8 Spring Cleaning Tips for Seniors (Even in Wheelchairs)

Spring has sprung and it's time to get your home sparkling clean, organized and ready for the warmer weather. Spring (and summer!) means more time outside, more time with friends and family and more reasons to have guests over. So read on for some top tips on how to get your home clean for spring – even if you use a wheelchair to get around.

Spring Cleaning Tips Anyone Can Use

1. Use the Right Tools — A duster with an extender helps you safely reach high places, as does using a squeegee for your windows instead of paper towel and window cleaner (or newspaper with your vinegar mixture!), to help minimize possible falls. Consider a vacuum with the push-button cord retractor so you don't have to wind the cord yourself; a broom that is the right size so you don't have to strain using it and a dustpan that stands by itself.
2. Check Your Smoke Detectors and Fire Extinguishers — A good rule of thumb is to change your batteries when you change your clocks forward or backward -- so if you haven't already, change them and make sure your smoke detectors are working as part of your spring cleaning routine. Also check the expiration on your fire extinguishers (because you do have at least one, right?).
3. Clean Out the Medicine Cabinet — Expired medications do you no good and they clutter up your medicine cabinet, so you should go through them periodically and properly dispose of any unused and expired medications. This also helps so you don't accidentally take any wrong medications. (Call your town's waste service to inquire about proper disposal of medications.) Be sure to update your First Aid Kit and Emergency Document Binder, too.
4. Put Away the Clutter — It can be easy to set stuff into organized piles throughout the year, but use your spring cleaning to put everything away where it belongs and throw away the rest. Make sure nothing is out of place that could potentially get in your way and pose a tripping hazard.
5. Use Small Bins — Bins are the best way to keep things clean and organized -- easily! When you regularly use bins to store your craft supplies, gardening tools, out-of-season clothes, holiday decorations and everything else not on display in your home, you'll be able to find it all easily and access everything in a jiffy — and in return put things away quickly!. Just make sure to use small bins whenever possible to reduce the possibility of injuries from hauling down larger bins.
6. If You Haven't Used It, Get Rid of It — For nearly everything in your home, if you haven't used it in the past year you should throw it out, donate it, sell it or give it away. This goes for clothes, decorations, bedding, home décor waiting to be displayed -- anything. That way, you'll have less you have to clean next time and more space to devote to the things you actually use.
7. Know Your Limits — Realize that some of the tasks you may want to tackle might be a bit cumbersome for you -- or could pose a risk if you were to do it. Know your limits. While spring cleaning may seem like a necessity, fall prevention is even more important, which is why you should also pay attention to the next item on the list.
8. Ask for Help — Enlist the grandkids in coming over to wash your windows while you dust, and you'll be able to turn it into a lovely bonding experience (or ask around to see which ones are looking to earn a bit of cash if that's your thing!). Don't be afraid to ask friends and loved ones to lend a hand -- people actually love feeling useful and needed.

Hoveround Makes Mobility Easier

Limited mobility? Hoveround makes mobility easier. Call our Mobility Specialists today at (800) 542-7236 and regain your independence with a power wheelchair or mobility scooter.