Spring Cleaning Advice from Memory Care in Fountain Valley

Promote Your Loved One’s Well Being With A Clean Home

Tackling spring cleaning can feel like a real chore, but a tidy living space can improve your loved one’s well being. In addition to the health benefits, like ridding their home of germs, having a clean environment is shown to help reduce stress!

It can be challenging to assist your loved one who is suffering memory challenges with their spring cleaning journey. They may experience negative emotions if their belongings are displaced, putting a damper on their enjoyment of the space when the spring cleaning is complete. To help your loved one through spring cleaning without triggering any fear or stress, keep reading for some helpful tips from Park View Estates, one of the best memory care communities in California.

Create a To-Do List

With so many cleaning tasks to check off, it can be easy to overlook or miss a spot when cleaning. To avoid this, create a checklist based on your loved one’s home to ensure you hit all the bases. Here are some examples of tasks by room that may be applicable to your loved one’s home:

• All Rooms: disinfect high traffic areas like light switches, wipe down walls, clean floors, take out any trash, dust blinds and fans, clean windows/window sills and make note of any needed repairs.
• Bathroom: scrub and bleach toilets and showers/baths, restock toiletries, clean countertops and fixtures, clean the mirror, freshen the shower drain, wash bath linens, clear out any expired medication and replenish any that are running low.
• Bedroom: wash bed linens, dust furniture, and wash any dirty clothes.
• Laundry room: restock detergent and dryer sheets as needed, clean the inside of the washer and dryer and remove any lint from the dryer.
• Living room: dust coffee and side tables, vacuum any upholstered seating
• Kitchen: clean the oven, wipe down the inside and outside of the fridge, clean the sink and garbage disposal, wash dishes and silverware, wipe down cabinets, polish countertops and clean the microwave.
• Outdoors: hose off and vacuum floor mats, clean patio furniture, sweep the porch, and water the plants.

Stock up on cleaning supplies

You’ll want to make sure you have all the appropriate cleaning supplies to get started. First, take a look at what you or your loved one already have on hand that you can use, and determine what additional supplies are needed based on your checklist. Some cleaning products we recommend are all-purpose cleaner, microfiber towels, dishwashing detergent, baking soda, a microfiber mop, and soap. Be sure to look for non-toxic cleaners to promote your loved one’s health!

Organize & Declutter

Those who struggle with memory challenges thrive on familiarity; any disruptions in their living space may cause stressful emotions. This can make decluttering hard. It’s best to avoid ridding their home of any belongings without their consent. If there are items that need to be put away, consider creating a photo book with belongings that are tucked away into drawers or cabinets to make it easy for your loved one to identify where they are, and know that they are not missing.

One Room At A Time

We recommend tackling one room at a time, as it will likely help your loved one feel more at ease and relaxed, in addition to preventing frustration. It will give them the opportunity to process the changes being made and to understand why they’re happening. So, when you’re ready to start helping your loved one tackle spring cleaning, be sure to focus on one room before moving to the next.

Start From The Top

Our final tip is to always work from top to bottom when cleaning your home. Begin with the ceiling and work your way down to the floor to avoid dirtying up anything you’ve already cleaned.

To learn more about our residence or to schedule a tour of Park View Estates, contact our friendly team today.