The dawn of spring is a beautiful time of the year when hibernation ends, days get longer, flowers begin to bloom, and the world around us starts to feel a little more lively.
It is also the ideal time of year to clear out the dirt and clutter that often cannot help but accumulate over the spring months, and a major job that carers will take up, whether in residential care or in a person’s home, is helping with spring cleaning.
Whilst it always helps to relax in a home you feel comfortable and proud in, spring cleaning is a
vital part of ensuring that people can remain in their homes even as their needs begin to change, by removing clutter, minimising conditions such as sick building syndrome and boosting mental health.
To understand why, here is a brief guide on spring cleaning in care, why it matters, how to set up
a spring cleaning routine that is easy to stick with, and how carers will go the extra mile to keep homes safe for the rest of the year.
Why Do We Clean In Spring?
The concept of spring cleaning is much older than many people think, with traditions that have spanned throughout human history of people taking the time to clean their homes thoroughly in time for the new year or the new season.
For many countries, spring is the perfect time to start cleaning because the days are beginning to get long enough to dedicate significant time to cleaning without worrying about it getting dark too quickly.
It was also warm enough to open doors and windows and air out the house without worrying about getting too cold, which made it much easier to clean parts of the house that otherwise were too difficult or too dangerous to clean during the winter.
Not everyone traditionally cleans in spring; the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay cleaning happens on New Year’s Eve, traditional osoji and susu-harai cleaning in Japan takes place during December, Diwali cleaning takes place in late September and early October before the namesake festival, and some people clean around the spring and autumn equinoxes.
Why Is Spring Cleaning So Important In Social Care?
Spring cleaning is an important aspect of care that is less focused on keeping a home spotless and sparkling clean, and more focused on keeping a home safe for someone to live an independent and full life within.
It is equal parts about getting rid of hazards and equal parts about bringing the sunshine in and creating a spirit of renewal and new beginnings. Many people who have a spring cleaning routine wax lyrical about how it helps them start the season on the right foot, and this is also true in care.
The aim is not to agonise over clearing every spot of dust or ruthlessly getting rid of everything that someone is not actively using, but is about making a home nicer and safer to live in.
It can also be something that can bring a carer and a person in care closer; cleaning with company can often be fun and help someone to keep active and reminisce about springs gone by.
As with anything involving a person’s home and place of sanctuary, spring cleaning needs to be undertaken empathetically, carefully and with as much involvement from a person as possible.
How Do You Set Up A Spring Cleaning Routine At Home
Spring cleaning does not have to be stressful, and it does not need to be perfect. All that it needs to do is help make a home nicer to live in, and remove some of the frustrations, problems and hazards that can affect a person’s quality of life.
With that in mind, here are some top tips for setting up a spring cleaning routine at home.
Focus On Safety First
The priority for carers, more than anything else, will be a person’s safety, which means that the first step will be to identify and assess the biggest risks in a home and get rid of them in order to ensure that a person can feel comfortable and confident getting around without hurting themselves.
This usually means removing clutter from walkways, tidying cables which run along the floor, securing loose rugs or carpets, and making sure that wooden flooring is not too slippery to be safe using non-slip mats.
It can also mean changing light bulbs to ensure the hallways and staircases are bright enough, and cleaning to remove pathogens and allergens.
Clearing away the biggest risks makes it easier to see what adaptations are needed to improve independence.
Take It One Step At A Time
Spring cleaning is not a one-day task, and should not feel overwhelming for either the carer or the person themselves.
Instead of trying to do everything at once, break it down into one room or one zone of the room at a time and do one part at a time.
Prioritise the rooms that the person spends the most time in, particularly the living room, bathroom and kitchen.
Move Items To Make Them Easy To Reach
Decluttering and cleaning give you a perfect chance to move anything that you regularly use every day to places where they can be easily reached without having to reach up too high or bend down too low.
In general, anything you think you are going to pick up and put down a lot should be placed between shoulder and waist-height, either on shelves or on a table.
Organise Medication
There are often quite a few prescriptions and care supplies to organise, and during a busy day, they can easily be put in a medicine cabinet or box and forgotten about.
Take the time to organise your medicine cabinet, label everything and throw out anything that has expired or gone unused responsibly.
Keep Only What Sparks Joy In Your Life
Decluttering is often a very emotional and difficult process, particularly given that so many mementoes have a lot of sentimental memories attached to them.
Get the person you care for involved in the process and use something similar to the KonMari method to declutter. Keep anything that sparks joy, and get rid of anything that you do not need and does not.
