National Cleaning Week: Avoiding Household Injuries
National Cleaning Week takes place every year, starting on the last Sunday of March. This year it takes place from March 24 to 30. Organizations like the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) use the event to promote various cleaning issues, with many people undertaking their annual spring cleaning.
The Kansas injury lawyers at Patterson Legal Group would like to remind you to use caution while cleaning at home. While homes can be a source of comfort, they’re also one of the most common places to get injured. In fact, in 2021, 78% of all preventable injury-related deaths occurred at home. To help you and your family avoid household injuries, our team shares five cleaning injuries to look out for.
5 Common Injuries That Happen While Cleaning
Many people think of spring cleaning as giving their home a fresh start. They may be excited to give their home the love and attention it deserves, but sometimes do so at the expense of safety. Don’t let this happen to you. Be mindful of the following five injuries and educate everyone in your household of these dangers as part of National Cleaning Week.
Slips, Trips, and Falls
Wet floors, cluttered walkways, and reaching for high shelves can all lead to slips, trips, and falls. These can cause anything from minor bumps and bruises to serious injuries, like broken bones.
To avoid slip and falls at home, be sure to keep an eye out for errant power cables, make sure floors are dry before walking on them, and reach for high objects slowly.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Spring cleaning often requires moving large and heavy objects, such as when you reposition a sofa to vacuum up the year of dust that has accumulated under it. Heavy lifting can strain your body’s soft tissue, which includes muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons. Serious soft tissue injuries can take years to recover from and can even affect you permanently.
You can avoid soft tissue injuries while cleaning by lifting objects carefully and slowly. If you find that an object is too heavy to lift on your own, then stop and wait until someone can help you. Additionally, some soft tissue damage can happen while performing basic cleaning tasks. If you find your muscles or joints straining, then stop and take a break. Yes, it may slow down your spring cleaning, but that’s much better than incurring an injury that will impact the rest of your life.
Chemical Burns
Many people use powerful detergents and disinfectants while spring cleaning. Some cleaning products, especially those containing high levels of bleach, can cause chemical burns to your eyes and skin. Be careful when using such cleaners, and wear latex gloves and protective goggles while using them.
There may be cases where cleaning products have inaccurate or inadequate warning labels. If you’re injured by an unsafe product, then Patterson Legal Group may be able to help you get compensation from the manufacturer.
Electrical Burns
Spring cleaning often involves moving appliances, consumer electronics, and electrical cords. Naturally, it often involves using a vacuum cleaner or carpet shampooer. Any one of the aforementioned products can result in an electrocution injury.
Make sure that your vacuum or carpet cleaner is securely plugged into a power outlet. Double check to make sure that the outlet isn’t overloaded. If you plan on moving several power cords and surge protectors, then wear insulated gloves to protect yourself from shocks. If you’ve been cleaning other parts of your home and your hands are still wet, then do not touch any electrical products until your hands are dry.
Cuts and Lacerations
Whether it’s the kitchen, office, or garage, homes are filled with many sharp objects. When cleaning parts of your home that you do not use often, you may forget where some of these objects are located. If you do not keep an eye out for scissors, knives, blade cutters, etc., then you may suffer a deep cut or laceration.
Even items that you use to clean your home, such as scrapers, can cut you. As with all cleaning activities, your best bet is to take it slowly and be mindful of the various objects in the room you’re cleaning. Getting the job done right–and more importantly, safely–is more important than getting it done quickly.
Share Our National Cleaning Week Tips
The team at Patterson Legal Group hopes that you have a safe and productive spring cleaning. Please follow our National Cleaning Week tips and share them with your friends and family so that they too can avoid household injuries. Should you get injured while cleaning and believe it was the fault of another party, then contact us for a free, no obligation consultation.
You can reach Patterson Legal Group by phone at (888) 687-2400 and online through our encrypted contact form or connecting with our LiveChat agents. For more than 25 years, Patterson Legal Group has helped injury victims throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma receive maximum settlements from insurance companies. Our experienced and accomplished trial lawyers have recovered more than $250-million in settlements for thousands of injury victims. Reach out to us today and take the first step towards the settlement that you deserve.
