How Not to Spring Clean Your Home

Spring is in full swing and thoughts turn to annual spring cleaning chores. Spring cleaning can be hard enough to squeeze into your busy schedule. But it can be even more difficult if you make some of the common mistakes people make when performing this annual ritual. To make your spring cleaning tasks easier, stay away from these common pitfalls. Don’t try to tackle cleaning a room without a plan. Start by decluttering any area that you wish to deep clean. If you try to clean without removing items that are out of place or that need to be discarded, you will find that it takes much longer to accomplish your goal. Don’t use the wrong cleaning products. Read the labels before using to ensure that you are using the correct type of cleaner. You should also be aware of any safety precautions you should take, including whether you need to have high levels of ventilation. Don’t take on more than you can handle. It is admirable to have a goal of cleaning your whole house in a weekend, but it is sometimes better to only tackle one room a week. By doing this, you will ensure that each room is cleaned well and that you won’t suffer from burnout. Don’t hurt yourself. Take care when lifting heavy objects and moving furniture. If necessary, ask for help before attempting strenuous tasks. Don’t be distracted. Let your answering machine handle any incoming phone calls and keep visits from family and friends to a minimum. If you focus only on your spring cleaning job, you will finish faster. In fact, if you are constantly interrupted, you may end up simply abandoning the job at hand and could find that you have trouble getting back to it. Don’t put it off. Spring cleaning is such a big job because we only do it once or twice a year. If you try to keep up with cleaning jobs throughout the year, you will find it easier to tackle annual spring cleaning work. Ignoring these chores only means that they will get bigger and bigger. www.pfeifferscleaning.com

Water Safety for Spring

Now that the weather is warming up and us Washingtonians are seeing some sunshine, we are feeling motivated to do our Spring cleaning. When cleaning with small children in the home, it's important to be aware of the potential hazards of water. While more than half of drownings among children under the age of one occur in bathtubs, small children can also drown in the very small amounts of water found in buckets. In fact, of all the children between the ages of seven months and fifteen months who have drowned since 1984, almost 90 percent have died from accidents involving five gallon buckets. These buckets are found in many households and are commonly used for cleaning and mopping. To keep your child from becoming a victim, never leave your child unsupervised near any type of water. Both standing and moving water can be hazardous, and children can easily drown in as little as three or four inches of water.  It's also good to remember that children should be supervised at all times when bathing or using the toilet. Shower doors and toilet seats should be closed when not in use. Better yet, keep your bathroom door closed. Take care to empty all buckets immediately when you are done using them and always store buckets upside down. It would be wise to check your child’s outdoor environment before he or she begins to play. Empty any water out of buckets, garbage cans, wheelbarrows, or flower pots. By taking these simple precautions, you can help keep your child safe from these common water hazards.

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