Celebrating Mother’s Day During COVID-19

We usually celebrate Mother’s Day with flowers and gifts for mom, taking her out to dinner and may be a shopping spree or a trip to the spa or salon. While our city is still in lockdown, with restaurants, salons and shops closed, how are you celebrating Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day Gifts

For the most part, we can order gifts online and get them ready by Mother’s Day. If you cannot get a gift delivered in time, don’t forget that your local drugstore is still open and carries a variety of health and beauty products that your mom would love – from age-defying skin care, hair coloring and styling to perfumes and manicure products. Your community pharmacy may provide curbside service so you can stay safe.

Take a load off

Mom is always busy caring for her family. The list of household chores is never ending. During the quarantine, the amount of cleaning and disinfecting has probably quadrupled. So a great gift would be to take over some of her work. How about letting the local dry cleaner nearby do the laundry? Schedule a laundry pickup before Mother’s Day, so that she is relaxed and not worried about doing the laundry.

If mom’s work includes caring for grandpa and or grandma, which is not unusual in this age of the “Caregiving Crunch,” you can take a load off her by hiring respite care providers from the local home care agency. A home health aide can provide respectful professional care and companionship for a senior loved one while the family caregiver takes a break.

Fun activity together

Do something fun with your mom at home, such as watch a movie on tv, take a trip down memory lane by viewing old photos together, make handicrafts or artwork, give mom a manicure, and so on.

Dinner

If your mother is living in the same house, you can perhaps cook a nice dinner or if you are not a good cook, you can order a big meal online and get it delivered to the house. But if your mother is not under the same roof, you can try sharing a virtual dinner on Zoom. That way, you can still see and chat with each other during dinner.

With a little creativity and preparation, we can still give mom a memorable Mother’s Day during these unprecedented times. Stay safe and have fun with your mom on Mother’s Day!

Photo by Karolina Bobek ✌ on Unsplash

Personal Hygiene During COVID-19

Everyday household tasks can become a source of anxiety in these times. Do you start worrying about how to get the basics done while keeping yourself and loved ones safe and healthy? Simple hygiene measures can help.

Personal Hygiene

A piece of advice that is repeatedly stated by the authorities as a top precaution is to wash our hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer. Make sure the soap or sanitizer fully covers your hands, then rub hands together for 20-30 seconds. For hand sanitizers, use those that contain at least 60 per cent alcohol. Having trouble finding hand sanitizers in the grocery store? Try your community pharmacy. If they have the ability to provide compounded medications, they may be able to produce sanitizers themselves.

Remember to avoid touching your face because the virus is spread through droplets that may cling to surfaces that you touched.

Cleaning Clothes

There’s no research as yet on how long the COVID-19 virus can survive on clothes or other fabrics, but it’s still a good idea to change and wash your clothes regularly — especially if you’ve just come home from the grocery store (or the office if you aren’t working from home). If you are doing the laundry at home, wash your clothes using the warmest appropriate water setting in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure you dry the items completely.

Consider using a laundry delivery service instead of making trips to the laundromat to avoid too much people contact and save time for other chores. Dry cleaning can help to disinfect clothing and other household items like towels and bedding because it uses high heat. Some Boston dry cleaners provide germ-free laundry services, too.

When handling dirty laundry from a person who has symptoms, wear disposable gloves. If you are using a drycleaning pickup service, you should tell the dry cleaner that the laundry may be infected.

Housecleaning

It is also important to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces or objects including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, desks, phones, keyboards, sinks, and faucets at least daily. Clean dirty surfaces with a regular household detergent first, then disinfect with any EPA-registered household disinfectant.

Let’s all stay safe and healthy during these unusual times!

Photo by Irina Ba on Unsplash

Using Delivery Services During the Coronavirus Outbreak

We heard from Governor Charlie Baker yesterday that the number of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts will begin to surge sometime between April 7 and 17. With the stay-at-home advisory and social distancing guidance still in place until April 30, we’ll need to find new ways to manage our daily lives. Fortunately, we have the Internet, various online tools to help us work remotely and entertain ourselves. And for the physical stuff, we can take advantage of delivery service.

Laundry Delivery

Cleanliness is key during this time. Other than washing our hands and disinfecting frequently used surfaces, we need to keep our clothing and bed linens clean. Using a germ-free laundry service can be extra beneficial. If you usually take your laundry to a dry cleaner or a laundromat, this would be a good time to switch to a free laundry delivery service. Even though dry cleaners are considered an essential service by the state, they usually reduce hours and avoid having you in the store as much as possible.

Prescription Delivery

Medical supplies are critical too, especially prescriptions. Pharmacies are also an essential service and will stay open, but they, too, may reduce hours. In the suburbs, curbside service is often available – you drive up to the curb, call the store and they will bring the prescriptions or other medical supplies to you. Many drugstores also offer prescription delivery service within their neighborhoods. You should call your local drugstore to find out if they offer this service.

Food and Grocery Delivery

We all need food. While all the restaurants have closed, we can still order food online and then either pickup or get it delivered. Many supermarkets also offer grocery delivery service and even meals to go. These days, we may find empty shelves for certain food items. Rather than making several trips to get all the food items that you need, it is better to stay safe and order online instead.

When taking advantage of delivery service, make sure that it is contactless. Ask the driver to leave the delivery items on your doorstep and then pick them up after they left.

Let’s all be careful and stay healthy!

Easy Tips to De-Clutter and Organize Your Closet

Did you know that studies have shown that decluttering your home can actually reduce anxiety and depression, and ultimately fewer trips to the drug store for medications? It’s more than just appearance, getting rid of clutter and reorganizing storage spaces in your home can make you feel more relaxed and grounded. I know for me, my closets tend to get a little out of control after time. When I begin dreading opening the closet door, I know it’s time to declutter. So here are my favorite tips for organizing closets.

Start Trying on Those Clothes

The major culprit of bedroom closet clutter is clothing. Look, we all have piles of laundry in various states of cleanliness in our homes at some point, but how much of those clothes do you actually wear? Maybe it’s time for a fashion show! Start trying on those clothes and make piles of “Keep” “Donate” and “Storage”. There’s no shame in keeping clothes that no longer fit, but there’s no point keeping them in your closet. For the clothing that needs to be put in storage, I would take them to a dry cleaner near me first – it’s always important to clean before you store your clothes. And if there is too much clothing to take to the store yourself, use a laundry delivery service.

Dig Out Those Hidden Treasures

Cleaning out your closet always reveals those long lost forgotten items waiting to be made brand new again. Maybe that vintage dress hiding behind your winter coats just needs a quick trip to the local dry cleaner. Or maybe those faded jeans can be cut into summer shorts. Cleaning out your closet is a great way to make use of the items you already have that still have a lot of life left in them. Perhaps with some clever alterations, you can wear them again with pride.

Baskets and Hanging Storage

When it comes to closets, you can never have enough storage solutions. I like to use baskets on the closet floor to separate shoes, handbags, and belts and hanging storage containers for folded items like sweaters, sweatshirts and off-season clothes. Hanging storage containers made of cloth or canvas are inexpensive and easy to find. And they’re amazing for smaller and narrower closets. When it comes to baskets, you may even have some laying around somewhere that you’re not using, or they’re super easy to come by at flea markets and garage sales.

So remember, to lower those stress levels and turn your home back into a sanctuary, start decluttering those smaller spaces like closets and pantries. You might even end up having some fun and find a few treasures in the process.

How to Repurpose the Clothes in Your Closet

The New Year is right around the corner, so it’s time to unclutter your life. When was the last time you cleaned out your closet? Are there clothes that need washing, or even professional cleaning by a dry cleaner? Put them in a pile and if there are a lot of clothes that need cleaning, it is wise to use a laundry delivery service.

It’s a great idea to donate the clothes you no longer wear, but what about those pieces that aren’t quite in shape to donate? Or the pieces you want to hold onto but aren’t sure how to use them? Read on for some ideas on how to repurpose the clothes in your closet.

A T-Shirt Quilt

Have lots of old band or travel t-shirts sitting around? A t-shirt quilt is a super cute way to preserve your memories while repurposing those old shirts. If you’re not the crafty type, don’t worry. There are several different companies and services that do this sort of thing for you or, ask around for local artisans.

Turn Long Sleeve Shirts into Wrap Skirts

Most dress shirts last 6 months to a year, whether you use a shirt laundry service or not. Cotton shirts lose their shape after a while, but there’s no need to throw them out. By wearing the torso portion of the shirt and wrapping the sleeves around your waist into a bow in the front, you’ve got a comfortable wrap skirt you can wear over leggings or on its own. This works for solid colored shirts of course, but prints are even better!

Turn Tees into Cardigans

Have some old tees that are a bit too tight but you’d love to hang on to them? Turn them into cardigans! This awesome hack lets you hold on to your favorite old tees while repurposing them into your current wardrobe. And you don’t even need to know how to sew! Using a pair of scissors, simply cut a line straight down the middle of the tee. Then use hem tape, which you can find at any craft store, to straighten the cut edges. If I want to add buttons or fastens, I can simply ask the expert tailor at the Boston dry cleaner near me to do it for a small charge.

So time to go through your laundry piles and clean out that closet! After gathering up donations for your local organization or shelter, try some of these fun ideas to repurpose your clothes.

Why Shop Local?

When you shop at your local pharmacy or drycleaner, you’re not only building relationships but also strengthening the fabric of your entire community. Local business owners know you, and you know them.

When you see someone frequently at the coffee shop, dry cleaner, or hardware store, you build relationships with people who have similar needs and interests. Shopping at local businesses connects neighbors with each other. It’s social networking without the screen!

You get better customer service when you shop local. When you fill a prescription at a community pharmacy you are likely to be served by the owner or a long-time employee who knows your medical history and medication needs. Many local pharmacies also offer specialties such as compounded medications. A local laundry service or dress shop knows your preferences so you get more personalized service.

Local businesses are more likely to donate to community events, local non-profits, and sports teams. Studies have shown that they do so at over twice the rate of large chains. This kind of participation brings the community closer together.

Did you know that each dollar you spend at a local independent business can bring as much as $3.50 into the local economy? Local businesses are customers of local ad agencies, insurance brokers, accountants, printers, lawyers and other services and often buy locally-made goods too. This creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to start more local businesses.

Some studies have reported that local businesses employ more people directly per dollar of revenue than national chains thus creating higher-paying jobs for your neighbors. But it’s not just the jobs at the independent pharmacy, the laundry pickup service, or the boutique that get created. As the local economy strengthens, you’re helping create jobs for firefighters, police officers, teachers, and other public service employees as well!

Author: The WSI Touch is a digital marketing agency serving small and medium-sized businesses in Boston, Massachusetts.