less clutter to look at.
- Files
- While your decluttering and organizing this is the perfect time to organize your financial, medical, and legal documents. In the long run this will save you time, money, and stress before you need them in an emergency. Since many people have digital files and documents these days, be sure to organize the files on your computer as well.
Check Fire detectors and extinguishers
Make sure that your fire extinguishers and carbon dioxide detectors have fresh batteries and are functioning properly. If you need to climb on a ladder or chair to reach them, it’s a better idea to ask someone else for help rather than risking a fall. If you have a fire extinguisher, check the expiration date and if you don’t have one, make sure to get one soon.
Clean your appliances
Your appliances work hard for you all year round to help you stay clean, but the need to be cleaned periodically as well. Dirt, grime, and moldy smells can accumulate. But, luckily they’re fairly easy to clean these days and while you’re spring cleaning you can add these to your list.
- Dishwasher
- Start by cleaning any food scraps off the bottom of the dishwasher and use a specialty dishwasher cleanser. You can find specifics for your particular dishwasher in the manual or by searching the model number online. After you have ran the dishwasher with the cleanser finish by wiping away any residual grime left inside and the exterior of the machine. If you’re unable to bend over to reach inside the dishwasher, ask a loved one or caregiver for help.
- Washing Machine
- The agitator and tub inside your washing machine collect dirt and grime over time which can cause a moldy smell. You can eliminate this by filling the machine with hot water, white vinegar and baking soda. Let the mix sit in the machine for up to an hour, restart your appliance, then let it empty and dry. Since some water may not evaporate on gaskets, be sure to wipe them dry.
- Refrigerator
- You might do a quick clean here or there when you have spills in your fridge, but it’s a good habit to do a deep clean once or twice a year to get the hard to reach places and throw out expired food and condiments. This is really important for seniors who have or are developing dementia or alzheimer’s so they don’t end up eating expired food. Once your fridge is clean, leave an open container of baking soda inside to soak up any stinky odor and keep it smelling fresh.
Leave the heavy lifting to others
If you have mobility limitations or reduced strength, don’t try to move furniture or other heavy items on your own. You don’t want to risk and injury or fall, so ask friends, family, or a caregiver to help. If you don’t have someone available to help out, hire a professional. There are many companies that now specialize in decluttering and organizing for seniors, they can come in help you move furniture, clean, organize, and tidy up. An in-home caregiver can also help you with staying on top of cleaning and organizing your home. Your safety is the most important thing while spring cleaning.
Are you looking for In-Home Care to help with spring cleaning this year?
Superior Senior Care is Arkansas’s oldest, most trusted name in in-home care services. We prioritize your peace of mind. We offer referrals for a variety of levels of elderly care and services, with both short and long-term options. All the senior caregivers on our registry undergo thorough screenings and comprehensive background checks. And they are trained to work with clients in everything from household duties to grocery shopping. We’ve helped families with a variety of chronic conditions including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, lung disease and more.
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As the first accredited registry in Arkansas, we have more than 35 years of experience and thousands of happy customers. Access to our large client registry means stability for you and the best chance to match you with just the right family. Interested in becoming a caregiver on our registry? Fill out and electronically submit our pre-screening referral application here: https://www.superiorseniorcare.com/caregiving-opportunities/
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