When the weather becomes warmer, the minds of many turn to airing out their homes and attacking yet another spring cleaning project. It’s a good time to eliminate allergens and free your home of clutter that may have built up over fall and winter. As each year passes, however – and the older an adult gets – the challenge of general cleaning can become greater. Mobility and energy levels may be affected by new health conditions. Completing household chores may not be as easy or automatic as it used to be.
Here, we’ll offer some helpful spring cleaning tips for retirement-age adults. With them, you’ll be able to more easily manage household chores. If you have a caregiver who does the housework for you or helps, share these spring cleaning tips with them, too.
Window Blinds
Few people like thinking about a blinds cleaning project. As chores go, it is one of the most abhorrent. Get yourself some tongs and a pair of old socks. We are going to make window blinds cleaning easier.
Onto the tongs, put the socks, and run them through each row of blinds. So the socks rub across the blinds, give the tongs a gentle squeeze as you go. Dampen the socks first if the blinds are extra dusty.
Oven Racks
Stay away from harsh chemicals whenever possible. Into your bathtub (because most oven racks won’t fit in the sink), put a little dishwashing liquid and some warm water. Let the racks soak. To loosen baked on grime and grease, use a fabric softener sheet. Drain the tub, fill it with clean water, and rinse the racks. Let them dry.
Windows
Dampen a microfiber cloth with a bit of water and you can wash your windows easily. Be careful on the high spots. You might want to ask someone for assistance there.
Lime Scale
In the bathroom, but in the laundry room and kitchen as well, lime scale can be a real headache. Particularly for older adults, breathing problems and other health issues can be caused by the harsh chemicals in some of today’s marketed cleaning products. As much as possible, use natural cleaning products.
Help dissolve lime scale by using a towel soaked in vinegar and wrapping the fixtures. Let that sit for a while and you’ll be surprised at how little elbow grease you need to complete your lime scale removal project.
Sponges
We use sponges to clean lots of things. But how do you clean those sponges adequately? Do you have a microwave? If so, you can clean your sponge and sanitize it at the same time.
Rinse the sponge thoroughly. Mix a little lemon juice in a bowl of water. Place your sponge in that bowl. Now put the whole thing in the microwave for a minute.
Not only will this clean your sponge, but the inner walls of the microwave will now be steamy enough to simply wipe down with a clean rag. Look at that, you cleaned two things with one process.
Pet Hair
For many older adults, the benefits of having a pet are immeasurable. Unfortunately, with some pets comes an abundance of hair. No worries though, because it’s easier to pick up pet hair around the house by using/wearing rubber gloves.
Run your hands over the furniture after donning a pair of rubber gloves. The hair sticks to the gloves courtesy of the static build-up. The hair will fall off when you rinse your gloved hands in a bucket of water.
Lamp Shades
Lamp shades provide a particular challenge in many cases. They can be even harder to clean if they are oddly shaped. Here’s a great piece of advice: Way back in the 1950s, the first lint roller was marketed. They are still available today, and it’s a good thing because they are fantastic for cleaning the dust off of lampshades.
No More Spring Cleaning for You at Discovery Village At Alliance Town Center!
Are you tired of spring cleaning? Tired of cleaning and housework in general? At Discovery Village At Alliance Town Center, even if you opt for independent living, feel free to take advantage of services like transportation, dining, and housekeeping. That leaves you free to live an independent, active lifestyle.
What’s more, be included in all sorts of social activities. You’ll have access to massage therapy, a barbershop, spa, beauty salon, and our card and game room.
Don’t take up valuable time with spring cleaning ever again if you don’t want to. See what you’re missing by exploring our senior living community at Discovery Village At Alliance Town Center.
Contact us today using our convenient online form if you’d like some information, or give us a call at 817.203.8000. Better yet, schedule a tour, in person.
