One of the wonderful things about living in a senior living community, whether you choose independent living or assisted living, is that you’ll receive assistance with daily activities like housekeeping. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should completely ignore the worldwide phenomenon of spring cleaning. You can still embrace its spirit to refresh your home after a long winter. Scroll down to explore some spring cleaning tips for seniors.
Spring Cleaning Tips for Seniors
Open Your Windows
It’s such a simple thing, but opening your windows is a fantastic way to refresh your space. Now that the weather’s warming up, open your windows wide and replace any stale and stuffy air with fresh air. Perhaps you’ll even be lucky enough to get a whiff of a lovely outdoor fragrance, such as fresh-cut grass or flowers!
Buy Fresh Flowers or a New Houseplant
Speaking of spring flowers, wouldn’t you like an excuse to buy yourself a bouquet of colorful tulips or daffodils? Treat yourself to a beautiful bouquet, or consider buying a new houseplant. Not only are indoor plants lovely to look at, but also research shows that they can boost your mood, reduce stress, and eliminate air pollutants.
De-Clutter and Donate
As time goes by, we tend to accumulate more and more stuff, but all of this excess stuff can make our spaces — and our minds — feel cluttered. During your spring cleaning session, take a little time to go through your apartment and look for things that you no longer need. Donate these items to a charitable organization so that they can find a home with someone who will put them to good use!
Evaluate Safety
Your spring cleaning session is also a great time to re-evaluate the safety of your home. Are there any tripping hazards? Have the smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector been checked recently? Could you reorganize your storage so that essential items are easier to grab and don’t cause you to strain your muscles? Take a walk around your home and look for any safety concerns in need of fixing.
Throw Out Expired Medications
When is the last time you sorted through the medications in your medicine cabinet? Dispose of any medications that are expired or no longer needed. According to the FDA, the best way to do this is through a drug take-back program. You can also talk to your pharmacist, as many pharmacies have on-site medicine drop-off boxes. The most important thing is that you safely dispose of your unused medicines instead of simply tossing them in the trash.
Reorganize
Finally, your spring cleaning session is a great time to carefully consider how your home is working for you. Think about your daily routines and habits, and consider how you could improve your home’s organization to make these tasks easier. For example, if you keep books and magazines all over your apartment, maybe you should buy a specific rack just for reading material and set it next to the chair where you like to read. Or, if you’re always losing your phone charger, perhaps you should buy a wireless charging station for your nightstand.
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We’ve made it through a long winter, and now it’s time to embrace and celebrate spring! There are so many lovely ways to enjoy the season: strolling in the park, dining al fresco, eating fresh produce, perhaps doing a little gardening . . . Spring cleaning may not be on the top of your list, but we hope that these spring cleaning tips for seniors have opened your eyes to a few simple things that you can do to freshen up your space this spring.
Hoping to retire in Nebraska? Look no further than Kinship Pointe. We offer independent living and assisted living communities in four locations: Kearney Northridge, McCook, Seward, and Wayne. At Kinship Pointe, our delightful staff works every day to help residents pursue their passions and live life to the fullest. To learn for yourself what makes Kinship Pointe so special, schedule a tour or contact us online.