Spring Cleaning Tips for Seniors

There are few better feelings than spring cleaning. However, as you age, it can become fraught with dangers. For example, you can cause injury by bending down, reaching too high, or just moving around with a vacuum cleaner. Fortunately, this guide provides 9 spring cleaning tips for seniors.

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Keep Safety in Mind

Before you clean, it helps to make safety a high priority. This means making sure that your home is free of hidden dangers and ensuring that you don’t set yourself up for injury through how you move around or how much force you use when handling things like carpets and other potentially heavy items.

Your best bet is to move slowly and take frequent rests. It’s also worth noting that it can be difficult to get down on your knees when you’re older, so place a couple of blankets or thick towels down if the floor is dirty.

When picking things up, use both hands and bend your knees, as well as keeping your back straight.

Make a To-Do List

Performing a comprehensive spring cleaning session can be overwhelming, so it’s best to take one room at a time. For each one, write down everything that needs doing and prioritize the list. As you get older, it becomes harder to remember things, which is why a to-do list is so important. If you are really struggling with your memory, you should consider visiting a service like memory Care Brick NJ.

Clean from Top to Bottom

Generally speaking, the order of spring cleaning should go from top to bottom. This means that you need to start with the ceiling and work your way down. You can clean different surfaces at the same time if they are convenient for you. However, make sure that they are not dangerous in any way – dangerous surfaces can be swept first.

Hire Some Professionals

Some chores can be a lot of work and inappropriate for older people, especially if you have health problems. Do yourself a favor by hiring professionals like a window cleaning service in Cincinnati. They will do an excellent job. When you hire them, ask for their references and if they have experience with your type of house to determine whether or not they will do a good job for you.

Check Your Smoke Detectors and Fire Extinguishers

Always inspect your smoke detectors and fire retardants before doing any spring cleaning. Before the start, make sure that they are all in working condition. When inspecting them, check to see if there is any corrosion or rust on the battery terminals and testing all of the alarm functions. It is also important to use a dry cloth on the smoke detector to ensure that there has been no damage from any water.

A number of batteries will require replacement at this time, so removing them is a must when you are doing your spring cleaning. You will also need to make sure that they are turned on and have replaced the backup supply in case of an emergency.

Clean Out the Medicine Cabinet

Next on the list of things to do is cleaning out the medicine cabinet. This is a must for seniors since many over-the-counter pills can be harmful if you take them without consulting with your doctor first. Also, if they have expired or are no longer needed, get rid of them safely instead of leaving them lying around.

While cleaning out the medicine cabinet, be sure to throw away all of your old prescriptions. In addition to this, make sure that they are not expired. You will want to keep up with when your medications expire so that you can replace them or refill them before it becomes too late. Also, look for over-the-counter medicines and vitamins that you no longer need. It’s also a good idea to check the expiration date on them as well.

Declutter, Declutter, Declutter

Make sure to organize your items in the right places, and if you have no place for an item, it is important to get rid of what you don’t need. If you are not using something anymore, get rid of it or store it somewhere out of the way. When spring cleaning, it’s best to focus on tossing things out and organizing what’s left. This will help you to stay organized and keep your home clean as well.

Clean Out the Closet

It’s a good idea to clean out your closet and get rid of items that you no longer wear. As you do this, be sure to make some room for such items as shorts and swimsuits if spring is near. It’s also important to move seasonal clothing from other closets into the seasonal area of the closet so that you will know where to find what you need when the time comes.

Get Some Storage Bins

One of the best things you can do is invest in some storage bins or plastic bags. They are fantastic for organizing items as well as tossing out unwanted toys that clutter up your house. This is a great way to get organized and keep your closets looking neat as well.

Do Some Deep Cleaning  

As you do your spring cleaning, be sure to really get into those hard-to-reach areas. You may also want to check behind the appliances and curtains for any dust or cobwebs that have formed as well. If you are all done with your spring cleaning around the house, it’s a good idea to check other areas of your home as well, such as the garage, attic, and basement.

Clean Out the Pantry

If you are looking for ways to cut back on food expenses, be sure to look in your pantry and get rid of those outdated or expired canned goods. This is also a good time to check expiration dates on anything that is packaged. You will also want to go through the shelves in your refrigerator and toss out any items that have spoiled or expired.

This is also a great time to get rid of the cans that you no longer need. It’s a good idea to keep up with expirations on your canned goods, so be sure to make a note of the dates and replace them when they are close to being expired.

Read more: 14 Tips for Cleaning Your Home as a Senior or Elderly Person