Having a clean home is not only fantastic to look at, but it can greatly benefit you and your family’s health. As we said in our previous post, being free of clutter can help fight off stress and fatigue. Staying dust-free can also keep allergies and asthma at bay and even stop germs from spreading. Moreover, having a clean home can motivate you to stay healthy in other aspects of life, such as encouraging you to stick to your diet, as messy environments can cause you to reach out to unhealthy snacks more often.
Table of Contents
How to prevent eye injury while cleaning
Deep cleaning is especially important for removing dirt, dust, and allergens from your environment. However, you are often exposed to these irritants while doing chores, which can easily damage your eyes when you’re not careful. To prevent eye injuries while deep cleaning your home, here are some tips you should consider following:
Wear protective eyewear
When handling chemicals such as ammonia or bleach or doing outside cleaning with debris, it’s best to wear protective eyewear. Protective goggles can minimize your exposure to fumes and cover your eyes from accidental splashes or dirt, helping you avoid unnecessary issues with your vision.
But what if you wear glasses? If you need vision correction during your cleaning work, it’s best to put on a pair of prescription glasses that fit underneath your protective eyewear. Glasses retailer LensCrafters offers bifocals, trifocals, or progressive lenses, which help correct vision when cleaning between different areas. One of their smaller models is the Ray-Ban RB6375 Optics which has a lens height and width of 1.76 inches and 5.20 inches, respectively, so it can fit under bigger forms of eye protection like thick goggles (Pair of 2, Amazon, $13.99)
YunTuo 2 Pack Safety Goggles, Anti-Fog
However, if you already have bulky glasses and have no allergies to cleaning products, contact lenses can be ideal for keeping your vision sharp without the problem of them slipping off your face. Do, of course, clean any used eyewear or contacts after your deep cleaning spree.
Avoid rubbing your eyes
During cleaning, it may be inevitable that irritants like dust or pollen get into your eyes. It’s very tempting to rub your eyes, but doctors recommend that you avoid touching your eyes altogether. Eye-rubbing can be a harmful habit. It not only negatively affects your appearance by creating bloodshot eyes and dark circles but can also cause corneal damage over time, leading to a blurry vision condition known as keratoconus. Furthermore, when you’re cleaning, your hands and arms are most likely filthy— so rubbing your eyes significantly increases the risk of infection.
If your eyes are experiencing excessive itchiness, it may be a sign of dry eyes due to environmental irritation. The best course of action is to stop cleaning, wash your hands, and use eye drops. Eye doctors recommend the global brand Systane for their eye drops, as it relieves all types of dry eye for up to eight hours.
Prepare areas to be cleaned
Eye injuries occur when you least expect them, but this can be easily fixed by thinking of your safety ahead of time. This is especially true when cleaning outside or doing yard work, as there may be hazardous items around you that you may not be aware of. So before engaging in cleaning, make sure you remove any loose objects in your environment. Some things to look out for include:
- Extended nail heads on the side of cupboards, drawers, etc.
- Branches and sticks on a lawn
- Spilled hazardous products
- Pest messes, such as dried droppings or nests
When cleaning your home, taking the proper precautions to ensure your safety— especially against eye hazards is vital. Even the most minor injuries can impact your vision, so protecting your eye health is best in the long run. If you’re unsure where to start, consider contacting a professional house cleaner to help you clean and organize your home.
Contributed by: Maggie Preston