For many of us, the lengthening of the days and increasing warmth of the sun means spring cleaning…
But before you start the big spring clean (if you’ve not already) spend a few minutes reading this email to discover our top tips on ways to avoid injuries whilst spring cleaning.
| The most common spring cleaning injuries we see are ones to backs, shoulder or arms from over-reaching, lifting heavy furniture or doing too much in one go.
The actions involved in cleaning are often repetitive, so if we try to do it ‘all in one go‘ we can end up with overuse injuries in our hands, wrists or shoulders. |
Why Spring Clean?
- Breathing – When your home is closed off and insulated during the winter months, dust settles, air becomes stagnant, and your respiratory health suffers. A solid spring cleaning improves the air quality of your home and makes you feel better.
- Less Mess – Clutter wears you down. When you have stuff taking up space and gathering dust in your home without purpose, it can impact your emotional health as well as your physical well-being. We’re not saying it’s time to purge, but a comprehensive spring cleaning can help lift the veil from the winter doldrums. You’ll find you can concentrate better and feel less stressed. As the saying goes, less is more.
- Trouble Spots – When items in your home remain in the same place for long periods of time, pockets of dirt and dust build up – so much so that you often won’t even notice the pattern. A thorough spring cleaning digs out all the collected muck and helps you see your home in a new light. Maybe the layout of your family room suddenly seems inefficient and uncomfortable? A spring cleaning can open up new possibilities for your home.
Our Spring Cleaning Top Tips
| 1. Warm up
Start slow and warm up! This may sound a little silly to warm-up before cleaning, but you will be bending and testing your muscles trying to reach every nook and cranny in your home. Doing some light stretching will help you avoid any muscle strains that may come with cleaning.
2. Break tasks down One of the best ways to avoid injuries from repeatedly straining is to break tasks down into manageable bite-sized chunks. Do little and often, take breaks and drink lots of water. 3. Be mindful of ‘problem areas’ Know your vulnerable areas. If you already have problems with your back, don’t put any unnecessary strain on it – you’ll only pay the price for it by possibly causing a worse injury.
4. Enlist some help Everyone likes a clean home but you don’t have to do it all by yourself. Can you delegate some of the tasks? People like to help and now would be a good time to enlist some willing helpers. 5. Lift with caution Don’t bend from the waist to pick up something heavy. Instead, squat down, keeping your knees and feet at least hip distance apart. Keep your back straight and use the muscles in your legs and hips to lift. If possible, get help with heavy lifting; two people are better than one when there’s a lot of lifting to do. Repeatedly lifting your arms over your head can cause trouble to the shoulder area, you can strain muscles or worse. 6. Protect knees and don’t over-reach If you have problems with your knees, or even if you don’t, use a cushion or knee pad when scrubbing floors or weeding in the garden, and don’t reach too far. While it’s good to stretch, it’s not good to put strain on your neck or back by stretching too far. Same goes for cleaning windows, stand on a ladder at the level with the window. 7. Mind wet floors Don’t walk on wet floors – many accidents are caused from slipping on spillages and wet floors. Accidents from slipping can be extremely painful and can lead to torn ligaments and even breaks.
8. Lunge for it 9. Give yourself time 10. Don’t ignore pain If you find your muscles tensing up, now might be the time to ask for a back rub, or again do some simple stretches to loosen up aching muscles. Mild discomfort can quickly lead to serious pain if you ignore it. Don’t push on if something hurts – stop and rest. 11. Cleaning Windows The repetitive action of window cleaning can irritate the hand, elbow and shoulder especially if you do all the tall windows in your house at once. To avoid irritation, Take regular breaks, try and alternate which hand you use to clean the window and be careful on the ladder. |
Finally…
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
If you are having pain while cleaning, then stop and take a break. I know we are inclined to want to finish the job, but fighting through the pain could turn a small problem into a larger one. Cleaning can be a strenuous activity on your body and your body will tell you exactly how it feels. If it is telling you to stop, listen!
PAMPER YOURSELF
After you are done cleaning for the day, take time to assess how you are feeling and pamper those muscles that are a bit sore: use a heating pad or ice pack to a trouble area and perform some gentle stretches.
References: http://home.bt.
Images: https://www.freepik.
