Easy Does It

Sorry for my delay in posting lately. I had scheduled several posts before I started deep cleaning the kitchen 3 weeks ago. No sooner had I finished deep cleaning the kitchen when my family and I came down with a cold or flu. I took 2 Covid tests and my husband took 3, and we tested negative every time. Whatever it was, was rough. At the tail end of this virus, I got 2 transcribing jobs that lasted about a week. So, where does easy does it show up during all this chaos? 

Image courtesy of Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash

First of all, I did take my time when I was deep cleaning the kitchen. I cleaned the stove/oven, fridge, and walls on day 1, the top cabinets on day 2, drawers and bottom cabinets on day 3, and vacuumed valances, wiped off blinds, cleaned 3 windows, and scrubbed the floor on day 4. I went to the grocery store the day after I finished cleaning the kitchen. The day after that I did some minor housework. By the end of that day, I was starting to not feel well. 

I actually rested most of the time I was sick. All I had to take care of was laundry, trash, meals, and dishes. I have never done that before. Ever. I've always felt like I have to work the entire time regardless of how I feel. Nobody's fault but my own; my family has never expected that of me. But I will have to say that I believe I recuperated faster by (mostly) resting 7 days. When I started feeling better, I wore a mask to dust (1) to prevent the dust from getting up my nose to start a bunch of sneezing again and (2) not to breathe, cough, or sneeze my germs on anything I was dusting and sanitizing. 

After I vacuumed, I sprayed the rooms AND carpet along with other soft surfaces with Lysol, and I wiped down all the surfaces we touch with Clorox wipes. That evening, my 1st transcribing job came in. I started it the next day. When I finished that job, I had time to wipe down the surfaces again before I got the 2nd transcribing job. I finished that job this past Friday and cleaned the house and sprayed the carpet and disinfected touched surfaces again Saturday. Then rested yesterday (Sunday).  

So, easy does it even if it means getting behind on a few things. These are wise lessons I want to pass along to you. Feel better faster by resting when your body tells you to. And disinfect when you're feeling better. My next task is to deep clean the bathrooms, so I'll spend a few days preparing my next blog posts so that, hopefully, it won't appear that I've abandoned you. But keeping the dust out of the house, vacuuming, mopping, and keeping the bathrooms cleaned at least on a weekly basis are ways I feel that I can stay ahead of the viruses and bacteria. Then a deeper clean helps a little more, because I'm getting into those nooks and crevices inside cabinets, drawers, and closets once every year or 2 as well as behind heavy appliances such as the stove and refrigerator 3 or 4 times a year.

When we're sick, I like to make sure our toothbrushes are washed and hand towels are changed out at least once a day. Any towel that is used for drying our mouth on after brushing or our faces on after washing are tossed into the hamper immediately. Yes, I have to wash more loads of towels during this time, but trust me; it's worth it. I've even gone so far as to make sure we each have our own tube of toothpaste and our own towel to use for brushing purposes only. That, alone, has helped tremendously in preventing some viruses from spreading in our household.  

I also remove the used Kleenexes daily - tie them up in their trash bags and toss them into the outdoor trash. And we stay home when we're sick so we don't spread germs around our community. I just feel that we at least aren't re-infecting ourselves by going the extra mile in our hygiene and cleaning habits and prevention.

Do you have anything else you do when your family gets sick that I may have missed or simply haven't thought to do? If so, put it in comments and share it with other readers. We all get sick, but I think there are ways we can minimize the illness, get better faster, and get rid of the germs faster if we start as soon as the signs are there. But more than anything, easy does it. Rest as much as possible when you're sick. Cleaning and other work can wait until you're feeling better. Even then, pace yourself. The work isn't going anywhere. I used to think everything had to be done as fast as possible, especially the deep cleaning. I realize, now, that isn't necessary. I do think it has to be done but at a healthy pace. A healthy pace brings healthy peace.