Spring Cleaning Tips for the Visually Impaired

Everyone has a regular housekeeping routine. However, spring cleaning chores you do once or twice a year can be a challenge when you’re visually impaired. The following five spring cleaning tips will help you overcome your challenges and keep your house in tip-top shape for the changing of the seasons.

Clean and store your winter clothing

The onset of spring brings the need for cooler clothing. Before putting away your winter clothes, pull each item from your closet and check to make sure it still fits. Also ask a friend or use the Be My Eyes or AIRA apps to help you check for tears in the fabric or stains that need to be removed if you cannot see them.

Keep a cleaning schedule

If you know that you always like to clean certain areas of your house during certain times of the year, such as the spring and summer for windows, keeping these specific dates on a calendar can help you remember when to clean said areas.

Use a grid pattern to make sure your windows are thoroughly cleaned

Here’s how to use a grid pattern to give your windows a thorough cleaning. 

Starting on the left side of the window, wipe up and down the side of the pane. Move your cloth to the right and wipe in a vertical motion. Continue wiping in rows until you reach the right side of the pane. 

Clean baseboards and hard to see areas with your bare hands

If you use gloves for most of your housekeeping tasks, cleaning areas that are hard to see can be done much more efficiently when you remove the gloves. Use one hand to study the surface you plan to clean, while using a dish rag or soft cloth to wipe the surface with the other. 

This spring cleaning tip helps you find spots you’ve missed and you can go over them again to make sure they are thoroughly cleaned.

Use a grid pattern for cleaning floors

Remove all small items such as garbage cans or lightweight furniture from the room you wish to clean. Walk through the room, creating a mental image of each square of the floor. Start at the far end of the room, working your way towards the exit, using the walls or countertops as reference points. Sweep or mop in rows in each square you mentally mapped out as you walked through the room.

Give your kitchen a thorough cleaning

Before cleaning your cabinets or countertops in the kitchen, be sure to have an organization method in place, so you’ll know where things are located when you need them again. 

If you have items you don’t use, store them on a shelf or in a large container for safe keeping. When cleaning kitchen cabinets or countertops, feel along the surface with your hands so you don’t miss areas that aren’t easy to see. Wipe the surfaces down using a grid pattern.

Need assistance?

For more spring cleaning tips and tricks like these, register for Outlook Enrichment’s spring cleaning webinar on May 12.