Keeping a bedroom clean and tidy is one of a caregiver’s most essential and time-consuming tasks. When you care for an older person or someone with a chronic illness, they may spend much of the day in their bedroom, particularly if they rely on their home hospital bed for comfort and safety. Dirt and clutter accumulate, and family caregivers can find themselves in a constant battle against mess.
However, bedroom cleaning needn’t be a struggle. To keep a bedroom clean and tidy, you should stick to a schedule. Cleaning at the same time every day minimizes disruption for you and the person for which you care. It’s more efficient to spend half an hour cleaning thoroughly than to tackle jobs as the need arises throughout the day. You may have to pick up trash and deal with incidents as they occur, but most of the routine cleaning will be taken care of at a time that works for you and the bedroom’s occupant.
5 Steps for A Safe and Clean Bedroom
Let’s look at how professional caregivers approach bedroom maintenance. They have two goals. First, to make sure the bedroom is clean, hygienic, and comfortable. Second, to make the cleaning process as efficient as possible—the faster it’s done, the less disruptive it is for the care recipient and the caregiver.
Decluttering
The first step is to remove the clutter that accumulates throughout the day. Pick up anything that has fallen on the floor. Return clothes and medical equipment to their storage place. If clothes are dirty, put them in a laundry bag and remove them from the room.
In addition to making the room more pleasant, decluttering plays an important safety role. Clutter is a tripping hazard; people with physical and cognitive limitations need clutter-free environments to move around safely.
Remove Trash
Next, get rid of trash: used food packages, medication containers, wipes, tissues, magazines, and so on. Anything that could harbor bacteria or mold should be removed, as should anything that might contain infectious materials. It’s essential to get this out of the way early in the cleaning process to prevent newly cleaned areas from being immediately dirtied again.
Vacuum Carpets and Curtains or Clean Floors
Once the floors are clear, use a vacuum cleaner to dust and small debris from curtains, rugs, carpets, and hard floors. Be sure to vacuum under furniture. It may also be a good idea to vacuum other soft furnishings, such as sofas. If the room has hard floors, vacuum and then mop with a disinfectant floor cleaner.
Vacuum before dusting and making the bed. Vacuum cleaners tend to blow dust around, so it’s better to vacuum before you clean other surfaces.
Change Sheets
Next, change the bed linen and make the bed. To learn how professional caregivers approach this task, read Tips on How to Make a Hospital Bed.
Dust Surfaces and Disinfect
Wipe down all surfaces that collect dust. Use a damp cloth and rinse it frequently—dry dusting just moves dust around, and a wet cloth is more effective at capturing dust particles. If possible, use a disinfectant spray to kill bacteria and viruses.
You should dust and disinfect after vacuuming and making the bed. Vacuuming often raises dust into the air, which then settles on surfaces. Bed linen may contain dust, bacteria, and bodily fluids that can find their way onto surfaces and furniture.
Common Bedroom Maintenance Questions
We’ll conclude by answering three common questions about bedroom maintenance.
How Often Should I Change My Sheets?
If bed linen is soiled, you should change it immediately. Experts recommend healthy people change their bed sheets every week, although the average is once every two weeks. However, if the person you care for spends long periods in bed during the day or they are bedridden, you should change their sheets more frequently—perhaps every other day.
How Often Should I Flip My Home Hospital Bed Mattress?
Modern mattresses designed for home hospital beds don’t need flipping. For example, our Supernal Sleep System mattress shouldn’t be flipped. They are designed for use in a specific orientation, and they include anti-bacterial and easily cleaned covers.
When Do My Pillows Need Changing?
In regular use, you should replace pillows every year. Wash pillows used by a bedridden or vulnerable person frequently and replace them when their condition degrades to the point at which they cannot comfortably support the user.
Do you or someone you care for struggle to get in and out of bed? Transfer Master’s home hospital beds include powered height, head, foot, and tilt adjustments. They’re engineered for easy cleaning, and all of our hospital bed mattresses feature anti-bacterial easy-clean covers.
To learn more about adjustable home hospital beds, talk to a bed expert today.
