Spring Cleaning Guide for Independent Living in Southern California

Out with the old and in with the new!

In the winter, we tend to cozy up and get comfortable. While this is fine and dandy, it leaves a lot of room for things to pile up and get a little cluttered throughout your space. At Waterford Terrace Independent Retirement Community, located in sunny La Mesa, California, we want our senior residents to feel refreshed and ready to take on the world this spring. So we’re welcoming spring with open arms and clear spaces! Keep reading for our go-to spring cleaning guide to help keep your thoughts organized as you participate in decluttering this year.

Work Room to Room

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you start cleaning your space and organizing all your belongings. To tackle the feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed at the start of your spring cleaning journey, we highly recommend taking it room by room. By doing this, you’re less likely to get burnt out mid-cleaning and more likely to finish each task. When you dedicate your attention to one room at a time, you can also noticeably see the progress you’re making as you finish each room. We don’t know about you, but being able to take a step back and look at your cleaning progress is one of the best parts!

Additional Tips when working room to room:

• Start with the room you use the least. Random clutter tends to pile up in our least used rooms, so this will be a great starting point.
• Don’t try to knock it all out in one day. Take your time! As a senior, you have more time now than when you were working your 9-5 job. There’s no reason to rush this project!
• Give yourself a reasonable timeline. This will hold you accountable to complete each room in your house by a specific day.

Check Medicine Cabinets & Kitchen Pantries

Medicine cabinets and kitchen pantries are often neglected in any decluttering process. This year, we’re making sure that we prioritize them! Medicine cabinets tend to be overlooked but are extremely important, as they house the items that keep seniors healthy day to day! Look through and be sure to keep an eye out for expired medication, empty bottles, and ones that you no longer need. Along with medications, you also want to look at the expiration dates of other bath products like lotion, makeup, and soap. These kinds of expired products can cause irritation to your skin if they’re used beyond their expiration dates.

Same rules apply to your kitchen pantry. Toss any expired items, and donate shelf-stable items you don’t plan to use. Have a garbage bag handy for these spaces!

Clean Your Dishwasher & Washing Machine

Another overlooked area of the home are dishwashers & washing machines. Did you know that there are specific ways to clean these appliances? For your dishwasher, you can purchase specific cleaning products and simply follow the instructions for your individual machine. As for your washing machine, here’s a DIY method you can try out:

• Add 2 cups of water into the washing machine
• Run a large, hot cycle.
• Add 2 cups of plain white vinegar and your choice of an essential oil (we recommend lavender or tea tree) to help with mildew and mineral deposits. Add the essential oils to where you would normally put your detergent.
• Run another large, hot cycle.
• Wipe down the drum if needed.

Other notable spring cleaning tips include checking your smoke detector batteries, donating any unwanted items, and lots of dusting. But for our senior residents at Waterford Terrace, spring cleaning is even easier. Our weekly housekeeping services help our residents keep their spaces tidy throughout the year, so there’s less to do when spring cleaning comes around.

Following these tips will help you welcome the new, sunny season with a clean home and clear mind, knowing that you’re ready to take on the rest of the year!

To learn more about our residency or schedule a tour of Waterford Terrace, contact our friendly team today.