Vacuuming and Mopping

Okay, so vacuuming and mopping won’t ever win any awards for most fun thing you can do in a day. But you can still get the job done thoroughly and confidently regardless of your level of vision.

The first thing you’ll want to do is walk on the floor with bare feet. Stepping on something gritty, sticky or crunchy lets you know you’ve got a dirty floor and where to focus your efforts.

Of course, when you have a cleaning schedule in place, you won’t be waiting until it gets to this point. And most likely, you won’t have to scrub or work as hard if you vacuum and mop regularly.

Now, with a new vacuum or before you use it for the first time, it’s a good idea to go over and label the different parts. Be sure to mark the settings that control the height of the beater bar in case you need to raise it for carpets and lower it for bare floors. You’ll find more tips on labeling in Hadley’s labeling workshops. Check them out.

The next thing you’ll want to do is clear the area of lightweight objects and cords. Then, check places where you or family members usually leave shoes and other items. Using a broom is a quick way to search for toys and other items that might have been left in the middle of the floor.

Now, using furniture, appliances, doors, and walls as landmarks, divide the room into 3 to 4-foot sections. Choose your starting point and bring the vacuum to that area.

Find the on-off switch and make sure the vacuum is off before you find the outlet and plug it in. Vacuum back and forth in front of you. Pushing the vacuum in front of you as far as you comfortably can, keep the cord rolled over your arm or shoulder and release it as you go. Roll it up as it needs to be shortened. But pay special attention to where the cord is when you step back or move positions to avoid running over it with the vacuum or tripping.

Take small steps in the direction you want to move while still moving the vacuum back and forth. Make sure the vacuum is overlapping the previous strokes as you move.

You can practice with rice to gain more confidence in using grid patterns and overlapping strokes. Just scatter some rice on an area of the carpet. As you vacuum over that area, listen to the sound of grains of rice being sucked into the vacuum. Once you no longer hear the vacuum sucking up the rice, walk barefoot over that area of the carpet afterward to make sure you removed all of it.

Now, when you reach the end of that first section, take a step back and vacuum in the opposite direction. Keep moving back until you have vacuumed the entire area. Once you’ve covered that area, move to the next landmark, like a door way, and repeat the process.

And by squaring off against a sofa, door or the side of a bed, it’ll be easier to know where you are in relation to your starting point. You’ll soon find that using grid patterns and overlapping strokes is an efficient way to cover the entire floor.

Some of these same tips apply to mopping. Clear the area of small objects and use furniture, appliances, doors, and walls as landmarks to divide the room into 3 to 4-foot sections. Keep your bucket of water and cleaning solution in a designated, safe location such as against a cabinet, near the stove, or by your side. If the floor covers a large area or is very dirty, you may want to replenish your bucket and mop the floor a second time. To avoid this, consider using a mop with replaceable damp cloths…no bucket and easy disposal. Protect your hands with gloves and your feet with shoes that won’t slip on a damp or wet floor.

Now, pick the direction you want to mop. Use grid patterns, right or left first then a step back and use overlapping strokes. Rely on your landmarks to help you keep track of your progress. Continue on to your next landmark, for instance, the sink. Then, repeat this technique until you’ve mopped the entire area.

To get to and clean under furniture like beds or dressers, use a dust mop with dust spray applied directly to the mop head.

As always, contact a learning expert if you have questions or your own tips to share. Of course, as with anything new, give yourself time, patience, and practice and you’ll get there.