It might be summer but now is the traditional time of year for spring cleaning as spring work on the farm eases. Some women on farms can now begin to notice the cobwebs that have been gathering over the busy months. Recently, Tim and I were going away for a little break between two chemotherapy cycles.

The hard work of the springtime was mostly complete and we hadn’t begun breeding the cows for 2027. I don’t think I’d ever seen so many spiders with their cobwebs extending everywhere. So, the battle between me and them had started.

My two nieces Aoife and Áine came down and did a cleaning blitz on the house for me before my friend, Marianne came from Australia. I was so grateful to them. It is a wonderful gift to give any Mammy or Auntie.

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Focus on fire hazards

While we were away, our son Diarmuid (38) who has an intellectual disability was at home. He loves to have the house to himself.

I always think about the risks that might arise for him around the daily household appliances.

We’ve been working on him looking after his own clothes and I’ve been allowing him to use the dryer partly because I too am using it. I love to hang out clothes but I can’t reach up with my left arm.

I will have to get some adjustments made to my line when I can nab someone with free time.

Various filters around the home can pose risk of fire and it’s easy to forget to do these mundane jobs if you are taken up with other activities. Dryers have a removable piece to gather lint and fluff but it is not enough to just empty that. You need to go further.

A good long duster can usually bring up the lint or even the vacuum cleaner with its long corner piece. I was shocked to take out about the size of a football by the time I was finished. It started me on the filter round.

The dryer outlet going through the wall also needed cleaning. A radiator brush is ideal for that job. These cleaning measures greatly enhance the efficiency of appliances. Annoyingly, my washing machine does not have an accessible filter. In my old machine there was a grand one where a tractor key or some such item would get trapped.

He selected 30 minutes. Of course, there was a bang. I could see the flames inside and the microwave died. Afterwards, I sat at the kitchen table thinking what if?

After the dryer, the next fire hazard for Diarmuid is certainly the toaster. Again, I was alarmed to find such a cake of crumbs on each of the sliding pieces underneath where the bread sits. Many years ago, the toaster did go on fire and I ran to the back door and pegged it away. I often thought what if I wasn’t there?

Another time, Diarmuid put a Vienna loaf, still in its wrapper into the microwave. He selected 30 minutes. Of course, there was a bang. I could see the flames inside and the microwave died.

Afterwards, I sat at the kitchen table thinking what if? I guess that’s why I’m a little paranoid about fire hazards. The microwave also has a filter in its walls so it’s important to keep the microwave clean to reduce the risk of fire. The air fryer can also be a hazard.

There was a time when I would put on the dishwasher, the washing machine and the dryer and go to bed. It was great to have it done in the morning. It’s the wrong thing to do because of the fire risk.

Household appliances should operate while we are there to keep an eye on them. I don’t mean to alarm people. It is just a timely reminder to look after the filters in your appliances. They are there to keep us safe.