Holiday Cleaning Tips for your Safety

Now that the Christmas festivities are over, many of us are left with homes full of stale decorations that need to be taken down, leftover food and wine and egg nog, and new toys all over the house.

What’s the best way to go about restoring order to your home? Well, you probably have your own methods, but here are a few safety tips that we think are helpful to consider.

• Ladder Safety. If you need to use a stool or a ladder to take decorations down from those hard-to-reach places, make sure that you are wearing footwear with non-slip soles. It’s also important to practice caution with your ladder placement! Try to keep it away from doorways and if you can’t avoid it, make sure the door is locked with a warning sign on it, so that no one will open it and knock you over!
• Leaving up the lights. Especially if you have kids, you might be inclined to leave your outdoor lights up for an extra few days, or at least until the new year. If you do, make sure that you stay on top of turning them out overnight and when nobody is home. Also, if it has snowed over Christmas, you may want to check on the wiring and make sure no extension cords or wires are anywhere near the wet ground or puddles that have formed.
• Cleaning Supplies. Your windows may be in need of a scrubbing to remove the artificial snow. Or you may have other surfaces that need a good clean. It’s best to know what’s in your cleaners before you use them. And if you’re uncomfortable with any of the chemicals, switch to a more natural product. If you’re using cleaners in spray bottles, it’s also wise to be careful that you’re not breathing it in and that you give yourself some fresh air. If you have small children or pets, make sure they are not nearby.
• Dealing with leftovers. What to do with all of the leftovers in the fridge? They may not all even fit in there! One idea—so that you don’t force yourself to overeat or make yourself sick—is to turn your leftovers into casseroles and freeze them or give them away to your family members.

Most importantly, try to enjoy the whole process of the holidays, even the clean-up and make it fun by rallying your whole family to pitch in, if possible. And just in case someone does get hurt, make sure you have a first-aid kit handy to deal with it efficiently and effectively!

Article contributed by Sophie Wooding – Avid gardener and cyclist in Victoria, BC and Content Writer for Frontier.io