A friend's husband has just been diagnosed with stage 4 hodgkins lymphoma, we were talking this morning and it was obvious that a big thing on her mind is organising the house so as to be able to keep it clean. The big challenge is they have preschool age children, which makes that a lot more complex. I know some friends have been collecting money to get some extra hours with a cleaner, but it sounds like planning and organising is as much of an issue as maintaining. I've offered to head over and to a thorough toy cleaning/sorting session, plus head to costco and make sure she has a good supply of clorox wipes and whatnot. I googled, but I didn't really find much, seems like she needs some good solid practical tips, rather than vague keep things clean, don't have plants etc.
You surely do need an expert, Anne. I thought I was diligent about cleaning. I happened to read my kitchen cleaner - 409 of some variety - and noticed that it wanted me to wet the areas and let it stand for 10 minutes. I thought just wiping things down with it, like the kitchen counters and sinks was doing a good job. Maybe not. And there are so many things that you touch and don't particularly think about such as tv remotes. Yes. You need an expert. Prayers for her DH and the entire family from here too, Polly
For this you'd better with a commercial "deep cleaning" operation.
He'll probably be too ill to move around much, and it might be more important to keep the room he spends most of his time in *really* clean and not worry too much about the rest of the house.
==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts
The following advice is coming from someone who does not have children, has never lived with a toddler, has never cared for someone with a serious illness (never at home; I've done it in hospitals), and basically doesn't know what she's talking about. Keep that in mind, and here goes:
I'd limit the organizing and cleaning to 3 rooms: The husband's bedroom, the husband's bathroom, and the kitchen. If there's only one bathroom, the whole deal is much harder. I'll assume there's more than one.
Empty the husband's bedroom of everything that's not needed for his health and comfort. That includes the wife's things if possible. If not possible, try to keep her stuff to her usual closet. He should have bed, night table, television with remote, clothes, books, and items he loves and finds beautiful. There will also be items related to his care, maybe a table with medicines, oxygen, bandages, syringes; I don't know.
Do the same with his bathroom. It should be equipped for his comfort, maybe handbars in the shower, a hose on the showerhead so it can be handheld. If the shower is shaped correctly, a chair in the shower so he can sit and bathe himself. (No one in my home is disabled, but the previous owner might have been. The design of the shower is wonderful. It's small, non-slip, has a built-in small bench. A person could enter it with a walker, sit down, and still bathe himself. If help was needed, there's space for two. We adore it and think every shower in the country should be designed the same way.) All the extraneous stuff should be removed.
For the rest of the house, just shove the junk in (assuming it's stiff basically safe for toddlers). Nothing special for the other rooms. Try to get rid of extraneous stuff, but if you have to put the kids' toys in a big box or overstuffed closet, do it. There's too much else to think about than trying to organize toddlers. My experience with toddlers is limited, but I've noticed that they defy organization. Don't waste your energy trying.
Keep a few spritz bottles filled with a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part bleach. That makes a disinfectant that kills most viruses. Spritz light switches, door knobs, bathroom and kitchen faucets, any place that hands touch. Do it daily. Don't wipe afterwards. Just spritz and leave it. It smells bleachy for 10 minutes afterwards, is inexpensive, works, and is easy. We do this when colds are going around or when one of us gets a stomach virus. It does a lot to keep the other from catching it. It's a good idea when someone in the home has a weakened immune system. (It's pointless to do it constantly if no one is sick.) (The spritz bottle is also cool for discharge dyeing fabric, but that's another post.)
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