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Swimming Pool Safety Guide

Now that the warm weather is finally here, it’s time to make sure your backyard and pool are ready for your abundance of summer guests. The main goal to accomplish when getting your backyard and pool ready is to make sure they are safe. Every year thousands of adults and children are injured in backyard swimming pools; that could mean either slipping, falling and hurting yourself or unfortunately a child falling in the pool un noticed. There’s nothing worse than watching a child accidentally fall into the deep end of the pool. To help that nightmare disappear the following tips will help you achieve ultimate safety.


Fence

Install a self-locking fence around the pool to secure the area. Ensure all the locks and latches are up high and out of reach from curious little hands. Make sure the child can not easily climb over or squeeze through the fence or gate area. This will be your number one safety precaution for children and pets.


Alarms

Technology to the rescue! A pool alarm will notify you, whether you’re in the house or outside, if the surface of the water has been disturbed. You will instantly know if someone has fallen in.  


Swimming Lessons

Before allowing others in your pool, make sure they can swim. If they are a new swimmer or still don’t know how to swim, you can help keep them safe by making them wear a lifejacket. All new swimmers should always have an adult with them at all times. Never allow them to swim alone.


Remember the Rules

Teach everyone who uses your pool the “Pool Rules”. Whether they’re an adult or a child, everyone should be aware. Walk don’t run, no roughhousing, no drinking and swimming, and no glass around the pool are some great starter rules. Every family will adopt their own rules over time.


Be Prepared

Accidents do happen. In case someone does happen to fall in the pool; ensure that at least one adult from the home has their First Aid course up to date, including CPR. Have an area on your pool deck that is easily accessible with lifesaving equipment. Reaching pole, rescue hook, an extra lifejacket, and a lifesaving ring. All these items are good to have on hand in case of an emergency.


Baby Proof

Pools can come with a lot of maintenance work. To ensure everybody’s safety, keep those harmful pool chemicals locked up in the cupboard away from everyone. Even when your pool isn’t in use, remove any ladders or access to the pool if it is above ground.

  

Supervision

Never leave your children unsupervised, especially around water. Drowning can occur in seconds and in centimetres of water. Always keep your eyes on the pool even when you’re having conversations with others. Common sense: Never turn your back on a child while they are in the water.


Inflatables

Always watch children closely when they are playing with inflatable toys. Kids tend to rough house in the water, and those inflatables are fairly easy to tip over which can trap the child under them. Consider limiting the number of toys and inflatables in the pool during the day. Never forget to remove all of the toys from the pool at the end of your day. They can be an easy temptation for that curious toddler who will try and reach them. This precaution will help prevent curious kids from falling in.


Clean Clean Clean

Dirty pools can be a breeding ground for bacteria and germs. They can also cause infections and sickness if not taken care of properly. Remember to keep up with the maintenance schedule of the pool to avoid these nasty situations. Purchasing a good cover will also help keep any unwanted bugs or debris out of your pool.


Remember, accidents can happen in a blink of an eye. Whether you’re thinking of installing a pool or you have one already, it’s always a good idea to brush up on your pool safety for the summer!

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WELCOME SPRING!

 

Despite the chill that’s still lingering in the air, spring is finally here! Many of us associate the word spring with budding flowers and sunshine, but it also means that it’s time to break out those cleaning gloves and tackle the task of Spring Cleaning.

Spring cleaning is no small task, it can often turn into a huge project. To make your spring cleaning tasks a little more manageable, here are a few tips that can help you tackle your home.

 

1. Plan of Attack

Lists can often help people stay organized especially tackling a project like Spring Cleaning. Before you get started, walk through each room and write down what you want to accomplish. Writing a list out also helps to make sure you have all the cleaning materials you need before you start.

 

2. Turn up the Tunes

Put together a cleaning playlist to make the task more fun! Listening to music while cleaning may help make things go by faster, keep you motivated and of course it’s an extra work out!

 

3. Clean One Room at a Time

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and side tracked when you want to accomplish cleaning your entire house! Baby steps… stick with cleaning one room at a time, or pick two or three rooms to accomplish on the weekend. This way your whole house isn’t thrown upside down all at once. Much easier to manage.

 

4. Purge!

As you go through each room, make sure to declutter. Recycle old magazines, put items you no longer use, need or wear, like that tshirt you bought a year ago but never wear into a three bin system; keep sell or donate. Decide if it’s worth it to sell, or simply put it in a box to donate. Using a three bin system works well to keep you organized and on task

 

5. Set a Timer

It’s hard to stay on track when cleaning. You may find items you’ve forgotten about, lost, or old photographs, and before you know it you’ve spent the entire day cleaning just one closet because your too busy reminiscing the past. Set a timer so you don’t fall into this trap. Much like a list, it can help you stay on track.

 

6. Recruit Some Help

Don’t do all the cleaning yourself. What’s better than a cleaning party?! Recruit your kids, significant other or friends to help you out. When you can divvy up the work, it will hopefully take less time than if you do it all by yourself and its good company!

 

7. Top to Bottom

Start cleaning from the top of the room and work your way down. Knock down all those dusty cobwebs from the corner, dust the light fixtures, clean the windows, dust the furniture, and finally finish with the floors.

 

8. Think Green

Many chemical-based cleaners emit hazardous fumes. No matter what cleaners you use, remember to always read the labels. Instead of using numerous rolls of paper towel for cleaning, check out a microfiber cloth. They can be used on multiple surfaces and pick up dust like no other!

 

9. Fresh Air

Even when it’s cold and cloudy outside, it’s a great idea to open up all the windows in the room you’re working in. It lets the fresh air circulate and immediately freshens up the house. If you’re sensitive to all the dust you’re stirring up while cleaning the fresh air will also help.

 

10. Reward Yourself for a Job Well Done

Having something to look forward to at the end of a long day of cleaning sure makes things go faster. Plus, you worked hard and deserve it. Treat yourself to that bottle of wine you’ve been eyeing or take the opportunity to order in dinner; because let’s face it, who likes to make dinner and make a mess in your newly clean kitchen after a full day of spring cleaning.

 

 

Alright, so these tips won’t make all the dirt magically disappear, but the tips above may help you make the task a little bit easier. Remember to take your time and have fun!  You don’t have to do everything in one day, that’s why it’s called “Spring Cleaning” For a full Spring Cleaning checklist check out my website for an easy print version!

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