Heart failure: Household chores

How to rearrange your kitchen

Set up work areas so items that are used together are grouped together (such as dishwashing, cooking or mixing).
Streamline your kitchen. Throw away things you do not use to avoid clutter.
Plan meals ahead of time. Know which recipes are quick and easy or need more preparation.
Keep a grocery list on the refrigerator.
Shop for non-perishables once a week (or less if you have enough storage) and perishables as few times as your storage allows.
Shop in a store that has carts which the cashier unloads.
Let your dishes air dry.
Sit when peeling vegetables, mixing and washing dishes.
Use electric appliances (such as a mixer or blender) when you can.
Prepare and freeze extra food for later use.
Use paper napkins instead of linen.

Sort clothes on a table and use a rolling laundry cart.
Buy easy-care permanent press clothing.
Sit down to iron. Place a rack next to the ironing board to hand freshly ironed clothes.
Fold sheets, towels and underwear. Do not iron them.
Put a front-loading washer on blocks to raise the opening and eliminate bending.

Store all of your cleaning equipment for one type of job together. For instance, keep the kitchen cleaners in the kitchen, keep dusting items together and keep bathroom cleaners in the bathroom.
Keep small items in a carrying basket.
Use pick-up tongs and long-handled sponges to decrease reaching.
Use vacuum cleaner attachments to dust.
Use long-handled dust pans.
Sit on a tub or bedside if using a long-handled scrub sponge to clean.
Avoid knickknacks you will have to clean.
Keep your furnishings simple.