May 20, 2015

Save Your Back From Household Chores


Household chores, such as cleaning and doing laundry, can possibly be a common cause of pain and soreness.  They are mundane activities, but don’t underestimate them!  You are probably spending a good amount of time on household chores every week, and it can be a lot of work especially if you have a big family and house. 

It comes to household chores, I am lazy (in a smart way, I hope), so here are some personal tips. 

Laundry
I heard the same story from different people that they get back pain from doing laundry; lifting and carrying a heavy laundry basket for many times. 
Solution: Use a laundry basket/hamper with wheels.  There is no lifting, just pushing it with your fingers to the laundry room.  How simple is that?
Vacuuming
You don’t realize that vacuuming is an upper-body exercise.  Vacuuming carpet with a powerful suction vacuum cleaner requires good arm and upper body strength in order to “pull” the vacuum cleaner.  It’s likely you get sore in the arm and the back later.  You might find tender spots if you press the side of the ribs, too, if you only use the arm.    

Solution 1: Pulling is the hard part, so why not just keeping pushing forward?  In small areas and under the furniture, you have to pull it back.  Other than that, push forward, and when you reach the end, turn, and push again.  And also, try using the non-dominant hand.

Solution 2: Use a microfiber dust mop (the bigger the better) other than on the carpet.  Push, turn, and push.  It takes much less energy and time than vacuuming. 

Solution 3: Invest in a robot vacuum cleaner.  They use a sensor for dirt and navigate themselves from room to room even when you are out.  I don’t like spending too much time on cleaning the floor, so I may get one of these in the future! 
Solution 4: Hire a housekeeper if you can afford.

To save your back: Don't lift; wheel.  Push, not pull.  I hope this will make your housekeeping easier!