Everyday Cleaning with a Blind Person

Blind people learn to do so many wonderful things, including how to take care of a house on their own. My mom learned to do many of these things at a residential blind school. She taught me how to clean! And she is usually better at most things than I can. 

Most people with little to no vision will learn to use their hands as their eyes. The use of touch means that they will catch things we cannot see. My mom uses a wash cloth to clean since it makes it easier to feel where there may be stuff stuck to the area being cleaned. I learned to rely not just on my vision to clean, but also to use my hands to feel the area and make sure there is nothing still on the table.

My first job was cleaning off tables at a restaurant. I got many compliments from customers. I would wipe them down, and then use my hands to make sure there was nothing stuck to it. You would be surprised how many tables seemed clean when looking at them, but after examining them with my fingers I would find stuck on mayonnaise or even a dark sauce. How about you? Have you ever tried to wiper something using your sense of touch and not your vision? It’s surprising how much more clean the surfaces will be. 

Here is a short video of how touch cleaning is different from a visual inspection. 

Next time you clean use your sense of touch. See how things are different by cleaning by touch!