Autumn House Cleaning

We've all heard of spring cleaning - the big top-to-bottom scrub-up that everyone gave their house once the need for daily coal fires (with all that soot going everywhere) was past and the longer sunshine hours showed up all the dirt in dark corners that had got overlooked. But what about autumn cleaning? As the seasons change from warmer to colder, some things will need to be prepared for the winter. These days, thankfully, we don't have to spend hours and hours preserving, pickling, drying and otherwise storing produce for winter - although those with vegetable gardens or fruit trees and a decent sized refrigerator or deep freeze will probably want to - but we do have to Be Prepared, as the Boy Scouts say.

If you have an electric heater, you will probably need to give it a good cleaning. Dust caught behind the grille is a fire hazard, and dull metal behind the element will make the heater less efficient. Take off the grille and give the whole heater a good go-over. Don't use masses of water - a damp cloth should be the wettest this electrical appliance should get. A paste of salt and vinegar makes a good home-made metal polish, which you clean off with a damp cloth after letting the paste sit for about five minutes.Unlike non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, these pain killers cannot help relieve inflammation, which means that you may have to take narcotic analgesics, especially when your pain is extreme and severe. It is really up to you and your doctor to decide which form of arthritis treatment is best suited for your particular condition.A little further North is the beautiful Eastern Transvaal as it was known a while ago, now named Mpumalanga. A self-drive trip along the N4 through the beautiful scenery of Waterval-Boven, Pilgrims rest and the many pretty towns along the way toward the Kruger National Park, the largest and most stunning of the South African National parks. Travellers are advised to make accommodation well in advance, particularly during the South Africa school holidays when accommodation in the Parks are scarce.Clean out the gutters around your house regularly. All those dead leaves will clog it up so when wetter, colder weather comes, your drains will overflow and be a nuisance. Don't wait until the first storm of autumn/winter comes.Owners of wood fires should also make sure that they have a good supply of wood ready to go. They should also spend a little time sharpening any tools used for cutting wood and kindling, such as loppers, axes and hatchets. Rusty tools are a hazard and are less efficient to use.Change the batteries in the smoke alarms. You do have smoke alarms, don't you?Give it a good cleaning first.A sample autumn cleaning checklist:Give a quick safety check to all heaters to make sure that they are in good order. Get rid of anything broken, cracked or with a frayed cord.If you've been putting it off, make any necessary changes to keep the cold out, such as putting up thicker curtains or improving your insulation. And if you don't have a door sausage to stop draughts getting under doors, buy one - or make one from old clothes.Air out your winter woollies - blankets, jerseys, eiderdowns, coats. This is particularly necessary if you have stored them away using artificial mothballs (horrible chemical). If you have used more natural moth repellents such as lavender or cedar wood, then this step is not as necessary. But no matter what you use, air them before you wear them, and check everything over for any signs of damage.You could also think of using joint-saving gadgets as a form of arthritis treatment which is very helpful in making your routine tasks such as turning a tap and getting ready for work much easier. However, the usual arthritis treatment that most arthritics use is to take an arthritis drug, which have different effects on different people and which can also result in some unwanted side effects and adverse reactions. It also common for some people to take pain killers and analgesics as an arthritis treatment because they help control the pain that in turn is very necessary for the proper treatment of arthritis.

Don't forget yourself. Winter is the time for coughs and other ailments, so give yourself an immune boost and stock up on herbal remedies such as garlic. Some people may choose to get a flu vaccine or take some other form of medication to increase their immunity to winter ailments.

Author: Nick Vassilev