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Fell off the stepladder again,

(63 Posts)
thisisnotme Tue 22-Oct-19 10:17:06

Busy cleaning the conservatory this morning which I hate. The ceiling is very high and I’m very short therefore I have to stand at the very top of the stepladder to reach with a long handled broom etc.

Last time I fell off the ladder was because I was listening to Elvis which necessitates singing and ultimately dancing along to the music. Needless to say I fell off, wasn’t hurt and carried on cleaning.

This morning on the advice of my OH, I was listening to Bach. The reasoning being that you don’t dance to Bach!

However what neither of us had anticipated was the fact that I would be compelled to ‘conduct’ the orchestra - with both hands of course - hence today’s little accident.

What daft things do you do when cleaning?

midgey Tue 22-Oct-19 10:19:34

Have you thought of asking someone else to clean the ceiling??. That way you can dance all you like.

crazyH Tue 22-Oct-19 10:22:44

I don't have a conservatory, but if I had one, I would get someone to clean it. Too dangerous to go up ladders at our age. Hope you are feeling better Tinm.

thisisnotme Tue 22-Oct-19 10:28:48

I seem to have perfected the art of falling off in slow motion - very useful when I fell off in the garden when cleaning the outside of the conservatory - which so far means I haven’t been hurt.

I don’t clean outside any more grin

Margsus Tue 22-Oct-19 11:08:16

Thisisnotme I fell over in the street a few weeks ago and my son who was with me said I did it in slow motion and very gracefully.....

Mapleleaf Tue 22-Oct-19 11:42:58

Perhaps next time, you don't play any music! wink.
Seriously, though, could you ask someone else to do it for you or look for one of those extendable dusters if there is one long enough. Sounds like climbing to the top step of the ladder is just too dangerous nowadays.

angelic Tue 22-Oct-19 11:51:56

I fell over recently, while out with Grandson, who likes to tell everyone Nannie just went ‘splat’ on to the ground

Calendargirl Tue 22-Oct-19 12:40:06

I would keep off the stepladder before you really hurt yourself.

annodomini Tue 22-Oct-19 12:41:53

There is a short course on Future Learn about preventing falls. I don't think it mentions cleaning conservatory roofs, but there's good, sound advice exactly the same as I was given at the falls clinic in our local hospital.

callgirl1 Tue 22-Oct-19 17:24:10

My daughter fell off the step ladder on July 5th, whilst painting her kitchen. She broke her knee in 2 places, and shattered her heel so badly she needed an op, they`ve told her they couldn`t find every bit of shattered bone so they don`t know how good the repair will turn out to be. She`s still on crutches, and has vowed never to go up stepladders ever again. So take great care, TINM.

phoenix Tue 22-Oct-19 20:17:19

"Ouch" to those above suffered, and callgirl1 your poor dd!

I have a brilliant extendable thing for jobs like that, the head looks like a giant toilet brush, the handle extends to a huge length, cost all of about £2.99 from a local bargain store.

Callistemon Tue 22-Oct-19 20:25:23

It's that slow motion feeling you get when you fall, wondering if any bit of you will be damaged!

Is OH fit? If so, can you get him to do the 'high jobs'?

Our window cleaner will do the outside of the conservatory, perhaps not as thoroughly as we would do it, but it's safer.

Fennel Wed 23-Oct-19 08:37:09

Your story made me shiver,*thisisnotme*. shock. You were very lucky not to be hurt.
I would NEVER stand on the top step with nothing to hold onto.
I once fell off a stepladder and landed on my back on a concrete floor. I was lucky, only slight concussion.

Willow500 Wed 23-Oct-19 09:49:25

I have a swivel office chair and often stand on it to reach things on one of the higher shelves behind me. My husband is forever telling me off as the chair swivels round or tips backwards so I could fall off but there isn't enough room to swing a cat (she has to sleep in her basket on the lower shelf behind me grin ) I can't get ladders in here. Having fallen a few times over the years I know how dangerous climbing on anything can be so don't think it's sensible to stand on the top of steps to clean the conservatory - could you use a long handled brush and duster to reach instead?

Callistemon Wed 23-Oct-19 10:02:18

Those swivel office chairs can also tip sideways even if you're just sitting on them - just don't reach too far for something as they can go over in slow motion!

GabriellaG54 Wed 23-Oct-19 10:39:10

I have one of those 'tickling-stick' type dusters with an extendable handle.
Anything more arduous means professional help.

Theoddbird Wed 23-Oct-19 10:43:21

Cleaning.....errrrrrrrrrrrr

lindiann Wed 23-Oct-19 11:00:00

I fell over the kerb in Salisbury just after the poisonings quite a crowd gathered but nobody offered to help me up lol!!!

Fennel Wed 23-Oct-19 11:05:35

You should come and live in GeordieLand, Linda. I've had 3 falls outside in the last year and each time people have rushed to help me up etc.

Pantglas2 Wed 23-Oct-19 11:13:33

Ooh there’s something quite satisfying about the word Splat, isn’t there angelic? Hope you weren’t hurt!

Paperbackwriter Wed 23-Oct-19 11:27:16

What is this 'cleaning' of which you speak?

Alexa Wed 23-Oct-19 11:30:14

Get your bone density checked . Osteoporosis or not is a key factor in estimating risk.

Davida1968 Wed 23-Oct-19 11:36:15

Cleaning the ceiling? I need a little lie-down.....

LadyJus Wed 23-Oct-19 11:36:37

My friend told me that if you take a tumble in public and people laugh, you're young. If you take a tumble in public and people rush to help, you're old!

Margs Wed 23-Oct-19 11:46:31

Just to go off-piste slightly: I've had a 'friendly' argument going on with my friend for years about dusting and hoovering.

I dust first and THEN hoover - she insists that you must hoover fist and then dust.

No, no, no she's surely wrong?