[Blindtlk] Keeping House Independently

Tue Nov 7 13:20:45 UTC 2017

Good morning,

Definitely, blind or not, if housework simply 
isn't your thing and you can afford it, hire someone! There is no shame!
CarAt 10:42 AM 3/15/2016, Sherry Gomes via blindtlk wrote:
>But there's nothing wrong with hiring 
>housecleaners if people want to. If someone just 
>hates housework and wants to hire because they 
>hate doing the job, blind or not, that's okay. 
>It's all part of living your own life the way 
>you want to live it. -----Original Message----- 
>From: blindtlk 
>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
>Of Judy Jones via blindtlk Sent: Tuesday, March 
>15, 2016 12:19 PM To: Blind Talk Mailing List 
><blindtlk at nfbnet.org> Cc: Judy Jones 
><Judy.Jones at icbvi.idaho.gov> Subject: Re: 
>[Blindtlk] Keeping House Independently Hi, I 
>have never had someone coming in to keep house, 
>have been trained from the git-go  to keep house 
>independently, and unless you have any physical 
>disabilities that don't allow you to bend, 
>stretch or climb a ladder when need be, there is 
>no reason you can't keep house independently. I 
>remember growing up and my mom saying, if you're 
>not sure it's clean, clean it.  It's all a 
>matter of regularly policing your house, 
>policing your yard to make sure everything is 
>tidy and in its place.  A sighted person can 
>glance around to see what is needing done.  We 
>can't.  The tasks can go amazingly quickly if 
>done regularly. If you do your cleaning on a 
>regular basis, you shouldn't have any 
>problems.  You can feel dust and do it once a 
>week, unless doors and windows are open, then 
>you may need to do it more often. Bathrooms and 
>kitchens a wipe-down every day.  Toilet, tub, 
>and shower cleaning weekly, wiping the outside 
>surfaces every day.  And clean kitchen, 
>everything and wipe as you cook.  Don't forget 
>the backsplashes of sinks.  Wipe down the stove 
>hood.  Wipe finger print areas near door knobs 
>and light switches.  We can't see those but they 
>gather smudges. One area I always manage to 
>forget unless I reach up there is the top of the 
>fridge.  My mom was sighted, but she was the 
>same way, would not think of it unless she had 
>occasion to reach up there. Windows and glass 
>clean weekly.  Dust sills and any edges, only 
>takes a few seconds.  Don't forget any mirrors 
>or the TV screen. Vacuuming.  I used to have a 
>guide dog, my husband, too, and should do this 
>every other day to keep the hair down.  Use the 
>cane to check under furniture for toys, socks, 
>whatever, then either vacuum underneath or move 
>furniture out and vacuum behind.  I recommend 
>maybe once a month for moving furniture out, but 
>others may think differently.  When doing the 
>floor, work in a grid pattern.  In a large room, 
>do one area, then overlap into the next area 
>working back and forth slowly.  If your pattern 
>does not reach the middle of the room because 
>the room is too big, think of the middle as an 
>area of its own.  In smaller rooms, you can also 
>criss-cross where, you've done to be sure you 
>have covered everything.  Maybe my lack of using 
>it, but I have not found the Swiffer to be a 
>great tool.  Yes, it picks up, but I have a hard 
>time telling how much.  Maybe it's my inability 
>to use a Swiffer very well, but I prefer the 
>good old vacuum to do the best job.  Make sure 
>you give extra attention to perimeters, corners 
>and under furniture. When using a broom, sweep 
>toward the edge of a porch, or to an area where 
>you can pick up the dirt.  Since I use the 
>vacuum in house, I use the broom for the patio 
>and porch. Also, one thing  we don't see is wals 
>and ceiling corners.  Make sure to go over those 
>with your vacuum extension when you do your main 
>vacuuming.  Someone from Service Master told me 
>once, that all walls need is to be swiped with a 
>damp rag or mop to keep them clean, just using a 
>little dish soap in the water, the way we would 
>clean our countertops.  Make sure rag is not 
>bordering on drippy, because don't want to ruin 
>the paint job. Here is a link to a wonderful 
>cleaning site that helps organize cleaning, and 
>I love it.  Lots of good ideas, forums, e-mails 
>and some products.  And they really encourage us 
>not to get overwhelmed with what needs 
>doing.  Don't think you have to do everything at 
>once, but start bit by bit doing small things 
>consistently, and add to them as you get used to 
>your routine. http://www.flylady.net/ You can 
>organize your cleaning chores in your calendar. 
>Oh, another thing, every week maybe, check to 
>see that your light bulbs are functioning, 
>especially for the benefit of sighted 
>guests.  Any sighted person in the home will 
>notify us if a light is out, but we have to 
>check regularly if no one sighted is 
>available.  This goes for porch lights, too.  My 
>husband and I use a light probe.  And when I'm 
>ready to check, I'll turn on the lights for a 
>few minutes, then off, then replace the bulbs 
>that are out.  Hot bulbs are working, cool ones 
>are dead. I am short, so don't know what I would 
>do without my step ladders.  A 3 foot one, and a 
>six foot one.  Don't be afraid to get up on that 
>ladder, or get down on your hands and knees, 
>whatever it takes to check and/or clean areas. 
>Hope some of this helps, and let us know if you 
>have any other questions, always glad to help. 
>Judy -----Original Message----- From: blindtlk 
>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
>Of Christine Olivares via blindtlk Sent: 
>Tuesday, March 15, 2016 10:49 AM To: Blind Talk 
>Mailing List Cc: Christine Olivares Subject: 
>[Blindtlk] Keeping House Independently Hello 
>everyone, I just wanted to get your opinion 
>about keeping house independently. I used to 
>have someone come in once a month just to help 
>with things I may have missed, but I am debating 
>whether to do this still or not. I did get some 
>rehab training with cleaning, but I am not the 
>best at it. My main hangup is using a broom, as 
>I just canâ€™t figure out how it is done. I just 
>invested in a Swiffer so I hope that helps. I 
>was wondering if you keep house independently, 
>or if you have someone sighted come in once in a 
>while to make sure things are kept nicely and 
>are not dirty. Thanks so much for your thoughts. 
>Christine 
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